English
Close reading, essay structure and a vocabulary that sounds like the student rather than a thesaurus.
- Unseen poetry & prose
- Comparative essays
- Creative & transactional writing
One-to-one tutoring
Patient teaching, one page at a time.
Ink Garden is the private practice of Marisol Bantry — weekly one-to-one lessons in English, Maths, Sciences and study skills for learners aged 11 to 18, taught online or at your kitchen table.
- Weekday evenings & weekend mornings
- Written notes after every session
Subjects
Four rooms in the garden
Each subject is taught from the learner's own syllabus and their own worked examples — never from a generic worksheet pack.
Maths
Rebuilding the shaky foundations first, then working forward until method feels automatic.
- Number & algebra fluency
- Geometry and ratio
- Problem-solving papers
Sciences
Biology and Chemistry taught through diagrams, definitions and the exact phrasing examiners reward.
- Required practicals
- Six-mark answers
- Formula and equation drills
Study Skills
For learners who work hard and still feel behind — a system for notes, revision and calm exam weeks.
- Revision timetabling
- Active recall routines
- Managing exam nerves
How sessions work
A steady rhythm, not a rescue mission
Progress in tutoring comes from the same hour, every week, with someone who remembers what happened last time.
A first conversation
We talk through the syllabus, recent work and what feels hardest right now. The trial lesson that follows is free and carries no obligation.
Weekly one-to-one sessions
A fixed slot each week, online or in person. Every hour begins with a short recap and ends with one clearly defined task before we meet again.
Notes you can actually read
After each lesson you receive a short written summary: what we covered, what went well and what to practise. Half-term brings a longer progress note.
Your tutor
Marisol Bantry
I taught English in secondary classrooms before this, and spent most of that time alongside the students who quietly slipped behind. Ink Garden began when I realised how much more could happen in one focused hour than in a room of thirty.
I tutor a small number of learners at a time so that I can keep every syllabus, every deadline and every set of parents' worries properly in mind. Lessons are unhurried; questions are never treated as interruptions.
“Confidence is a subject too. We teach it beside the algebra.”
Rates & formats
Simple, published pricing
Every format includes preparation time, marked work between sessions and the written summary afterwards. The first trial lesson is free.
One-to-one
£46 / 60 minutes
The standard weekly session, online or in person.
- Fixed weekly slot
- Tailored task after each lesson
- Written session notes
Paired session
£30 / person, 75 minutes
For two learners on the same syllabus — siblings or classmates.
- Shared teaching, split practice
- Longer session length
- One joint set of notes
Exam intensive
£165 / block of four
A short pre-exam course in past papers and timing.
- Four 90-minute sessions
- Full paper marked each week
- Booked in the run-up to exams
Sessions are invoiced monthly in arrears. In-person tutoring is available within a short travel radius; everything else takes place online.
Questions
Before you enquire
Are lessons online or in person?
Both. Online sessions use a shared whiteboard so the student can see the working build up line by line, and in-person lessons are available locally at your kitchen table. Many families mix the two across a term.
What happens in the free trial lesson?
A full-length session with no charge and no commitment. We look at a recent piece of work, find where the gap actually starts, and finish with a plan for the first half-term. If it isn't the right fit, that is a perfectly good outcome.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel or move a session with at least 24 hours' notice and it is rescheduled free of charge. Later than that, the session is charged, because the hour has already been prepared and cannot be offered to another learner.
Do I need to buy books or materials?
No. I work from the student's own textbooks, past papers and class notes, and supply any additional practice myself. If a particular revision guide would genuinely help, I'll say so rather than assume.
Do sessions continue through school holidays?
Only if you'd like them to. Some families pause entirely, others keep a lighter fortnightly rhythm. Holiday plans are agreed a few weeks ahead so your slot is held for the new term.
Enquire
Ask about a free trial lesson
Tell me a little about the learner and I'll reply with two or three slots that could work, along with anything I'd suggest bringing to the first session.