Samuel G - Tutors - Keystone Tutors

• GCSE Biology, Chemistry & Physics,
• A Level Maths, Further Maths & Physics
• IB Maths & Physics
• Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT)
• Physics Aptitude Test (PAT)
• Undergraduate & Graduate Maths
• Undergraduate & Graduate Physics

I began teaching while at school, leading GCSE Astronomy classes for year 10 and 11 students. Once I started at university I led Oxbridge interview preparation classes, including delivering mock interviews, at my old school leading to students receiving offers to study Mathematics and Engineering at Oxford and Cambridge.
I began online teaching in January 2020, and helped GCSE Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Astronomy students maintain and improve upon their target grades in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I also worked with a pair of A-level students, one of whom achieved 4A*s and went on to pass the PAT to receive an Oxford interview before being given an unconditional offer to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge, and we continued working together to cover content from the first two years of their degree. The other student improved upon all of their predicted grades, achieving 3A's in Maths, Further Maths, and Physics and going on to read Physics at Bath, where we continued working together for their first year.
In 2021 I tutored a student for the 11+ and helped them to earn a place at the Merchant Taylors' School despite having had a significantly disrupted primary education.
Presently I focus on tutoring 16+, i.e. A-level and IB students, as well as admissions testing , as well as university teaching ranging from first year Classical Mechanics and Maths for Physics (Bath, Hong Kong, Cambridge) to fourth year solid state physics (Glasgow) and graduate courses on category theory (the theory of all Maths) and quantum field theory (nearly the theory of all Physics).

I attended Torquay Boys' Grammar School in Devon for both my GCSEs (11A* 2A) and A-levels (A* A-level Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and A AS-level Further Additional Mathematics).
It was at TBGS that I found my passion for Physics and Mathematical Physics, first in a lecture from old boy and Oxford Professor Chris Lintott (who convinced me that Physics was far more interesting than Chemistry), and then on a random Monday afternoon in 2017 when I sat the UK Physics Challenge paper and was awarded for my performance with a place in the 11-student UK squad for the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad. My experience training with the team opened by eyes to the wonders of Mathematical Physics, leading me to read first Physics (BA) and then Mathematical and Theoretical Physics (MMathPhys) at St John's College, University of Oxford.

It was also at school that I first discovered the joy of tutoring - first leading GCSE Astronomy classes during lunchtimes, then helping create and deliver lessons for A-level Computer Science. I continued teaching once I started at university, providing my school with mock Oxbridge interviews, tutoring online since 2020, and delivering in person teaching to my coursemates.

Having graduated from Oxford with a First and a Distinction, I took some time out of academia to decide on a specialty in which to pursue a PhD, while keeping up with teaching so that I could continue to pass on my knowledge to the next generation, help and inspire students to achieve their full potentials, and see Maths and Physics from new angles every day.

I am currently working towards a PhD in Mathematical Physics at the University of Durham, where I also work as a graduate teaching assistant alongside my work as an online tutor.

It's hard to lock down my teaching style when no two lessons are the same, because no two students are the same. That said, I do follow a set of guiding principles:

I produce all of my own notes, to ensure that they're of the highest quality and that I truly know every topic inside-out.

I encourage a holistic approach, linking topics within a subject (did you know that thermodynamics is just an ensemble of classical mechanics?) and between different subjects (did you know that gravitational potential is just an integral?), to keep things interesting and promote a deeper understanding.

I promote solving problems, whether from past papers or other sources, as the best way to practice and revise the subject.

Most importantly, I maintain constant communication with my students and their parents so that the experience is always tailored to suit THEM.

When I'm not tutoring, I am a Mathematical Physics PhD student at the University of Durham - my research focuses on 'generalised symmetries', an exciting new approach to the way we describe fundamental physics.
Outside of work I am an amateur powerlifter, and I also spend time learning Greek.
I also maintain a YouTube channel where I make educational videos about interesting mathematical niceties I come across, my research, and courses from A-level calculus to graduate-level quantum mechanics.