TESTIMONIALS
Claudia Flanery, Abbotsleigh, Year 12 2018
My two years spent with Camellia is something that I will treasure forever. Not only did Camellia enable me to achieve the highest possible English marks through her wonderful and ingenious teaching but, she also became someone who mentored and supported me through the entire HSC process. Her belief in my abilities made the world of difference.
Cassi Ainsworth-Grace, Ascham, Year 12 2017
Every lesson, Camellia worked tirelessly to encourage me to weave in analysis in the HSC essays that fulfilled the syllabus as well as adding a unique, personal flavour to my thesis. Her energy sparks insights into multi-faceted layers in otherwise bland school subjects, inspiring creativity not only in imaginative work but in essays and other analytical pieces. Our work on the graphic novel Watchmen proves this above and beyond as she spoke of the relationship between time and identity, her passion for the text undeniably contagious.
Camellia is productive and professional, never canceling on a lesson and always willing to find extra time to tutor in particularly stressful periods. Her reliability has offered me stability and a calming presence amid the whirlwind of the year. For both English Advanced and Extension, Camellia commands strong knowledge and understanding of the syllabus requirements that I otherwise found an indecipherable maze - her understanding a key facet of my achievement of rank 2 in English Advanced. Personable and charismatic, Camellia has been a wonderful, inspiring tutor and I could not recommend anyone more highly.
Ashley, Abbotsleigh, Year 12 2017
Camellia has been the absolute best and I can honestly say that I would not have made it through HSC Advanced English without Camellia’s help.
I really loved how Camellia’s feedback and comments for improvement were always constructive, thorough and specific. Camellia allowed me to realise the importance of being clear and concise when conveying ideas and then further supporting them with strong evidence - this has been reflected greatly in my marks. I also found it extremely helpful how our lessons were always productive, whether they were spent crafting out a stunning thesis or analysing analysing passages from my set texts. Camellia definitely enabled me to make the most out of our 2 hour lessons!
Matilda Flanery, Abbotsleigh, Year 12 2016
I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of English tutoring with Camellia since starting lessons with her at the end of Year 11. The confidence and love for English Camellia has instilled in me over the past year is remarkable.
The impact of Camellia’s tutoring was first seen when I had my first session two days before my first HSC assessment. With thanks to the the skills and knowledge learned in just two days of tutoring that I received from Camellia I achieved a mark of 18/20. My marks improved greatly from my Year 11 performance due to Camellia’s tutoring and I did not drop below an A band mark all year.
Every session, I felt moved and honoured to be learning about how amazing English Literature can be by someone who has such a great understanding and love for English that she could pass on.
Camellia’s ability to engage with all students and motivate them to achieve their best is something that is to be admired by her past and present students. It is my pleasure to have been tutored by Camellia and I could not recommend anyone more highly.
Rebecca, Pymble Ladies’ College, Year 12 2015
Camellia has amazing technical language expertise from her degree, an in-depth and thorough knowledge of the requirements and expectations of the HSC English syllabus at every level, and a personable yet well-organised teaching style. All of these attributes make her an unparalleled source of wisdom and advice for students seeking high school English tutoring. Whilst I was a student who already loved English, I was not achieving marks that matched my level of effort. Camellia drew upon my passion for the subject and with every successive school assessment, my marks improved – I achieved full marks in my last assessment and from my first rank of 69th, achieved a trial rank of 14th in a school of 270. This was all thanks to the discipline and skills Camellia cultivated in me. Before I met Camellia I couldn’t wait to drop Extension 2 English as a subject – but with her guidance and encouragement, I completed a Major Work I was extremely passionate about, and proud of, for which I achieved an internal assessment mark of 90. Camellia is not afraid to challenge her students, which ensures they achieve to the best of their abilities, but she always remains approachable and realistic. Camellia’s unique and informed style of tutoring is not only extremely effective in gaining desired HSC results, it is inspiring – she has instilled in me a love of English that will last a lifetime. I could not recommend a tutor more highly than Camellia.
Alice Ireland, Loreto Kirribilli, Year 12 2015
English tutoring has been a very positive experience with Camellia who is personable, patient and always encouraging. She started tutoring me in year 11 and my distinct improvement in exam strategy and essay writing was reflected in my rising English advanced and English Extension 1 marks throughout year 12. Camellia’s teaching style is engaging and increased my willingness to do well in the subject. She helped me prepare thoroughly for assessments and saw me reach the top ranks in each English Advanced, Extension 1 and Extension 2 before trials. Before starting with Camellia I dreaded creative writing tasks but by year 12 when it came to the decision to take up Extension 2 English she urged me to take it on and my major work was a creative. Extension 2 has since become one of my favourite HSC subjects and I ended up receiving the English Award for 4 unit. I am very appreciative of her wonderful support and for helping me reach my potential!
Ineke Mann, Ravenswood School for Girls, Year 12 2015
Having moved from England in Year 10, I was having difficulty navigating the Australian system. Though English had been my most successful subject, when I moved it quickly became one of my worst.
After receiving my results following my first assessment in Year 12 I sought out Camellia’s help and my improvement was immediate and dramatic. My rank increased from 80/103 to a highest of 8/103 in one of my internal assessments. In my first assessment I received 60% and my final mark for both the internal assessments and the HSC was 91% resulting in a Band 6 in English Advanced overall for the HSC. I can say without hesitation that it was thanks to Camellia’s expansive knowledge that I was able to receive these results and get in to my desired University course. Camellia not only has an incredible understanding of English, but of the HSC and how to deliver what is expected in this course.
