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MY TESTIMONIALS

Here are some testimonials from previous satisfied students or their parents. If you would like to talk to any of them in person please e-mail me.

(More recent testimonials for online tuition can be found on my online biology tuition website).

"I am now a Consultant Ophthalmologist. Matthew taught me A-level Biology for just 6 months in 1992. No one knows the material, questions and exam trends better than him. If you are serious about great grades, I would recommend him hands down!!"
Dr. G. H., Trinidad and Tobago.

"I cannot recommend Matthew enough to any student looking for Biology tuition. In 4 months he brought up two of my AS level grades from low C grades to A grades (1 mark off full marks in one paper). He also improved my overall Biology grade significantly over the course of a year. In addition to the evident improvements in my grades, my general interest in Biology as a subject increased because of his excellent tuition techniques; he made complex topics (that went completely over my head at school) understandable by explaining in much more straight forward ways. I am very grateful to Matthew in helping me achieve my Biology grade and thus getting me into my preferred university and would encourage anyone to go to him."
C.R., Oxford

"My daughter and son both benefitted from Matthew Barnes' support in achieving their required A'level grades to study biology at university. Following an initial assessment, Matthew then tailored subsequent sessions to address their specific needs. They both found his revision strategies and the feedback they received on their essays particularly helpful. Matthew was very methodical and thorough in his approach ."
P. B., Banbury.

"We approached Matthew just before Christmas 2011, when our daughter was struggling with her biology lessons at school. He was very honest with us, telling us that he wasn’t sure with the limited amount of time he would have, how much he could help her achieve. Hannah always enjoyed her tutorials with him as he taught with enthusiasm, encouragement & always explained things in a way she could understand. With Matthew's help she re-sat her A.s biology in January 2012 bringing her grade up to a C & then a grade B in her A2’s. Hannah is now studying Biomedical Science at university. We found Matthew to be very professional & accessible & would definitely recommend him to any future prospective biology students."
S.B., Kidlington

"Biology tuition from Matthew has been excellent for my daughter. After a couple of sessions, Matthew identified the issues and really helped my daughter to address them by understanding her personality, her anxieties and her weaknesses, and working from this Matthew developed an effective framework for tutoring her. Matthew built good rapport with my daughter and gave her some good exam techniques, which I think raised my daughter's confidence and helped her to get the grade that she needed for University. Matthew is always well prepared with all the course and module details; he gave her pre-prepared notes for concepts from the relevant exam board and a disc with all the relevant past papers for that board."
A.A., Kidlington.

"Matthew Barnes has tutored two of our sons through AS and A2 Biology between 2009 and 2012 and we have found Matthew to be a tutor of the highest order. His knowledge and understanding of the required subject areas is excellent and, more importantly, he has been thorough in ensuring that our sons achieved high exam grades. I have no hesitation in thoroughly recommending Matthew as an A Level biology tutor."
P.I., Great Milton.

"I am currently in my second year doing Neuroscience at Leeds University. I went to Matthew for some extra tutoring to help me resit both my biology AS modules whilst doing my A2’s at the same time. He had a structured systematic approach of asking what I wanted to tackle and other areas exam board were keen on. The past exam questions were so helpful as you rarely get these in school, let alone them marked for you with verbal feedback. I began doing them every week so that by the time of the exam I felt properly prepared and passed them all. Matthew has gone out of his way to help me. On my application to university he read over my personal statement, helping my add personality and steering away from the clichés’. I recently went back to Matthew for some first year University catch up lessons, he takes a very difficult topic and has the ability of summarising it so you have a basic framework with which to fill in the bits the examiners like. I cannot recommend any other tutor for biology as it is down to him that I and several of my other classmates passed A-level biology."
E.S., Abingdon

"I am very happy to recommend Matthew Barnes as a very competent and successful tutor. My daughter, Anna, benefitted from his tuition and succeeded in getting the grade she aspired to in A level Biology in 2011. Anna particularly needed help to boost her self-confidence and also to improve her understanding of how to approach particular exam techniques. Matthew analysed her needs very effectively and then met them by tailoring his approach and making sure every session they spent together was effective. I am confident that his considerable experience and personal approach would benefit a wide range of students."
J. W., Oxford.

"Simply the best biology tutor! Couldn't recommend Matthew Barnes highly enough. He tailors learning to your needs and knows exactly what you need to excel in the exams."
S. D., Oxford.

"Matthew Barnes tutored my son George, in Biology As and A level, for the past 12 months. His expert guidance, unfailing good humour and outstanding ability allowed my son to gain excellent A level grades and go on to the university of his choice, Royal Holloway, University of London, to read Biology. I wholeheartedly recommend him as a tutor, he is always polite, to the point and always gives you a clear idea of where your child stands, on their A level accomplishment and possible grade targets. He also has an innate ability to get under the skin of his pupil, work out what makes them tick, and then guide them to reach their full potential, with the minimum of stress and anxiety for the parent. I would be delighted to speak to any future or possible parent, about Mr. Barnes' skill as a tutor."
N.B., Charlbury.

