Student Success

M. S., James Ruse Agricultural High School (99.95 ATAR, 5th in NSW English Advanced and 1st in NSW Mathematics Extension 2)

Delta helped me immensely during my HSC year. Not only did I learn a great deal, but the lessons were extremely enjoyable and I was able to establish great rapport with my tutors – in fact, I often looked forward to my weekend lessons! Delta’s wealth of resources and knowledgeable tutors were the key to my HSC English success, and I couldn’t have achieved my state rank in English without them.

R. D., Baulkham Hills High School (99.75 ATAR, 3rd in NSW English Advanced)

Largely, my success in HSC English Advanced can be attributed to my involvement with Delta. Throughout years 10 to 12, I had the pleasure of being taught by some of the most kind and successful tutors in the state at the firm. These mentors provided great personal care during each lesson and still adhered to their arduously prepared lesson plans, ensuring that every student got the attention that they needed. The essay marking service was thorough, harsh and clear - it was perfect for seeking improvement in all aspects of my writing, from style to syntax. If you are looking for the highest quality English tuition, I really wouldn’t look past Delta.

P. N., Fort Street High School (99.95 ATAR, 1st in NSW Economics)

I joined Delta during term 2 of my HSC year in an effort to improve my overall grasp of the English Advanced course and maximise my final mark.

The depth of dedication and knowledge possessed by Rebecca and other teachers at Delta, coupled with their extensive bank of English resources and unique approach to marking, effectively enabled me to achieve my academic goals. The feedback in particular helped to develop my writing style and finesse the delivery of my arguments. Furthermore, the interactive learning style of the lessons, where we actually wrote responses (such as introductions, topic sentences or body paragraphs) to various essay questions and immediately followed up with class discussion of responses and teacher feedback, really helped develop my critical thinking skills and my ability to smash the HSC exam. Specifically, the skills I gained by directly watching a state ranker’s approach to their actual HSC essay questions were an integral part of my ability to adapt to any essay question under exam situations and thus maximise marks.

Overall, my experience at Delta was not only extremely beneficial, in that I saw a marked improvement in my results, but also very enjoyable and streamlined thanks to the friendly staff.

R. R., Baulkham Hills High School (99.95 ATAR, 1st in NSW Physics and 4th in NSW Mathematics Extension 2)

What Delta did for me was nothing short of revolutionising my approach to HSC English at a fundamental level. In the first half of year 12, despite putting consistent effort into English every week, I wasn’t seeing anything close to the results I was looking for.

However, after going to Delta, I was able to change my approach dramatically. I was re-energised and motivated to succeed in English Advanced, now that I knew exactly what was required of me. I experienced the full benefit of their Essay Perfection Program, with my essays jumping dramatically in marks from assessments to trial. I climbed from the bottom half of the cohort into the top 10 on the trial and didn’t look back, allowing me to achieve the ATAR that I did. If you want the very best English tuition, Delta is the place to be.

H. J., dux of James Ruse Agricultural High School (99.95 ATAR)

As someone who saw English as their largest hurdle, Delta’s helping hand was so much more than I could have asked for. I knew English was the subject that would, if it could, drag my ATAR down. Yet, Delta’s holistic learning program was what prevented such an outcome and enabled me to achieve a HSC English Advanced mark of 94 (and a literally unbelievable 96 exam mark) and ultimately, my ATAR goal of 99.95.

The school-specific guidance Delta could provide based on their experience of teaching students from Ruse meant that my tutors were able to tackle the nuances of my English assessments at my school with a profound level of detail. The resources are incredibly expansive and detailed. I always thought English was a subject you couldn’t really study for besides the usual doings of writing up essays and getting feedback from someone. The resources provided me with knowledge about my HSC texts that were missed or beyond things found at school, providing me with a competitive edge over my peers.

One of the most salient aspects of Delta is the Supervising Academic (SA) part of the tutoring experience. My SA was someone I felt was always there whenever I needed a shoulder to lean on. I’d email them constantly and always prepared myself for the feedback they’d offered on my work. By no means were my internal assessments this year spotless. Despite the 14/20 I achieved right before trials, my tutors were always there to provide support and advice. In fact, it was through their motivation that I was able to push through and smash my final HSC exam with an exam mark of 96. Your marks may very well fluctuate in Year 12, despite how much effort you put in, but you need to push through, because the final exam is the equaliser.

A. T., Sydney Grammar School (99.95 ATAR)

To be honest, I’ve always been quite hesitant when it comes to tutoring, and I felt the same way about Delta at first. Now, however, I can comfortably say that – at least for me and from my own experience – if there were such a thing as a ‘right’ way to teach English, Delta’s approach is probably just that.

