If we are working on exams, I will assess with the student the areas which need our focus, and  determine the order, enabling a logical progression – some areas need to be clarified before others can be learned.   It is also important for me to understand their style of learning (auditory, visual, kineasthetic) to match my teaching to their needs.

I generally like to include all four skills, always ensuring that students’ pronunciation enables them to be understood.   Homework is given at the end of each lesson and, dependent upon the homework, I may provide the answer sheet either to the student or to the parent – sometimes, students do not want me to send it to them, as they admit to having little self-control, finding it hard not to peek.

If they are keen on improving their grammar, I will provide them with a test they can do at home after our first session and they can email it back to me, to clarify our focus.  This is more targeted at A level students who wish to fine tune their grammatical competence, or bilingual students who have not had the opportunity (or maybe volition) to learn to write.