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A-level English Literature tuition, essay first
How does an A-level English Literature grade actually move? Timed essays, marked the way an examiner marks, with a rewrite before the next one. Small groups run at £30 an hour and one-to-one at £50, at our Birmingham centre at 2341 Coventry Road, Sheldon, and live online. Lessons follow your exact specification, AQA 7712 or 7717, Edexcel 9ET0, OCR H472 or Cambridge International 9695, and as a JCQ-approved centre we also enter private candidates for the exam itself, £400 at Birmingham, with NEA coursework assessed for £350.
Literature grades are essay grades, so essays are the lesson
Students rarely lose marks for not knowing the text. They lose them for asserting instead of arguing: a point with no evidence behind it, a quotation retold rather than analysed, context bolted on because it feels obligatory. So every seminar works from your set texts towards a written argument, and every fortnight you sit a timed essay marked to your board’s assessment objectives, with the annotations an examiner would make.
Your tutor teaches to your specification and its question style, whether that is the comparative and unseen work most boards demand or the coursework essay. Literature also pairs naturally with A-level History, and students taking both with us reuse the same essay discipline twice.
How the essay method runs, week by week
Plans and prices
Small groups are £30 an hour, which is £240 a month at two hours a week, and one-to-one is £50 an hour, in centre or online. Every plan starts with a free diagnostic essay.
Every fee, published →Just need to sit the exam?
Private candidates sit A-level English Literature at our JCQ-approved Birmingham centre for £400, including the board fee, invigilation and your seat, with more at our other centres on the fees page. The NEA coursework component is assessed with us for £350. Entries for May and June 2027 close on 1 February 2027.
A-level English Literature, asked and answered
Do you teach my board’s set texts?
Yes, we teach to your exact specification: AQA English Literature A 7712, AQA B 7717, Edexcel 9ET0, OCR H472 and Cambridge International 9695. Lessons work from the texts and question styles on your course, not a generic literature syllabus.
How much does A-level English Literature tuition cost?
£30 an hour in a small group, which is £240 a month at two hours a week, or £50 an hour one-to-one. Every plan starts with a free diagnostic essay, and full pricing is on the fees page.
Can I sit A-level English Literature as a private candidate?
Yes, exam entry is £400 at our Birmingham centre, with more at our other centres, see the fees page. We assess the NEA coursework for £350, and entries for the May and June 2027 series close on 1 February 2027.
How do you actually improve essay grades?
By making timed essays routine rather than rare: one every fortnight, marked to the board’s assessment objectives, with the weakest paragraph rewritten before the next one. Grades move when feedback is specific and the next attempt comes quickly.
Start with a free diagnostic essay
One marked essay, an honest working grade, and a plan for the argument skills your board rewards. No obligation.