What I think separates Delta above all else is the quality of each aspect of their teaching. Their weekly classes and one-on-one lessons with my Supervising Academic, Stuart, helped me form complex and nuanced ideas about each text that I was studying, which I could continually develop in my writing. The detailed and highly specific feedback that Stuart provided on every piece I submitted was, for me, the most invaluable aspect of Delta. I was able to refine both my expression and my understanding of each text, so that I could genuinely say that I believed in what I was writing as I continued to hone my ideas.

Now of course, getting relentlessly criticised on every piece I wrote didn’t always feel great in the moment – but that was what I liked. It was Stuart’s tireless work in scrutinising every single aspect of whatever I had submitted (as I’m sure every Delta academic does) that truly facilitated my improvement. I would submit something that I felt had addressed everything in his feedback, only to get it back with even more criticism – and that was exactly what I needed. This was undoubtedly what I appreciated the most about my time at Delta, and what I think was most crucial both to my confidence in what I wrote when it really mattered, and, at the end of it all, to my success.

Ultimately, I can very easily, and very happily, say that much of the success I found was only possible because of Delta – success both in the HSC, and in gaining a much greater appreciation for writing, literature, and English more generally.

V. U., Girraween High School (99.85 ATAR)

In the stress of my final year, joining Delta was probably the best decision I’ve made towards understanding the ins and outs of HSC English. Delta isn’t just your average tutoring centre. It really is so much more. I wouldn’t have done nearly as well in any of my other subjects if it wasn’t for the knowledge and support that I obtained from my teachers and peers in classes.

A. S., North Sydney Girls High School (99.75 ATAR)

Before I discovered Delta I had tried several other private English tutors, none of whom had an understanding of the demands of the new English syllabus and my school’s English faculty. Oftentimes the feedback I received from these private tutors was not specific and detailed enough, which meant that my English marks struggled to compete in a selective school. Despite the effort I was putting into English, I never achieved the marks I wanted.

Through Rebecca’s extensive marking and feedback, I was able to understand how my writing could progress to a high A range response. I understood what school and HSC markers were looking for. She helped me to top my cohort, an unbelievable feat I never thought I could achieve, and built up my confidence to perform highly in the HSC exam. I can’t thank Rebecca enough and only have the highest praise for Delta. I will always look back at how much I had progressed in English and the writing I produced at Delta with pride and fondness.

When I joined Delta, I was ranked well into the 50’s in my English cohort. It wasn’t until I began lessons at Delta that I rediscovered my fondness for English and writing. My Class Teacher and Supervising Academic, Rebecca, created a positive and rigorous learning environment which enabled me to regain my appreciation for the English subject. The high-quality, detailed, and thorough resources, course material and class lessons reinforced a culture where higher-order thinking was valued and celebrated, motivating me to work hard and persevere through the challenging course of English Advanced.

I greatly valued the effort and timeliness of Rebecca’s feedback and editing. Each piece of feedback I received was specific, extensive and helpful in improving the quality of my response. She honed my ideas and helped me to craft my writing with excellence, allowing my writing to stand out from other mundane responses. I could see clear differences in the quality of each of the responses I was submitting to Rebecca. She encouraged me to make improvements that enabled me to achieve full marks in the majority of my Year 12 assessments.

I can’t thank Rebecca enough and only have the highest praise for Delta as a whole. I will always look back at how much I had progressed in English and the writing I produced at Delta with pride and fondness.

C. Y., Pymble Ladies’ College (99.90 ATAR)

During my time at school, English was always the subject that I struggled with the most. No matter how much effort I put in, my English marks always fluctuated and were mediocre at best. For years, I believed that English was ‘subjective’ and that everyone ‘good’ at English had some innate talent for it.

Nevertheless, I decided to seek out tutoring in hopes of gaining a more logical, systematic understanding of how to improve or at least stabilise my marks and channel my study time more effectively into getting results. Before joining Delta, I had tried a number of other tutoring companies but they never seemed to yield any results as they had large classes and covered texts different to the ones I studied at school. At Delta, the small classes, alongside the extremely detailed resources, individual lessons and essay marking, provided me with a constant sense of support, motivation and encouragement.

I personally believe that English is a subject that requires one to constantly explore new ideas and challenge preconceived notions, which sets it apart from other more memorisation/rote based HSC subjects. In hindsight, this is what made English challenging for me; however, my amazing tutor was always there to break down complex concepts and pinpoint exactly how and why a particular section of my essay could be improved. This specialist nature of Delta is really what makes it stand out. It was comforting to know that I could always have all of my questions answered, but most importantly my tutor always gave me manageable to do lists and action plans, so all throughout the HSC, I always knew what to work on, which helped maintain a sense of momentum even when my motivation was low. This meant that throughout year 12, I was constantly refining my essays and adapting to different essay questions, which was advantageous as by the time trials and the HSC exam came around, I had already practised and gotten constant feedback for these types of questions throughout the year.

