“Shouldn’t I just hire a private tutor for my child’s 11+ preparation?”
As a parent navigating the competitive world of grammar and independent school applications, you’ve likely asked yourself this question. After all, conventional wisdom suggests that one-to-one tutoring is the gold standard for academic support.
But what if I told you that for many children, a well-designed online writing course actually produces better results than traditional face-to-face tutoring?
This isn’t just my opinion. It’s a conclusion drawn from years of experience helping more than 1,000 children get so good at their 11+ writing that they have been able to secure places at top grammar and independent schools across the UK. Time and again, we’ve seen our 11+ Writing Courses produce remarkable results, often surpassing those achieved through conventional tutoring.
The Limitations of Traditional Tutoring for Writing Skills
Before explaining why our online approach works so well, let’s examine why traditional tutoring often falls short when it comes to developing 11+ writing skills:
1. Inconsistent Methodology
Private tutors typically develop their own teaching methods based on personal experience. This creates enormous variability in quality and approach. Some tutors may be excellent at teaching mathematics but lack specific expertise in the nuances of 11+ creative writing.
2. Time Constraints
A typical weekly 11+ English or 11+ creative writing tutoring session lasts 60-90 minutes. Within this limited timeframe, tutors must cover multiple subjects, leaving precious little time for in-depth writing instruction and practice.
3. The Performance Pressure Problem
Many children feel intense pressure to perform during tutoring sessions. This pressure often inhibits their creativity and risk-taking. These are two essential elements of developing strong writing skills – I can comfortably say this as a seasoned journalist who has made a living from playing with words for almost two decades.
As one parent told us: “My daughter would freeze up during tutoring sessions. She was so worried about disappointing her tutor that she couldn’t think creatively. With your online course, she relaxed and her natural writing ability flourished.”
4. Limited Feedback Cycles
The traditional tutoring model allows for only one feedback cycle per week. A child writes something, the tutor reviews it at the next session, and then another week passes before the child can apply that feedback to a new piece of writing, if they remember to.
5. Passive Learning Environment
Many tutoring sessions inadvertently create a passive learning environment where the tutor does most of the work, explaining concepts and correcting mistakes while the child listens. This passive approach rarely leads to lasting skill development.
Why Our Online 11+ Writing Course Produces Superior Results
Our 11+ Writing Courses were designed specifically to overcome these limitations, creating a learning experience that develops writing skills more effectively:
1. Systematic Skill Development
Rather than relying on the variable quality of individual tutors, our courses follow a carefully designed curriculum that systematically builds writing skills. Each lesson builds upon the previous one, ensuring no gaps in your child’s writing development.
This systematic approach has helped more than 1,000 children develop the specific writing skills that grammar and independent school examiners are looking for.
2. Increased Practice Time
Instead of being limited to a weekly tutoring session, children using our online courses can engage with writing instruction and practice multiple times per week. This increased frequency accelerates skill development dramatically.
As research in educational psychology consistently shows, distributed practice (learning spread over multiple shorter sessions) is far more effective than massed practice (concentrated in a single weekly session).
3. Psychological Safety
One of the most surprising benefits of our online approach is the psychological safety it creates. Without the pressure of performing for a tutor in real-time, many children feel more comfortable experimenting with new writing techniques and taking creative risks.
This psychological safety is particularly important for children who:
- Are naturally shy or anxious
- Worry about making mistakes
- Need time to process ideas before writing
- Feel intimidated by direct observation
4. Multiple Feedback Loops
Our courses incorporate multiple forms of feedback:
- Immediate self-assessment opportunities
- Model answers for comparison
- Guided revision exercises
- Detailed feedback on submitted work (in our Silver and Gold packages)
These varied feedback mechanisms create more learning opportunities than the single weekly feedback cycle of traditional tutoring.
5. Active Learning Environment
Every aspect of our courses is designed to create an active learning environment where children must engage directly with concepts and apply them immediately. This active engagement leads to deeper understanding and better retention of writing techniques.
Real-World Results: What Parents Tell Us
The proof of any educational approach lies in its results. Here’s what parents of our students consistently report:
“We spent six months with an expensive private tutor, but saw limited improvement in our son’s writing. After just four weeks with your course, his writing was transformed. He’s now at Dartford Grammar and thriving.”
– Parent from Kent
“My daughter’s tutor kept telling her what to write, but never really taught her how to write better herself. Your course gave her the techniques and confidence to develop her own voice. She’s now at Henrietta Barnett and her English teacher has already identified her as a gifted writer.”
– Parent from North London
“As a working parent, I couldn’t always be present during tutoring sessions. Your online course allowed me to be fully involved in my son’s writing development, understanding the techniques he was learning and supporting him effectively. He’s now at Wilson’s School and loving it.”
– Parent from Surrey
These testimonials reflect the experience of hundreds of families who’ve discovered that our structured online approach produces better results than traditional tutoring.
When Traditional Tutoring Still Makes Sense
While our online courses outperform tutoring for most children’s writing development, there are specific situations where traditional tutoring might still be appropriate:
- Children with diagnosed learning difficulties who need specialised support
- Children who struggle significantly with self-motivation and independent work
- Families who prefer the accountability of scheduled sessions
- Last-minute preparation (less than 3 weeks before the exam)
Even in these cases, many families find that combining our online course with occasional tutoring provides the best of both worlds to get the systematic skill development of our curriculum with the accountability and personalisation of tutoring.
The Best of Both Worlds: Our Hybrid Approach
Our Gold package offers what we consider the ideal balance:
- Comprehensive online curriculum for systematic skill development
- Personalised feedback on writing submissions
- Direct access to expert support when needed
- Flexibility to learn at optimal times and pace
This approach combines the strengths of online learning with the personalisation of traditional tutoring, all at a fraction of the cost of weekly private sessions.
A Cost-Effective Alternative
Beyond the educational advantages, there’s also the practical matter of cost. Private tutoring for 11+ preparation typically costs £40-£80 per hour in most areas of the UK, with premium tutors charging £100+ per hour in London.
Over a typical 40-week preparation period, this amounts to £1,600-£3,200 for weekly sessions with only a portion of that time dedicated to writing skills.
Our comprehensive writing courses range from £29 to £97, providing specialised writing instruction that would cost thousands if delivered through private tutoring.
Is Our Online Approach Right for Your Child?
Our 11+ Writing Courses have helped more than 1,000 children secure places at top grammar and independent schools, but they’re not right for every child.
They work best for children who:
- Can work independently with some parental support
- Respond well to clear, structured learning approaches
- Benefit from being able to learn at their own pace
- Need to develop specific writing techniques for the 11+
If you’re unsure whether our approach would suit your child, consider starting with our Bronze package. This provides access to our core curriculum at an affordable price point, allowing you to experience our methodology before committing to a more comprehensive package.
The Best Way Forward
If you’re preparing your child for 11+ grammar or independent school exams, writing skills development should be a top priority. While traditional tutoring has its place, our structured online approach offers significant advantages for writing skill development specifically.
With more than 1,000 successful students behind us, we’re confident that our 11+ Writing Courses provide the most effective, accessible, and affordable path to developing the writing skills that grammar and independent school examiners are looking for.
Visit our website to explore our different packages and find the right option for your child’s needs. With the right approach, your child can develop the writing skills needed not just to pass the 11+ exam, but to thrive throughout their academic journey.
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