Holly B

My Passion & How I Inspire

I have always loved learning new things, it is so satisfying to finally 'get' something that has been confusing for so long. I love helping people in areas they struggle with and watch as their eyes finally light up as they 'get' the concept that they've been battling with. I love watching a student develop academically and see their confidence grow as they approach more challenging aspects of the subject area, this often leads to really enjoyable conversations where they can develop their thoughts about what they have just learnt. I am able to connect with all types of students, this is so important when tutoring as no two students are the same. I like to spend time getting to know not only my student's personality but they ways in which they learn so that I can use the most efficient techniques to help them to understand, and ultimately enjoy, difficult concepts in the subject.

My Experience

I have a solid grasp of all core subjects however my expertise lies with English language and literature. I have been tutoring students of all ages for the past 6 years, ranging from young children to mature adults. In my past experience I have had several students increase by at least two grade boundaries in the target subject. I am able to help with essay writing, exam techniques, understanding difficult concepts and hopefully bring about a love for the subject! I have experience marking and helping students write essays, from GCSE to postgraduate. I have also had experience teaching advanced grammar at different colleges and have given lectures on language development. I have worked at university as a Mandarin Chinese tutor to both English and Chinese students. I am educated to doctoral level in language and psychology and have spent my postdoctoral years mentoring undergraduate students. I have also co-lectured a university module in phonetics.

I have tutored for several years. I was an A level tutor at Greenehad college while a student there; I recieved the highest A level marks for this subject in the country. I have been invited back to Greenhead several times and given lectures/private tuition on advamced grammar and child language acquisition. At Lancaster University I tutored English to native speakers of Mandarin Chinese, I also did this in Beijing China.

Subjects That I Teach

  • Dissertation
  • Dissertation - Undergraduate
  • Dissertation - Postgraduate
  • English
  • English - Undergraduate
  • English - Postgraduate
  • Mentoring
  • Mentoring - Undergraduate
  • Mentoring - Postgraduate
  • Psychology
  • Psychology - Undergraduate
  • Psychology - Postgraduate

My Qualifications

A levels: English Language A*, English Literature A, Economics A, General Studies A, EPQ A*. I was awarded the Dr Johnson award for the highest English Language marks in the UK.

Undergraduate: Lancaster University First class BA(Hons) Linguistics with Mandarin Chinese. I received the highest marks in the university for Mandarin Chinese and several modules.

Postgraduate: University College London MRes Speech, Language and Hearing

PhD in neural entrainment in infants (psychology, language & neuroscience)

My Reviews

"Holly tutored me for linguistic modules several times! She always managed to turn complex explanations into simpler bits of information that often made me think "why didn't I think of that before!?" She was patient and encouraging, and went about explaining things in a number of ways to ensure I fully understood. We went over past exam papers and Holly was so helpful, I'd go into my actual exams with her advice echoing in my head.

Not only is she an amazing tutor but she's also so friendly!" Chloe S

My Video Introduction

Fun fact

I've been on an ITV gameshow!