In their own words.

I have had an amazing experience learning and developing my English skills during my tutoring sessions with Fifi. I especially appreciated the way she helped me deconstruct my writing, offering specific and insightful feedback on my weaker areas so we could focus on improving them. When I first joined Fifi in the second half of Year 10, I was struggling to comprehend texts and perform well in school exams; at that point, I was ranked around 60th in my cohort. Through our lessons and the structured approach we followed, I was able to learn and confidently apply the skills needed to respond clearly and effectively to exam questions. As a result, I ranked 4th overall at the end of Year 12 — a dramatic improvement from where I began.

Fifi is one of those teachers that you meet and never forget. Her knowledge and experience by itself is more than enough to set her apart from any other tutor you will find. Under Fifi’s guidance, my improvement in English was so substantial my friends read my old essays and ask if they were written by another person. In the short few terms of Year 12 I spent with Fifi, she was able to improve my ranks by over 70 in the top boys school in NSW. What Fifi does differently compared to other tutors is that she teaches a mindset, an approach, rather than just English.

I studied English with Fifi for Year 11 and 12 and she helped me achieve top bands — Band 6’s and E4’s in English Advanced, English Extension 1, and English Extension 2. I ranked 13th/160, 2nd/55, and 4th/13 respectively at an academically selective school. By brainstorming the best ways to tackle the syllabus, finding sophisticated techniques in texts, and completing a major work with Fifi, I can honestly say she helped alleviate the stress and pressure of HSC English and made it an experience I can be proud of.

Fifi is an excellent and dedicated teacher. In the few sessions I had with her before the HSC, my English mark for ‘The Castle’ went from a consecutive 13/20 to an 18/20 in the HSC. I saw a similar improvement in my Robert Gray essays, improving from a consecutive 14–15/20 to an 18.5/20 in the HSC. She is truly one of the best English tutors who will help you improve all your marks.

We have placed our complete trust in Fifi as our daughter’s tutor from as early as Year 5 until now in Year 12. Over the past 7 years, I have watched my daughter blossom under Fifi’s guidance. She is not only an amazing teacher — she is a qualified professional who is knowledgeable in her craft, but she is also an inspirational mentor and friend to our daughter, a relationship we will eternally be grateful for. At one point, my daughter was 1st in her grade of 260 students for English and was made Dux of her grade that year. There is a reason Fifi is regularly booked out and has a waiting list. We would not hesitate to recommend her.

Fifi is a great tutor for high school English. In Year 10, I was struggling very hard to understand both the analytical and creative components of English as a subject. However, after spending the next few years with Fifi workshopping my English skills, she has helped me greatly improve my marks. She has helped me go from the bottom of my class to ranking 3rd in my school trial exams for English Advanced and 7th in the grade. Overall, I believe Fifi is an excellent English tutor, providing insightful feedback and always encouraging me to improve my work.

Fifi is a fantastic tutor who gave me so much confidence in English. Prior to coming to Fifi, I was fluctuating at high B to low A range, but coming to Fifi, I was constantly ranked top 10 out of 250 students in my cohort and am at high A range. I definitely recommend Fifi to anyone.

Fifi’s professional experience with English allows her to provide insight into important elements of English that are often overlooked by school teachers. Her standards for essays are stricter than most school teachers, but always fair. By following her advice, you’re pretty guaranteed a high mark regardless of whether the marker is feeling generous. I have improved from writing mid B-range essays (14–15) in Year 11 to consistently scoring A’s (17–19). The most important improvement is not the marks, but rather an entirely new perspective developed by Fifi that allows me to easily break down questions and engage with them fully.

English has always been a particularly challenging area of my schooling. Throughout my high school journey, I have had many English tutors, none of which compare to Fifi. Immediately after beginning with Fifi, I knew something was different — I saw instantaneous improvements in all areas of my class. Her extensive knowledge coupled with her unique teaching style meant that my approach to any task in English was exactly what the HSC required. Looking back now after completing the HSC and achieving a raw HSC English mark of 90, starting with Fifi was the best decision I ever made — it was through her guidance and perseverance that I am privileged to attend university doing my dream course.