K. W., North Sydney Boys High School

Coming off a year with demoralising results in Preliminary English, I decided to seek assistance and enrolled in Delta Specialist English Tuition due to its professionalism and advertised support for individuals. Although I did not expect much aid from experience with other tutoring centres, a year later, I am glad I had committed to Delta as they actively support their students both mentally and intellectually and provide a fine blueprint in achieving success in HSC English.

Whilst other tutoring centres offer essay marking which attempts to give feedback and suggestions for analytical expression, it simply cannot surpass Delta's essay marking program. It provides a strict marking criteria from certified state rank tutors with a minimum comment limit of 500 words, often providing tips and tricks to improve practice essays which permits flexibility upon approaching unseen examination questions.

Apart from the curriculum and programs provided by Delta, the mentors at Delta are extremely motivating and caring to every single student. I personally had Natasha as our tutor and it was truly an enjoyable experience as she was able to encourage individuals to actively engage in classroom discussions which brought out unseen potential within many students. She constantly made sure every student understood the important yet difficult concepts before moving on, and was always willing to repeat things for our ease of understanding. Her ability to skillfully decompose textual analysis and provide inspiration within creative writing ultimately made English Advanced, for me what seemed like the most monotonous subject, into one of the most enthralling subjects.

A. D., Meriden School (99.90 ATAR)

The driving force that propelled me through the pandemonium and incessant stress of HSC English were the weekly lessons at Delta. For me, my Delta Class Teacher was not merely limited to the role of a senior academic who was responsible for teaching us writing, textual analysis and exam skill. Instead, what stood out for me the most was her dedication towards her students, passion for literature and the intriguing way in which she transformed my outlook upon English - from initial frustration to ultimate fascination.

Truthfully, my Year 12 Term 1 English results were disappointing during 2018. Unknowingly, I ventured into the area of study with my supposedly “better than average” analytical skills thinking that it wouldn’t be too difficult maintaining my top 10 rank from year 11, only to be disheartened upon receiving a 13/15 for my creative writing task I had drafted 12 times prior to submission. Although the mark was not devastatingly terrible, at that point in time, English seemed like a tedious chore that I could never perfect despite the endless editing and hours spent devising up essay and creative plans.

My approach to English changed drastically when I joined Delta. In my consultation with Bec, she told me that the students who excelled the most weren’t necessarily all inherently gifted writers, but many were the people who acknowledged their struggle and were willing to put in the utmost effort to fulfil their capabilities. This was definitely a moment of realisation for me. I was clear in my intention to improve, and Delta was there to provide me with the exact directions, guiding me to my goal.

On top of the weekly lessons which were text-specific, covering the content and theory I needed to form the foundational backbones of my arguments, the comprehensive course material I received from Delta greatly expanded my vocabulary and understanding of complex, conceptual ideas. The individual 1-1 lessons at Delta were highly personalised and specifically designed to target my weaknesses, while unlimited access to the exceptionally detailed essay feedback enabled me to construct essays of great finesse. The ongoing support Delta offered me gave me a balance of both confidence and technique I needed to excel in English.

R. G., Normanhurst Boys High School (96.1 ATAR)

I always liked English; Delta enabled me not only to perfect it as a craft, but truly appreciate the breadth and depth of the English language.

Time, especially in your senior years, is such a limited resource - spending it wisely is thus absolutely crucial. So, the hours, dedication, and skill provided by Delta's extremely competent tutors and school-specific resource kits are an invaluable resource for any aspiring English student.

My Class Teacher and Supervising Academic was incredibly helpful at every twist and turn my school threw at me (through English Advanced and English Extension 1), offering a staggeringly profound level of insight and advice for not only each individual essay and module, but also in how to wholly apply oneself to a subject.

Lessons are rigorous and structured, whilst also possessing such a passion for literature that one cannot help but be interested in the subject matter at hand. Writing styles are tailored, not homogenised, and I felt that every piece of feedback received was well-composed and communicated critical linchpins of arguments rather than a generic array of comments.

In my opinion (and to wax poetic), beyond the gamut of timely editing, feedback, resources, practice papers, and advice, what Delta offers to inquisitive students, is a sharpening of the English language and a fostering of higher order thinking critical for tertiary education and life beyond high school (thanks Rebecca!).

In the end, I placed fourth and first internally for English Advanced and Extension 1 respectively - a feat that I likely wouldn't have been able to achieve without everything that Delta helped me with. To all prospective English students and inquisitive parents reading this page - you're in good hands with Delta, and best of luck with the coming assessments! You've got this.