Professional development
Knowledge kept current
Alongside teaching and examining, I keep my knowledge current through:
- Examiner standardisation meetings
- Subject conferences
- Current research on teaching and learning
Chemistry & Science Tutor
About Diane Costa
Teacher, examiner – and a parent.
I’m Diane Costa. I have taught for 16 years, more than ten of them as Head of Chemistry, and I am a GCSE and A-level examiner. I’ve tutored privately since 2016 and teach at students’ homes in London and online.
Welcome
A letter to families.
Dear parents and students,
Thank you for taking the time to find out a little about me.
I have taught for 16 years. For more than ten of them I was Head of Chemistry – developing the curriculum, shaping departmental strategy and mentoring junior teachers – and today I am Chemistry Subject Specialist and Head of Year 11 at a London secondary school. I have also been a GCSE and A-level examiner since 2016. Assessing thousands of exam scripts has shown me exactly where students earn their marks, and where good students lose them.
I bring that insight to every lesson, but always on top of real understanding. I break challenging topics into clear, logical steps, connect the theory to the world around us, and then turn to exam technique: what examiners look for, and how to deliver it.
Some of my students are finding the subject difficult and need their foundations rebuilt with patience. Others are already doing well and want to be stretched – towards grade 9 and A*, and for some, towards Oxford, Cambridge or Medicine. I adapt my teaching to each of them.
As an experienced educator and a parent, I know how much these years matter to the whole family. I keep parents informed, with feedback at the end of each lesson or sent afterwards with homework, and students can email me with questions between lessons.
I have tutored privately since 2016, and today I teach at students’ homes in London and online.
If you think I could help, I would be glad to hear from you.
With best wishes, Diane
Credentials
The particulars, in full.
In more than ten years as Head of Chemistry, I led curriculum development and departmental strategy, and mentored junior teaching staff. First Tutors has verified my qualifications, identity and two professional references, and both referees rated me 5 out of 5 for reliability, trustworthiness and professionalism.
- Teaching
- Chemistry Subject Specialist & Head of Year 11At a London secondary school
- Experience
- 16 years in the classroomQualified Teacher Status
- Leadership
- 10+ years as Head of Chemistry
- Examining
- GCSE & A-level examiner since 2016A-level Chemistry and GCSE Science
- Education
- MSc Pharmaceutical Analysis & Quality ControlKing’s College London, 2014BSc ChemistryUniversidade Norte do Paraná, Brazil, 2000
- Tutoring
- Privately since 2016, 100+ students
- Safeguarding
- Current enhanced DBS check
- Verified
- Qualifications, ID & two references, by First Tutors
- Based in
- West London
Professional references
From colleagues.
Two of my teaching colleagues, quoted from their professional references. Their names, and the school’s, are withheld.
“[Diane] is an excellent teacher and colleague. She is very knowledgeable of her subject… Her lesson planning & student feedback are also excellent. She has a very good relationship with the students and often has many students coming to her after school or lunchtime, in order to understand things further or help with difficult concepts.”
“[Diane] has excellent subject knowledge and she is able to explain complex concepts clearly for students to understand.”
The method
How I teach.
Two roles shape my lessons: 16 years as a qualified teacher, and my work as a GCSE and A-level examiner.
The examiner advantage
Because I mark GCSE and A-level papers myself, I can decode mark schemes, catch common misconceptions before they cost marks, and give examiner-level feedback on practice papers. I teach exam technique alongside the science, never instead of it.
Lessons by level
- A-level Chemistry
- GCSE Chemistry
- GCSE Science & KS3
- Oxford, Cambridge & Medicine
- University Chemistry
- Online lessons
From KS3 to university, my students also include adult learners, students re-sitting exams, students with SEND, and home-educated and international students.
Beyond the lesson
Up to date, and in touch.
I keep my knowledge current, and keep families informed as lessons go on.
Included
What families receive
Alongside the lessons themselves:
- A personalised study plan with clear, achievable targets
- Feedback at the end of each lesson, or sent afterwards with homework
- All course materials and practice questions
- Support for students between sessions, by email
Reviews
What families value.
Families have been very happy with the progress and results – 63 of my 64 reviews on First Tutors are five-star.
“What I appreciate most is that Daiane gives me feedback at the end of the session, going over the material covered and homework left.”
“My son has got tuition with Daiane for a whole year. He has got a lot of improvement on his physics and chemistry study. Daiane is quite careful and dedicated on the tuition. The homework material is very helpful to consolidate knowledge absorption.”
“Daiane is a great tutor, she provides targeted support and a large amount of resources to help get a better understanding of topics in chemistry. She has an abundance of exam questions which she explores very well with my Daughter with thorough explanations for each question”
A selection, quoted verbatim from First Tutors, where my name appears as Daiane.
Begin with an enquiry.
Tell me about the student, the subjects and the goal, and I’ll be in touch to discuss how I can help.