About EFL Tutoring: English as a Foreign Language

I am a semi-retired English teacher and examiner, living in Scotland, United Kingdom. For over 30 years, I have had the privilege of helping students learn English and since 2008, I have assessed English for Pearson/Edexcel.

For the last 15 years, I have focused on helping international students adapt to the demands of academic English, primarily at the University of Glasgow and Kaplan’s Glasgow International College. I continue to teach summer pre-sessional courses and serve as an Associate Assessor on the Pearson English International Certificate and International GCSE in English as a Second Language.

Through my experience in the classroom, I noticed a frustrating pattern where standard academic English courses rarely leave enough time to teach the foundational English language tools international students need for academic study in the UK, expecially learning academic vocabulary, understanding how English grammar is used in academic contexts, and how to read complex academic texts.

• Understanding grammar in academic contexts: It may not seem obvious, but understanding how to use grammatical structures effectively can help students to express their own academic voice.
• Developing dictionary skills: It might sound traditional, but knowing how to properly use a modern learner’s dictionary is one of the most empowering, self-directed skills an international student can learn to rapidly expand their vocabulary.
• Navigating academic texts: Many of my students expressed how overwhelming university reading lists can be. There are many simple and practical strategies that can be used to navigate academic texts that will help you orient and evaluate the relevance of texts across any academic subject before reading in detail.

For international students, transitioning to studying in the UK is a major milestone in life. I am building this site to share practical resources designed to build your confidence in both general and academic English. These resources will help you build the confidence and skills needed to succeed in your academic studies. particularly in academic English.