English tutors in Calgary.
Strong reading and writing carry into every other subject. Our Calgary English tutors help students read with understanding, organize their ideas and write with confidence, from early literacy to diploma-level essays.
Get matched with a tutor
Call (587) 438-4578 or send this form. We reply within one business day.
English support for every stage of school
Following the Alberta curriculum, from Grade 1 to Grade 12.
Elementary English
Reading fluency, comprehension, spelling and early writing: the building blocks every other subject depends on.
Where students get stuck: Reading problems often hide. A child can sound out every word and still not understand the paragraph, or read well but freeze when asked to write. Tutors listen to the student read, ask questions about the text, and build up from strong sentences to short, organized pieces of writing.
- Reading comprehension
- Phonics & spelling
- Writing
- Grade 6 PAT review
Junior high English
Paragraph and essay structure, reading critically, and the jump in writing expectations through junior high.
Where students get stuck: The big jump in junior high is from writing a good paragraph to organizing a whole essay around one clear idea. Students also read longer novels and are asked to analyze rather than summarize. Many can talk through their ideas well but struggle to plan them on paper.
- ELA 7
- ELA 8
- ELA 9
- Grade 9 PAT review
High school English
Critical and personal responses, literary analysis and essay writing for Alberta's -1 and -2 English streams.
Where students get stuck: High school English is marked largely on writing. From ELA 10-1 to 30-1, students need a clear thesis, evidence from the text and controlled sentences, written under time pressure. The personal response and the critical/analytical essay are the two assignments that worry students most.
- ELA 10-1
- ELA 10-2
- ELA 20-1
- ELA 20-2
- ELA 30-1
- ELA 30-2
- Diploma exam review
Matched to Alberta English Language Arts
Tutors work with the texts your student is actually studying, whether that's a class novel, a Shakespeare play or a poetry unit, and with their teacher's assignment sheets and rubrics. Feedback lines up with how the work will be marked.
Alberta has introduced a new elementary English Language Arts and Literature curriculum, with more emphasis on phonics, spelling and grammar in the early grades. In high school, the -1 stream leads to ELA 30-1, which most university programs ask for, while the -2 stream is more applied.
PAT and diploma exam prep
The Grade 6 and Grade 9 English PATs each have a written part and a reading part. Tutors practise planning and writing a response in the time allowed, and reading passages closely enough to answer the multiple-choice questions accurately.
ELA 30-1 and 30-2 end with a diploma exam that counts toward the final mark. Part A is written; Part B is reading comprehension. Tutors work on essay planning, using evidence well and managing time, and walk through released exemplars so students know what a strong response looks like.
How an English session works
Every tutor is vetted and matched to your student's course, and comes to your home in Calgary.
Look at the current assignment
The tutor reads what's due, the teacher's instructions and any marked work, to see what feedback the student keeps getting.
Plan before writing
Students talk through their ideas, then build an outline together with the tutor. Clear planning fixes most essay problems before a sentence is written.
Write, revise, report
The student drafts a section while the tutor gives specific feedback. Parents see the tutor's notes in the parent portal afterwards.
English tutoring in Calgary: FAQ
Do you tutor English 30-1 and 30-2 in Calgary?
Yes. We match Grade 12 students with tutors for English Language Arts 30-1 and 30-2, including essay writing practice for the diploma exam.
Can a tutor help a younger child who is struggling with reading?
Yes. For elementary students, tutors focus on reading fluency, comprehension and early writing skills, at a pace that builds confidence.
Will the tutor write or edit my child's essays?
No. Tutors teach students to plan, draft and revise their own work, and give feedback along the way. The writing stays the student's, which is also what builds the skill for the diploma exam.
My child reads a lot but still gets low marks in English. Why?
Reading widely helps, but marks in English come mostly from analysis and writing. Many keen readers need help turning their ideas into a clear argument supported by evidence from the text.
Should my child take ELA 10-1 or ELA 10-2?
ELA 10-1 leads to ELA 30-1, which many post-secondary programs require. Start with your school's recommendation. A tutor can help a student who is close to the line build the reading and writing skills to succeed in the -1 stream.
Our tutors come to students' homes in NE Calgary, NW Calgary, SE Calgary and SW Calgary. We also tutor math, science, social studies, biology, chemistry and physics. Browse by grade: elementary (1–6), junior high (7–9) and high school (10–12).
Find a english tutor in Calgary
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