Hannah

Hi, my name is Hannah. I graduated with a 1st class degree in Chemistry from Oxford University in 2016, and am offering tutoring in both Maths (up to GCSE) and Chemistry (up to A-Level).

About me:
-Studied for my GCSEs (9.5 A*, 1 A) at Surbiton High School
-Awarded an academic scholarship for Years 12 and 13
-Continued at Surbiton High School to gain my A-levels (3 A*, 1 A)
-Published my first paper in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C in 2016, and co-authored my second paper, published in ACS Catalysis, also in 2016
-Graduated with a 1st class MChem degree in 2016. My highest exam marks were in any modules involving Maths!
-Completed 1.5 years of a PhD in the theoretical modelling (C++, Python) and experimental investigation of nanoparticle dissolution and diffusion through a biolayer, also at Oxford
-Currently searching for part-time work after relocating to Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne


Chemistry and Maths can be challenging subjects for many students, especially when concepts are not explained in a way they can grasp. Unfortunately, many class teachers are simply too overstretched to focus on the needs of individual students, especially if they don`t make a fuss! In these subjects especially, when gaps in understanding develop early on, later material often feels `impossible` to grasp as it builds on that unsteady foundation. It can lead even the brightest students to feel as if they are `not clever enough`, or underconfident students to worry they will fail entirely, and leads to stress and worry the entire year (also hindering learning), which they don`t deserve. It doesn`t have to be that way. If you`ve been struggling in lessons in general, or just with particular concepts, it`s likely not your fault, and it doesn`t mean you`re not capable of understanding the material and approaching the exam questions with confidence.

As an exam season nears, there is a drive to memorise answers and methods for completing common exam questions. This is an important part of exam preparation, to ensure you bag as many marks as possible for the parts of the paper that are predictable! But, memorisation takes time and can only get you so far in Chemistry without a thorough understanding of underlying principles. It even gets exponentially harder without a baseline level of understanding, which is why this approach alone might not get you too far. If you can nail the understanding early on, Chemistry and Maths should actually have some of the least cramming vs. other subjects come exam season which will be a welcome relief! Examiners will often throw in a few unusual questions to test a student`s reasoning from these underlying principles, outside of what is normally learned by rote, so for students looking to achieve top grades or interview well for top universities, a solid grasp of these is key.

In university interviews in particular, interviewers may even look to build on this knowledge with tutorial-style lines of questioning to gauge how easily you pick up new concepts, so being comfortable with the A-Level material is critical. I`m more than happy to discuss my interview experiences and degree-level concepts with students who are looking to study Chemistry at a higher level (although this would just be for interest and familiarity - interviewers generally won`t be expecting any knowledge beyond A-Level as they`d prefer for you to focus on solidifying this instead!).

My aim is to identify and fill any gaps in understanding, starting from the most basic concepts if necessary. It will also be important to spend time analysing mark schemes so that this knowledge can be conveyed to the examiner with the format and keywords they expect. Bring along anything you need help with, from specific questions to general topics. We can then work through these together, giving you the opportunity to ask about any points you don`t understand, and I can explain any concepts which were not made clear in school lessons. We can go over a topic until you are confident in your understanding and ability to answer similar questions. I can also help you out with step-by-step techniques to answer particular types of questions, if needed.

I`ve had a couple of regular students, and have helped many friends in the past academically. I hope I can do the same for you!

I`m available from the 17th Oct 2022 onwards for in-person tutoring and will be available for online tutoring in a few weeks` time once I have a WiFi connection set up. All days of the week.

Feel free to get in touch through my Tutor Hunt profile for further info.

Availability: Any day of the week, any time finishing before 8pm.

Willing to travel: Home Only

Experience: Had a couple of in-person students across A-Level Chemistry and GCSE Chemistry & Maths. Now looking for new students after relocating to Eastbourne 🙂;

DBS Check: Yes