I have had numerous English tutors over my years of schooling and have never met a tutor who is as knowledgeable and proficient as Fifi. I started tutoring with Fifi in 2017 for help with Advanced English where I was receiving mainly Band 4s and the occasional Band 5. However, after a term with Fifi a Band 4 and 5 was foreign — a Band 6 was the new norm. She taught me how to write Band 6 essays and marked them critically, guided me through Extension 2 major work, and helped me immensely in Extension 1. Fifi is a warm and kind person who wants the absolute best for you and will go that extra mile to ensure you achieve your best.

If you need help with English, you are making a serious mistake picking anyone that’s not Fifi. I have been blessed with her help since Year 9. I went from barely scraping passes to finishing Year 12 top 25 at my school. English is my least favourite subject and at first I just didn’t get it — however Fifi was still able to work her magic and teach me through lessons I would actually look forward to. She is very patient and the best at explaining, helping you analyse content and apply your knowledge. No matter where you’re at with English, Fifi will push you to your absolute peak potential.

Truly, Fifi’s someone who can unravel the mysterious inner workings of English. Her logical approach to writing let me appreciate English as a dynamic subject, instead of just mindlessly memorising paragraphs and hoping for the best. If you’re looking for a supportive and insightful tutor, you can’t go wrong with Fifi.

I have been going to Fifi for tutoring since Year 7 and have stayed with her all the way until the end of the HSC — without a doubt one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. She is so lovely, welcoming and understanding, and I can’t thank her enough for everything she has done for my learning and growth over the years. What I noticed every year was that all of the activities I did with her in the younger years gave me all the skills I needed in my senior years. Everything started flowing more naturally and my marks shot up. Not only is she the best tutor — she is the most amazing mentor and friend.

I just wanted to message most importantly as a thank you to you, Fifi. Upon reflection I realised I owe a lot of my university success to you — you practically saved my HSC English from going down the drain. This is leading into some great news: I have been accepted into Doctor of Physiotherapy at Macquarie. The offer recently came out, but it was a conditional offer that needed my academic transcript, so I wanted to keep it hidden until it was fully confirmed — which I found out just a few hours ago. Thank you for the things you taught me back in 2017/2018; I am truly grateful for your help in improving my English writing skills, which has ultimately helped me to achieve a key dream of mine.

Fifi is an incredibly experienced and understanding tutor who prompts further understanding of all texts. Through her, I’ve been able to extend the sophistication of my writing and target specific areas I struggle with. She caters to all types of learning styles and engages in very thoughtful discussion that allows me to write more interesting and complex essays. Especially for Extension, Fifi is able to explain the syllabus and make what appears to be a daunting task seem doable. She is able to explain things in an accessible way and give very helpful feedback. I highly recommend Fifi if you’re looking to write more intentionally or to more thoroughly understand various topics.

Fifi has completely changed my perspective on English and encourages her students to thoroughly understand the prescribed texts. She is an incredibly thoughtful tutor who is easy to talk to and provides detailed feedback. Her insight surrounding the texts is extremely profound and my only wish is that I began my lessons with Fifi earlier — I started in the middle of Year 12.

I had Fifi all the way from Year 9 to Year 12 and she was the most amazing English tutor. She not only provides comprehensive feedback and resources for all aspects of English from reading comprehension to essays, but teaches you how to improve and become a better writer — a valuable process that is not always carried out in the classroom. Fifi is also a very friendly and caring person which makes lessons enjoyable, and she always goes out of her way to support you even if it takes up her own time. Most importantly, she pushes you to achieve your best.

English has never been an enjoyable subject for me due to my lack of guidance, which limited my writing ability — until I met Fifi. She is an amazing tutor who brings out the best in her students through her expertise, professionalism, and genuine desire to help them succeed. Her teaching style stands out among any other English tutor as she is honest with her feedback and has pushed me to think critically first before correcting my mistakes. The learning environment Fifi creates is both light-hearted and comfortable, making each lesson enjoyable. Thanks to her guidance, I have seen a remarkable improvement in my performance, moving from the bottom ranks to the top ranks in my class.

