Becoming a Tutor

[makemepretty17]

Dear all,
I am considering signing up to be an online tutor. I already work from home teaching EFL to children online, and looking to expand my working hours.
I'm degree qualified in Enlish Literature, so figure I should advertise my services to secondary, GCSE and A Level. Trouble is, I'm not sure what schools are teaching now, and what the exam boards require of students. Is there a way I can find current curriculum information, past papers, marking criteria, so I can find out what is required of today's students in order to help them better?
thanks.

Exam boards have everything online. You would need to talk to individual students about their board - they will know. You need to pay particular attention to mark schemes and examiner’s reports if you are not to undo work done in schools.

Good points from ohreally!

Before you take on any students, I'd start by finding past papers from various boards and completing them yourself. For example, here is some material for OCR English Language GCSE. All boards have pages like this for each specification.

By doing the papers yourself, you will start to remind yourself what it is like to be a school student, and what the demands are for the papers they have to sit. You'll also become familiar with the paper styles and mark schemes (use them to mark your own work!).

I wouldn't go on a reading binge of the specifications before starting: it will drive you mad! Instead, each time you take on a new student, read the specification for their course. This way you'll build up a strong body of knowledge over time.

You can also buy the revision guides for each exam board, which will include everything they cover. CGP produce some great ones for the different boards.

I’m an examiner for AQA and know that specification very well.The exam boards are very similar but everything you need is online.There are past papers and all the information about the texts being studied.