When a school student sits down to take an exam, they should be as well prepared as possible.

That's the view of Jeff Smith, a private tutor based in East Grinstead in West Sussex. He should know. As the Head of Lower Senior School and the Science Department at Greenfields School in Forest Row, he knows the pressures that students face.

"English school students have to sit a lot of exams and this can be very stressful" he says. "Not being properly prepared makes things a lot worse. If you sit down to take the exam knowing that you missed out on certain topics or just never got to grips with a subject, you are almost doomed to fail."

Jeff takes the time to get to know his students and find out what they know and what they don't. He makes sure they have covered all the work and that the basic skills of learning are there.

"Sometimes kids haven't even been shown how to use a dictionary." he comments "That is such a simple but essential tool for getting the most out of study."

Jeff Smith can be contacted on 01342 326063 or via his website www.jeffsmithtuition.co.uk