We are very grateful to have had Fifi as our son’s high school English tutor. She is an amazing teacher. Not only does she have extensive knowledge, but she is also an inspirational mentor who has helped my son build up his confidence in English. She works incredibly hard for each lesson; we’re appreciative that she has also extended the lesson at times to ensure the content for the planned topic has been covered. She keeps us updated on our son’s progress. With her help, my son’s English writing has improved dramatically. As parents, we feel that a simple thank you isn’t really enough to express our appreciation. Without hesitation, we would recommend Fifi to anyone looking for an English tutor.

So glad to have met such a sweet and wholesome tutor like Fifi. She has made my English lessons fun and enjoyable, even though it is my least favourite subject. With constructive feedback and valuable resources, Fifi has definitely helped me throughout my last few high school years to improve key aspects of English and writing skills. Thank you Fifi.

Fifi is an experienced and knowledgeable tutor who makes our lessons engaging. She has provided me with abundant resources that are extremely useful in preparing me for the HSC. I first came to her after getting a 13/20 in my Year 11 Prelims and now my marks have improved to a consistent 17/20. My essay writing skills have significantly improved in terms of structure, clarity, and language, which has allowed me to respond to questions more effectively. Fifi is direct and outspoken with her constructive feedback, greatly increasing the quality of my writing. She also explains with clarity, breaking down complex ideas into smaller parts that are much easier to understand.

Fifi is an incredibly informative and knowledgeable English tutor. Throughout our lessons together she has enabled me to gain more confidence in my English skills and writing. Her warm and friendly personality always makes lessons fun and engaging. Through her guidance and feedback, I have definitely seen an improvement in my writing, and have developed skills I can rely on for future years. Thank you Fifi.

I’ve been studying English with Fifi for five years and I can confidently say that Fifi is the best English tutor. Not only did she help me to achieve great marks in English at school, but through improving my writing skills I’ve also been able to write more confidently in my day-to-day life. Fifi is extremely patient and always corrects my writing — almost word by word — so that my expression is clear and sophisticated. She also gives specific feedback for each writing task, which I have found very helpful. She has extensive knowledge of English modules and texts, including the plot, characters, key quotes, and analysis, and shares a range of different resources for each text.

I have never had an English tutor prior to Fifi. However, I can say without a doubt that choosing Fifi as a tutor was a fantastic decision. She fundamentally changed the way I viewed the subject and my writing style for the better. She was able to go through my work with a fine-tooth comb and point out whenever I had gone off-topic, whenever I provided unnecessary information, whenever my paragraph structure was flawed, and other issues that I was oblivious to before. She helped me prepare for exams by teaching me to adapt to the variety of questions that can be asked rather than simply providing a pre-written essay. As a result, I was more than prepared for the HSC and was able to confidently adapt to everything the exam threw at me. Thanks to her, I aced the HSC and obtained my dream course at the Australian National University.

I’ve never been very confident in my English abilities and it has always been a really difficult subject, but after starting tutoring with Fifi at the end of last year, I began to really understand what markers were looking for. Thanks to her help, I’ve seen so much improvement and been able to achieve high marks in all my assessments, and a high rank overall. She has always pushed me towards achieving my best and taught with dedication and kindness.

During the two-and-a-half years I spent with Fifi, she was not only an amazing tutor but a great friend as well. I always had a fun time at her lessons and never hesitated to ask her any questions I had — even if they were dumb. Although I am not a fast learner, Fifi was very patient in identifying my mistakes and helping me to understand how to correct them. Unlike my teachers at school, Fifi didn’t spoon-feed me with an overload of useless materials — she taught me to actually understand how to achieve a good result in the HSC. I’m so glad I got to meet Fifi, and I am forever grateful for her dedication and kindness.

Fifi is an amazing English tutor who will definitely help you improve in English. She will easily identify your mistakes in essays and creatives and will patiently help you correct and improve them. Her knowledge of English texts and access to resources was definitely helpful in providing multiple perspectives of certain ideas, which was incredibly helpful when it came to writing essays. She is also very friendly and approachable. Getting tutored by Fifi was definitely one of the best decisions I made for my HSC.

