Hello! My name is Darya Protopopova and I prepare students for GCSE English, GCSE English Literature, A Level English, A Level English Literature. I also help with any aspects of English at university level. In addition, I successfully prepare students for the Russian A Level. 

I especially enjoy working with bilinguals and students who have recently arrived in Britain and are striving to pass GCSE English exams on par with native speakers. This is not an easy task, but absolutely doable! In my work, I always support students, inspiring them to be positive and confident — to believe in their linguistic abilities, since they already know more than one, sometimes two, languages. In our lessons we actively use the knowledge we have accumulated in other languages ​​​​to understand English more deeply. 

I also enjoy preparing students for the creative sections of the GCSE English exam - writing their own short story (Paper 1) and non-fiction (Paper 2). We create a story based on personal emotions and read both Victorian and modern texts to find inspiration.

In my lessons, I use various resources such as: 1. Textbooks 2. Videos 3. Past papers 4. Sample essays. 

I explain how to analyze quotes from exam texts such as Shakespeare, Victorian literature, 20th century texts and Poetry Anthologies. We also look at how to use literary terms and historical context in exam answers to achieve the top grade.

About me: I started learning English at the age of 4 in Russia, as my father worked as an interpreter. In 2003, I moved to England, gained an MA and PhD (DPhil) in English Literature at Oxford University, and then decided to become a school teacher. After gaining a PGCE from UCL and becoming a qualified teacher, I taught in London schools, working with pupils from Years 7 to 13 (6th Form). I became a tutor because I enjoy delving deeply into literary texts (something you don’t always have time for in school) and listening to each  student individually.