Ellena Gilson

About Me

NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR SEPTEMBER 2026 FOR NEW Y12 AND Y13 TUTEES - secure your place today!

I am an A-Level Biology specialist that has tutored over 200 tutees - I live and breathe the OCR and AQA specifications every day.

I have decades of experience as a senior examiner and question setter - writing exam questions and mark schemes. I am a Principal Examiner too, so am best placed to coach my tutees on exam technique.

I deliver face-to-face teacher training for Tutor2u and I visit schools for bespoke inhouse training days, for OCR spec A and the AQA spec, so teachers can achieve more success with their classes. I want my tutees not only to get their top grade but also to love Biology as I do!

I find it a privileged position being able to work closely with tutees to cover their specific learning needs. I divide my time between tutoring, assessment work and authoring A-Level Biology resources. These all complement each other very well. Each tutee is different and it is always a pleasure to watch them grow in knowledge, understanding and confidence.

I support every tutee in a bespoke way to support their specific needs. I often focus on exam technique, the importance of the practical skills in written exams and the use of specialist terms. Whether on Microsoft Teams or in person, I will guide each tutee through topics to enable them to clock up marks on exam papers.

Practical Details

I am now taking bookings from September 2026 for new Y12 and Y13 tutees. I offer online lessons via Microsoft Teams and am based in High Wycombe for in-person lessons.

I tutor Monday to Thursday. After-school prime times are at 3.15pm, 4.30pm and 7pm. I am available to tutor during the school day as well for students with non-contact time. Places are limited and go quickly

For all enquiries, please contact me at tutor@ellena-gilson.co.uk or using my Linkedin profile. For bookings, please visit the TutorDex or TutorPerch platforms. Pricing information and testimonials from previous students can also be found here.

Teaching Experience

I am an experienced teacher of 28 years, previously head of Biology at a local grammar school. My PGCE is from the University of Cambridge.

I am a Principal examiner and senior examiner for 2 exam boards. I have set exam questions for A-Level papers for many years and work with assessment material daily. I am also an author of A-Level Biology educational resources for several publishers.

I give Webinars for students and teachers and deliver teacher training workshops for Tutor2u. I am the Tutor2u Lead for Biology, rolling out resources and training. I was a Hodder Education trainer for many years before they stopped this service in Nov 24.

Tutoring Approach

A Level Biology is a very demanding course. There is so much content to learn – some of it is quite challenging to understand too. Many exam questions involve application of knowledge and understanding and skills are needed to be successful with these questions.

When I go over a topic I emphasise the specialist terms needed to get marks in exam questions. The mark schemes can be very specific! We look at exam questions together - I teach my tutees how to interpret the information given along with the question, and then to make a specific and concise answer.

As well as a focus on exam technique, we look closely at the importance of the practical skills. A minimum of 15% of exam questions test the practical skills, so being confident in the language of measurement, science methodology, data interpretation and analysis and evaluation is a grade changer.

I use a graphics tablet and Microsoft OneNote as my whiteboard. My tutees tell me this is really useful to refer back to all the session notes. I send through resources ahead of each session and all my tutees have free access to my substantial corpus of resources. Using Microsoft Teams with a Webcam allows me to share my screen to look at diagrams, past paper questions or video resources together.

I have a friendly approach with my tutees and quickly build up their confidence. My patient demeanour means tutees feel able to ask questions and contribute and I always endeavour to let my enthusiasm rub off onto them. As my tutees improve in confidence, that translates into top grades. I am lucky to often see those precious lightbulb moments when a tutees’ understanding is solidified.

It is very satisfying to receive calls on results day and to hear of the wonderful successes. Please do get in touch if you feel that I can aid you or your child's A-Level Biology studies.