"I contacted Matthew to help my daughter after less than desirable AS Biology results. He worked with her on a weekly basis and prepared her for the AS resit and the A2 exam. Both were much improved and I’m sure his hard work and excellent tutoring made all the difference. It is also worth mentioning that at no time during our initial meeting did he make rash promises about getting through exams and offered sensible and realistic advice.

Matthew was thoroughly professional and focussed for the whole of every one of the sessions he spent with my daughter. His teaching method encourages the student to be open and honest and the pace of sessions is guided by the student’s ability, knowledge and questions. Rather than using pre-prepared handouts he creates note pages as the session goes on so each one is structured to exactly what was covered and serves to answer all the questions raised. He has an approachable and relaxed teaching style which really helped my daughter to feel that she could ask questions and ask for specific areas to be covered. My daughter no longer spoke about biology as being ‘difficult’ or ‘impossible’ and although she obviously still felt it was challenging she was happy to work at it and clearly felt that the exams were now within reach.

He provides a range of resources to help the student (all at no additional cost) including past papers for exam preparation and is happy to be contacted between sessions to provide additional help and guidance.

His sessions were fascinating and interesting and his experience and excellent knowledge evident. When looking for a tutor it is easy to find someone with a background in a subject. It is quite a different matter to find someone who can effectively tutor a student in their chosen subject. Matthew’s experience really does show in the way he presents material; lucid explanations, appropriate application and examples and sound use of questioning and guidance. I cannot recommend Matthew highly enough."
S.P., Buckingham

"I have just started work as a Foundation Year 1 Doctor. I initially struggled to get the grades required for admission into any medical school. Matthew was able to provide excellent tuition. He identified areas of misunderstanding and was also able to coach me to avoid the many pitfalls of A Level Biology. He was able to provide straightforward explanations for many of the more complex systems as well as provide a flawless set of notes from which to revise. His teaching moved me from a D in biology AS to an A grade by the time I finished my A Levels. He also went above and beyond to assist my application to study medicine; reading through several drafts of my personal statement and coaching my interview technique. Matthew Barnes is an exceptionally talented tutor and I cannot recommend him enough!"
T. P., Oxford

"Matthew Barnes tutored me for A level Biology this year. I started lessons in April, Matthew covered key topics that I did not fully understand as I required further help in preparation for two A level Biology exams in June. The amount of information and topics Matthew could get through within each session was remarkable and just what I was looking for as it provided me with the extra detail and help I needed. The resources that Matthew provided such as past papers with mark schemes were extremely useful in testing my knowledge and I was able to use these as additional practice. If I found them difficult, Matthew always offered to work through them , helping me understand both exam technique and content. I would definitely recommend Matthew to anyone as he played a significant role in helping me achieve my target grade for Biology. His expert teaching allowed me to gain an excellent biology grade and to go on and study Biomedical Science at Aston University."
N.H., Oxford.

"The booklets with all the past exam questions organised into specific topics I found indispensable. This, along with Matthew's help identifying where marks are given for long exam questions, and his concise explanations of tricky concepts, definitely got me my A in A2 biology."
C.S., Oxford.

"Matthew Barnes helped me to achieve grade As in both AS-Level and A-Level Biology in the same year. He explained complex subject matter in a clear and understandable way. He was also very supportive and pushed me to realise my fullest potential. He truly cares about the success of his students. I could not have asked for a better teacher."
N. S., Zambia

"Supporting your teaching page, Matthew is the very least I can do! I do hope you and your good work survives the online competition. I would like to thank you for all the support you have given Laura over the last few years. I was worried about her at one time when her school had failed to help her reach her potential. I had no idea what her potential was, but you helped her to realise it. I have always said that her tuition was the best investment we made. She has surpassed all our hopes and even surprised herself! She just needed to believe in herself. I sincerely hope that your good work carries on and that more young people benefit in the way that Laura has!"
P. S., Wheatley

"I hope your online teaching is going well and I will totally recommend you! Best biology teacher anyone could ever have."
E. W., Oxford

"My daughter found Matthew an excellent tutor. he was very structured and concise and didn't waste any time on chat. She achieved excellent exam results. Highly recommended."
T. D., Oxford and Italy.

"Matthew provided me with the confidence I needed in biology after repeatedly getting Ds in my exams. He was friendly and supportive, but more importantly, he made biology more interesting to the extent where I enjoyed revising the subject. From the Easter holidays until my exams in June, Matthew was able to boost my grade from an overall E to a grade B. This enabled me to get into my first choice university. I would highly recommend Matthew as a biology tutor."
C. Le B., Bourton-on-the-Water.