Before meeting Fifi, I briefly attended a large English tutor; however, I struggled to maintain a C grade in Year 10. Unlike many other tutors, Fifi was extremely patient in reinforcing my mistakes and showing me how to efficiently improve on them despite my lacklustre English skills. She has an overwhelming knowledge of English and a passion that really motivated me to work harder to get those high grades and ranks I’d thought were impossible. I even started to enjoy English more than maths. By trusting Fifi’s teaching and working hard, I could see massive improvements in my writing and everyday use of English through senior high school. When it came time for exams and assignments, I never stressed too hard — she made me prepare weeks in advance, which freed up time for other subjects.

What differentiates Fifi from other tutors is her level of dedication towards her students and her ability to help them improve their writing tremendously. Her teaching style enables students to truly understand what is required to achieve a top band in HSC English. The methodical approach she takes to essay and creative writing helped me improve my ranks significantly at Normanhurst Boys HS and do well in the HSC exams. Her friendly, helpful attitude helps students gain confidence in their abilities and positions them to achieve high marks. Fifi also helped me with my UNSW Co-op application and LAT exam — her tips and input allowed me to gain entry into UNSW Dual Law and helped me secure an interview for the Actuary Co-op.

Fifi has helped me with my English Advanced studies since the beginning of Year 12 and has significantly helped me improve my English ranks at school (PLC Sydney) and writing skills — making one of my weakest subjects one of my strongest. Fifi was super dedicated and patient in helping me reach a potential I never knew I was capable of. She is definitely the best English tutor anyone could have, and I can guarantee she will improve your marks and writing abilities immediately.

Fifi helped me with English Advanced and Extension 1 in Terms 2–4 of Year 12, and I have seen so much improvement in my essay writing skills. Having attended a high school which is quite strong in English, I never thought I could climb the ranks so dramatically — but with Fifi’s help the impossible seems to have happened. My final internal ranks place me in a relatively safe position to attain the highest band according to data from previous years.

Fifi is an amazing tutor who has helped me so much throughout the year. She has helped me with not only English Advanced, but also English Extension 1, and is definitely one of the biggest reasons for my good assessment marks. Highly recommend to anyone in Year 12.

Hands down the best English tutor. I came to her three to four weeks before my HSC, averaging high 80s but not able to reach the A range in Standard English. Although it was definitely last minute and rushed, she was patient with me every lesson, providing all the knowledge I needed for my essays. After two or three lessons with her, my teachers commended my essays and told me that I was definitely ready for the HSC. Honestly, she is probably the reason I got a Band 6 in English. Regardless of what level of English you have, she is guaranteed to get you an A.

Fifi taught me in HSC English Advanced and the practical component in Music 2, and was seriously the best tutor and friend. Compared to other tutors I had, Fifi stood out because she didn’t make the subject boring and was able to teach using modern concepts so I understood them easily. It was hard to admit but I even started liking English after I started seeing myself improve in my marks at school. She adjusted her explanation to my level and I cannot thank her enough for my Band 6 marks for English Advanced and my Music practical this year.

Fifi was really, really good. She was super dedicated and had a strong understanding of what makes a Band 6 response. In the short time I was with Fifi she improved my comprehension and essay writing skills dramatically.

Fifi is the best English tutor I have ever had. I go to a private school and have been to many English tutors, but none have been able to bring my grade up to an A. I started seeing Fifi at the beginning of Year 11 — my average mark was a C and English was my hardest subject. Fifi taught me with passion and dedication, which was seen in the results of my first assessment task with her, where I scored a high B. After that my marks were in the A range, which I never thought was possible, and I am ranked first in my class. Fifi is a dedicated, hardworking tutor who has all the resources and knowledge needed to get a Band 6 in English.

Fifi is the best English tutor for my son Gordon. His English ranking was last in his Year 12 cohort. After about two months of tutoring he started to catch up. Now, about ten months in, his ranking is at the middle of a selective high school — a great improvement. I am extremely grateful. She also tutors my son on selecting university courses; this has been very helpful as he has trouble making decisions on his own. She understands his character and helps him choose the courses that suit him. I am only too happy to recommend her to anyone who needs help with English.