My lessons with Camellia were not only absolutely fundamental to my final result, but it was an extremely enjoyable experience that I will be forever grateful for. Camellia’s personable approach created a genuinely friendly environment in which I felt able to express my thoughts and not feel intimated. I had previously resented all work related to English because I did not see any positive progress, but it became less of a chore as I started to enjoy challenging myself and seeing the improvement in my work. I became more confident and did not dread upcoming assessments and examinations. Camellia’s online feedback via email was fast and extremely thorough which made it easy to receive her comments continuously and meant her feedback was accessible when I was not able see her in person.
I could not speak more highly of Camellia and recommend her tutoring to anyone who wishes to see improvements in their grades; her teaching significantly boosted my confidence and she helped me to receive a final HSC result I never would have thought possible.
Celine Camus, Pymble Ladies' College, Year 12 2015
I came into touch with Camellia in the lead up to my HSC exams with the desire to refine my essays and creatives. I was seeking greater clarity in my ideas and specific feedback pertaining to ways I could improve. This was to ensure I was well prepared for my English Advanced and Ext 1 HSC Exams. Camellia was able to fulfil and exceed my expectations, instilling confidence with her timely and extensive comments.
I found Camellia supportive, thorough and always ready to answer questions, queries or concerns. She was willing to take the time to explain and elaborate on her feedback, for me this was over the phone or via email. In doing so, in the limited time I had left leading up to my exams, she provided me with the extra support I needed.
Further, I found Camellia extremely well versed with the HSC syllabus, she was able to understand the requirements and clearly identify areas that I needed improvement in. This assisted my thesis development thereby maximising my results in my HSC exams. I am extremely thankful for her insight and I couldn’t speak more highly of her.
Susannah, Killara High School, Year 12 2013
“Camellia was the best thing to happen to both me and my marks during the HSC. Prior to having Camellia's help, I was sitting on an Advance English rank of 59, insecure and unsure of my abilities and unwilling to delve into and explore more complex ideas. However with her help, all this changed and amazingly my rank drastically lifted to 11! Not only was she there as teacher, but also as a friend during this extremely stressful time period. Every week I would walk away from our tutoring session feeling less stressed and more confident. The skills she taught me have carried through both my schooling and university career. Without her help, I know I would not have got into my Psychology degree and for that I can not speak more highly of her.”
Lauren, Willoughby Girls’ High School, Year 12 2014
“At the end of 2013 I began the HSC English course and quickly struggled to connect with the style of writing that was being asked of me. After the first term of getting a C or band 3/4 average it became clear I needed a tutor if I wanted to get into my desired university course. Through friends I was passed along Camellia’s number as a highly recommended tutor. I was at that time finding it difficult to continuously pay attention and engage at school, so I was unsure coming to extra sessions of English how I would cope if I couldn’t do a 50 minute class!
To my disbelief, my first session with Camellia not only whizzed by but she was able to get me to understand a terms’ worth of English within that time- something that my teacher of tow years had not succeeded in. I cannot praise enough nor put totally into words how much Camellia changed my HSC experience and marks. As English as a subject is counted no matter what score in every students ATAR its influence on both this rank and further education studies is immense. In English I went from getting low C range marks to A’s, which allowed me to gain a high range band 5 and ATAR of 95.95 – getting me into my dream university course!
Through Camellia’s wonderful style of teaching, understanding of the HSC syllabus and approachable personality, I was not only able to grasp what was being asked of me in the subject, but also start to appreciate English language and literature – something that totally caught me by surprise! Further to this, my understanding of English through Camellia also brought up my marks in other essay based subjects, as I was able to express myself with an increasing clarity as the year went on. I have recommended Camellia to many of my friends and would do so to anyone undertaking units of English HSC study, not only will she completely change your ATAR (for the better) but Camellia will also instil an appreciation of English for life.”
Rosie, Killara High School, Year 12 2013
After failing an English exam during Year 12, I tried a couple of English tutors but wasn’t benefiting as much as I had hoped. A number of my friends had recommended Camellia, and I decided it would be worth a shot.
However, I hadn’t realised just how much one person could influence my way of thinking, not just in respect to analysing HSC English texts, but also my approach to any piece of writing within school, university and work.
Her tough love attitude and caring personality were the perfect combination to teach me everything I needed to know. Camellia immediately improved my marks, enabling me to achieve a Band 6 in my final HSC grade, and allowing me to get into the university course of my dreams.
Josh
"When I first sat down with Camellia, I was in a pretty dire situation as far as my HSC was concerned—it was becoming the norm for me to give up on assignments and to disengage in classes as a result. What followed was a gradual but substantial progression in my behaviour and attitudes towards my schoolwork.
Camellia was essential in formulating a rigorous but accessible framework—one that was realistic given my state of mind and ability. When it came to the most challenging moments, she invariably offered me a solution that worked for me. Our tutor-student relationship amounted to something of team—something I felt my teachers at school couldn't offer.
Camellia was exceptionally reliable and—despite my reluctance—insistent that the work got done. I owe it to her that I passed my HSC and got the mark in needed to get into The University of Sydney."