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Biography

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Welcome! My name is Richard Illingworth and I am the founder of Grade-Climber.  I have over 17 years' experience as an Economics teacher in an outstanding school in North Yorkshire. During my career I have worked as Head of Department and as a sixth form pastoral tutor.  As a result, I understand the pressures and challenges that students face in when preparing for their all-important final examinations. 

 

As a highly experienced exam tutor, I have established that student exam success is built around three key criteria: delivery of expert subject knowledge from the teacher; guidance on key exam skills and the development of a growth mindset in students, ignited by the enthusiasm of their tutors, which then enables them to fully engage in the development of their learning. 

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Grade-Climber is a small, premium, online tutoring agency with a mission to connect the most experienced subject tutors with students seeking to achieve their full potential. All tutors are known personally to me and have evidenced an ability to ensure their students achieve a high level of academic progress, having been graded as outstanding teachers in their schools. Every tutor has a minimum of five years' experience of teaching their subject at either GCSE, A Level or both. In addition to this, all tutors are currently employed in high performing schools with many having examiner experience at leading exam boards. I have been lucky enough to build this network of outstanding teachers during my career, and it gives me great pleasure to offer their unique combination of subject and exam expertise, care and empathy, to students who are seeking to meet their academic goals. 

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Previous Experience 

Economics Teacher/Head of Subject/Pastoral Tutor

September 2005/October 2022 (Ongoing)

External Tutor/OCR examiner 

September 2008/October 2022 (Ongoing)

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