Fifi helped me improve significantly in all aspects of English — particularly essay writing — as well as helping me with confidence within this tough subject. I strongly recommend her.

Fifi is probably the best English tutor there is. She’s always really supportive and helped me along every step of the way. She is the only reason I got a Band 6 in the HSC. Would recommend her to anyone.

Fifi has been teaching me for a year, and has helped me a lot.

The biggest thing Fifi gave me was preparation that translated directly into composure on the day. Most of my friends were panicking about which essay they had memorised and whether the question was going to suit it. I walked in with a way of thinking, not a script. When the question turned out to be one nobody had prepared for, I was one of the few people I knew who could actually adapt. That confidence came directly from a year of Fifi making me think on my feet.

Most tutors will mark the essay you sent them, give it back, and say good job. Fifi reads every paragraph twice. She’ll tell you the bit that nearly worked but didn’t. She’ll ask what you actually meant in a sentence and then make you rewrite it until it says that. The pace of improvement is just on a different level when somebody is genuinely engaging with your writing every week.

What I appreciate as a parent is that Fifi has helped my son find a voice, not just learn a formula. He came to her writing very competent, very correct, and quite boring essays. She has pushed him to take real positions, to write with intellectual confidence, and to back his own ideas. The marks have followed, but more importantly his writing is now actually his.

Coming from a maths-and-science background I had always treated English as the soft subject — the one you got through by writing fluently and hoping. Fifi was the first teacher who treated it as an actual rigorous discipline. She made me read texts the way I would read a problem: carefully, repeatedly, looking for what’s actually there rather than what I expected to find. My HSC English mark was the one I was proudest of in the end.

I went through three tutors before Fifi who would ‘mark’ essays by writing ‘great work, just expand here’ in the margin. Fifi marks the way a senior HSC marker marks. There are annotations in every paragraph, comments on the structure of the argument, questions about the choices you made. You learn more from one of her marked essays than from a term of school feedback.

Fifi will tell you when an idea isn’t working. She will tell you when a paragraph is filler. She will tell you when your thesis is actually a description rather than an argument. That kind of honest feedback is rare — most tutors are too polite to say it — and it is incredibly valuable. You learn faster because you know exactly what isn’t working and why.

I am a few years out of the HSC and I still write the way Fifi taught me to write. Every essay, every report, every long-form piece of work I produce at university uses the same logic of argument, the same precision of language, the same expectation that every sentence has to be doing work. It is genuinely the best skill anyone has ever taught me.

Year 12 was a difficult year for me personally and academically. Fifi was the constant. She kept the standards high without ever being unkind, she gave me work that demanded my full attention which was honestly a relief, and she treated me like a serious student even when I wasn’t sure I could be one. Looking back, the year I thought was going to derail me ended up being the year I grew the most as a thinker and a writer.

What I value most about Fifi is that she doesn’t just teach you how to write essays — she teaches you how to think. Every lesson, I left with a sharper way of looking at the texts I was studying and a clearer sense of how to put my ideas onto the page. That mindset carried into the rest of my schooling and even into how I approach problems now at university. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

What sets Fifi apart from every other tutor I’ve had is the precision of her feedback. She picks up on the smallest details — a clumsy verb, a sentence that loses its argument halfway through, a thesis that’s a bit too obvious — and somehow her suggestions always change the whole essay. By the end of Year 12 I had completely internalised her voice. Even now when I write at university I still hear her asking, ‘is this actually saying anything?’

I had tutoring across most of my subjects through senior years and Fifi’s classes were the only ones I genuinely looked forward to. She treats students like adults, expects you to bring your best thinking, and the discussions in her small groups are more intellectually interesting than most of what was happening in my school classroom. I left every lesson with new ideas, not just better marks.

What I appreciated most as a parent was how Fifi actually engaged with the curriculum my daughter’s school was teaching. She didn’t try to push a separate program on top of everything else my daughter was already doing — she looked at the assessment schedule, read the texts, and built her tutoring around what was actually being marked. The result was that every session felt directly useful, and my daughter’s confidence went up alongside her marks.