English tutors

Three different subjects under one name

English Literature asks students to construct arguments about texts, supported by close reading and informed by context. The skill is analytical writing, not reading comprehension, and students who enjoy reading frequently underperform because they narrate rather than argue.

English Language examines how language works — register, structure, discourse, sometimes original writing. It is closer to linguistics than to literature and needs a tutor comfortable with that framing.

English as a foreign language is a different discipline again, best described through the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, published by the Council of Europe in 2001. Its six levels run A1 and A2 for Basic Users, B1 and B2 for Independent Users, and C1 and C2 for Proficient Users — where C2 describes understanding virtually everything heard or read and expressing meaning with nuanced precision.

• Literature — argument, close reading, context
• Language — structure, register, discourse, original writing
• EFL — CEFR levels A1 to C2, from basic to proficient user
• State which one you need before contacting a tutor

Where literature students lose marks

The dominant failure is narration. A student who retells what happens in a text, however accurately, is not doing the assessed task. The upper bands require an argument — a reading of the text that is defended with evidence and alert to alternatives.

The second is quotation use. Long quotations inserted without analysis earn little; short, precisely chosen phrases analysed for their effect earn much more. This is a mechanical habit and changes quickly with focused practice.

The third is context deployed as decoration. Historical or biographical background scores when it illuminates the reading and scores nothing when appended to demonstrate that it was learned.

All three are structural problems with fast remedies, which is why literature tutoring often produces visible improvement in a small number of sessions — unusually so among school subjects.

What to look for in a tutor

For literature, ask which texts they have taught and, if applicable, which board and specification — set texts vary, and a tutor who knows the examiner's expectations for a specific text is more useful than a generally strong reader.

Ask how they would help a student who writes fluently but scores in the middle bands. A tutor who talks about argument structure and essay planning is addressing the actual problem; one who proposes reading the text again is not.

For EFL, ask about CEFR levels directly and whether they prepare for a specific examination. The 2020 Companion Volume extended the framework to online interaction and mediation, which is relevant if the goal is practical communication rather than a certificate.

Timing and cost

Literature and language tutoring can be effective relatively late, because the gains are structural rather than cumulative — a student can learn to build an argument in weeks. EFL is the opposite and rewards sustained, frequent contact.

Evidence on one-to-one tuition favours short, regular sessions over a defined period of up to ten weeks rather than indefinite weekly hours, with roughly five additional months of progress on average. For essay subjects a workable pattern is a session to plan, independent writing, then a session to review the marked piece.

Expect roughly €40 to €95 an hour, with examiner-experienced literature tutors and C1/C2 EFL specialists at the upper end. TutorDeluxe lists tutors from €40 an hour and takes no commission.