Kate M - Tutors - Keystone Tutors

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“Kate Mackenzie was wonderful. She tutored and helped my son on his LNAT exam which ultimately helped him achieve a score that is of the top 2% in the world. This has obviously helped him secure an offer from the law school of his dream, King's College London. Highly highly recommend Kate.”

Parent

LNAT Exams and Undergraduate Law Assistance
Oxbridge Admissions tutoring; including personal statement and interview tutoring.
AS/A Level Maths & AP Pre-College Maths: All major exam boards.
I/GCSE Maths: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC
AS/A Level English: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC.
I/GCSE English Language: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC.
I/GCSE English Literature: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC.
16+ English and Maths (in particular in relation to Benenden and Rugby)
Preparing International students for entrance exams of all levels or to help such students keep pace with the UK National Curriculum standard.
13+ English and Maths: ISEB; public school entrance exams; and pre-tests (in particular in relation to Kings, Charterhouse, Oundle, Sevenoaks and Eton).
11+ English and Maths: ISEB; public school entrance exams; and pre-tests (in particular in relation to Eton, City of London School, Harrow, Latymer Upper, Queensgate and Godolphin and Latymer)

I have experience tutoring English and Maths for 11+ and 13+ examinations, school entrance exams and public exams such as GCSEs. I additionally teach English and Maths to A-Level. As well as covering syllabus content comprehensively, I can help students prepare with revision and exam technique to ensure a strong basis for achievement.

Previously, I have both tutored privately and worked briefly within university-level academic marking. I have also worked as an in-school tutor at Heanor Gate Science College teaching English and Maths at GCSE level. I have delivered group and one-to-one interventions with students who, for a variety of different reasons, were not predicted to attain their target grades. I have received positive engagement from all pupils and the resulting assessments and grades reflected a substantial increase in progress across the board, with many exceeding their predicted grades. I have also performed cover supervision and unqualified teaching with full sized classes from year 7 to year 11 and in subjects ranging from English and Maths to Citizenship.

Due to my in-depth familiarity with exams and mark schemes, I have experience writing GCSE and A-Level revision resources for my fellow teaching colleagues and was personally responsible for the creation of a school-wide scheme of Maths GCSE intervention resources which has subsequently been rolled out school-wide. I have also lead the creation of Keystone Law resources and have written educational blogs on the UK admissions test for Law - based on my experience of helping hundreds of students apply for Oxbridge.

I also carry out work with students abroad, such as from Singapore, to help them maintain a level with the UK London Schools in order that any transition to a UK based education is as smooth as possible. Additionally, I enjoy helping students prepare for the common entrance exams as well.

I read Law at Nottingham University, and completed my degree with first class honours, and a merit in New Zealand Law and an ambition to move into teaching. Having tutored Law during my undergraduate degree and worked within university-level academic marking, I transitioned into an in-school role in Derbyshire, where I worked with at risk students as a subject intervention tutor. After seeing my last GCSE cohort through their English and Maths examinations, I moved to London to start a career as a professional Keystone Tutor in 2017.

Since then, I have expanded my tuition offering to cover English and Maths from Key Stage 3 to A-Level across all major exam boards, and my Law offering focused on all aspects of Law Applications. I have gained particular experience around Oxbridge Applications and the LNAT test, on which I have written educational materials and courses.

“With the tests behind [our daughter] and the results in, I wanted to personally thank you very much for your help and attention over the past few months. [Our daughter] has genuinely enjoyed your lessons. Your advice will serve her well”

Parent

“With the tests behind [our daughter] and the results in, I wanted to personally thank you very much for your help and attention over the past few months. [Our daughter] has genuinely enjoyed your lessons. Your advice will serve her well, way beyond the tests, as very helpful guidance about how to approach her academic work in general.”

Parent

“I am writing to let you know that I have been accepted to read law at Cambridge! I want to thank you so much for all your help - I could not have done it without all your guidance and encouragement. Despite the fact that it was a lot of work, I really enjoyed every moment! I wish you all the best and thank you so much once again.”

Parent

“I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all of the time and effort you gave me to prepare for my law applications. Oxford offered me a place... I'm over the moon. I really couldn't have passed either the LNAT or the interview without your help and I'm massively grateful.”

Parent

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Students both succeed and struggle for a variety of individual and unique reasons and, consequently, it is important to take ones approach from evaluating and reflecting on the learning style of the individual student at hand.

In my experience, however, success can often be achieved by bringing complex subjects back to their fundamentals. This allows for the effective identification of issues in understanding and builds an enduring sense of confidence upon which students can develop. I try to combine this general approach with an engaging attitude, a high expectation of independent and creative work, and finally a supportive, knowledgeable environment for error and development.

When working towards specific exams and entrance tests, it is key to make additional extensive use of the relevant content syllabus, exam reports and mark schemes to familiarise students with effective strategies for achieving success. In the case of university admissions tests and applications, there is no single mark scheme one can look to. This is when my years of experience working with students applying to all top universities can really help; I have gained a wealth of experience about what top schools want to see, and how this can be achieved.

I also have specific experience tutoring students from schools abroad, such as the Stamford American School and the Tanglin Trust School in Singapore, and feel confident in my ability to help coach such students through the new territory of London School Entrance Examinations and UK University Application processes. I enjoy online tutoring and feel that, with the right approach, it is every bit as engaging as face-to-face sessions.

Aside from my role as a professional tutor, I am also a freelance illustrator; art is one of my greatest passions. The other is climbing - and when my brain needs a break, I will mostly be found at the local climbing gym or outside on a cliff! Aside from drawing and climbing, I also like to spend my time on personal learning. Whilst working with Keystone, I have gained a Masters in illustration and undergone a climate law internship with an NGO. I continue to practice playing the piano (decently), playing chess (not so decently), and am in the process of learning Spanish.