On the Mark

Helping GCSE & A Level students master English, boost confidence, and achieve top grades with strategic programmes, expert exam marking, and digital study resources.

Hi, I’m Sian—the founder of On the Mark and a passionate English tutor who genuinely loves helping students grow in confidence, skill, and self-belief.

I’ve spent years supporting students of all abilities to navigate the ups and downs of English—from structuring their first analytical essay to preparing for final exams. What I love most is seeing the individual progress each student makes—not just academically, but watching their confidence soar.

Since becoming a mum myself, my perspective has completely changed. I understand more than ever how much parents want to see their children feel supported, see them thrive and most importantly, be proud of their own achievements. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to dedicate my time and energy to making a real difference—not just for students, but for the families who care about them.

Whether I’m marking an essay, running a group class, or creating resources, everything I do at On the Mark is built around care, clarity, and helping each student feel seen and supported.

I'm thrilled that you're here!

Examiner-created resources - Last week offer!

I've put together sever 'Examiner Guides' for the upcoming English Literature Exams! Exam overwhelm, especially with Literature, is a common problem; too many options and a 'gazillion' quotations! These guides offer everything students need to know in a clear and succinct way. I've even included all previous exam questions for both AQA and Edexcel exam boards! Coming from an examiner, these guides are all your child needs to be successful on these texts.

  • £5.99

An Examiner's Guide to Macbeth!

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  • 1 file

Are you wondering what exactly gets you marks when writing about Macbeth? Feeling overwhelmed at the seemingly millions of quotations you feel like you need to learn? This guide covers everything you need to know about the text and also, what to say about it in an exam. It keeps the content to what you NEED to know and eradicates the need to spend hours looking at revision guides. As an examiner, this is all you need.

  • £5.99

An Examiner's Guide to A Christmas Carol!

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  • 1 file

Wondering what exactly gets you marks when writing about A Christmas Carol? Feeling overwhelmed at the seemingly millions of quotations you feel like you need to learn? This guide covers everything you need to know about the text and, what to say about it in an exam. It keeps the content to what you NEED to know and eradicates the need to spend hours looking at revision guides. As an examiner, this is all you need.

  • £5.99

An Examiner's Guide to An Inspector Calls

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  • 1 file

Too many students are left guessing at what success looks like in English Literature exams; frantically searching the internet, asking Chat GPT to predict questions and memorising quotations like their lives depend on it. This is not necessary! This guide provides everything students need to know from an examiner's point of view. I have also included all previous exam questions for both AQA and Edexcel exam boards!

What are the benefits of a tutor who is also an examiner?

Choosing a tutor is such a personal decision! It's trusting someone with your child's education. A good tutor can work wonders with regards to your child's progress, however an inexperienced tutor can also have really negative effects. Knowing your tutor has examined for exam boards is an extra layer of security. It shows that your tutor wants to gain a deeper understanding of exactly what gets students marks - no guesswork involved!

  • Free

Power and Conflict Poetry: GCSE English Literature

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  • 1 file

Use this FREE revision guide to avoid the overwhelm of revising Power and Conflict Poetry! For each poem, you will have; A copy of the poem Link to an analysis video where you can watch for a 5-minute summary of each poem A short, written summary of each poem 3 key quotes from each poem 5 explanations of key vocabulary from each poem

  • Free

6 Effective Ways to Structure Literature Responses

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  • 1 file

Often students feel quite confident with the knowledge of their set English Literature texts but structuring their response can lead to anxiety and missed opportunities. I would advise against formulaic structures that heavily rely on a same structure for every paragraph approach e.g., PEE and other variations and instead focus on a fluent style of writing that as simple as it sounds, 'answers the question'.

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Reviews from parents 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

My son is currently taking his A Levels and without Sian’s support, encouragement and most importantly
fabulous teaching ability, I can honestly say that we would be in a much more stressful position.

We were fortunate to engage Sian’s services in November 2022, when my son was struggling with content
and structure of his English Language A Level course. My son ‘clicked’ with Sian immediately; her
professional manner and teaching style work beautifully both face-to-face and online. My son’s
understanding of requirements, subject knowledge and (most importantly) confidence have grown
immensely over the past 6 months. We are now looking forward to results day in August, rather than
dreading it!

I can recommend Sian wholeheartedly. Both parents and students will really benefit.

Good luck for the future, Sian, and thank you so much for your help!’

Andrea

"When I contacted Sian about helping my daughter with her GCSE English,
my daughter’s confidence level was at rock bottom after not getting any
support from her school teacher.

Sian was absolutely amazing with my daughter and not only gave her the
skills and techniques to improve and understand the English questions but
immediately improved my daughter’s confidence 100%.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Sian. Absolutely brilliant and
only sad we don’t need her anymore. Thank you Sian. We are very grateful
for all your help.'

Marie

'Sian worked with my son on the run up to his English GCSE
exams. Sian was reliable and well prepared, she was able to
engage a reluctant 16 year old to improve his understanding and
gave him strategies on how to tackle the exam papers. Sian has a
patient and supportive teaching style, her ability to adapt lessons
to his specific needs and provide constructive feedback has greatly
boosted his confidence. I highly recommend this tutor for any
student seeking English tuition.'

Joy