My teaching career spans a period of more than 30 years starting as a volunteer English Language teacher in a secondary school in Sierra Leone, West Africa with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). This I undertook after graduating from Exeter University with a degree in Latin and Greek. On my return from Sierra Leone, I followed a postgraduate diploma course in development, including nutrition and food science, at Queen Elizabeth College, London University. Later, I undertook further postgraduate training as a secondary school teacher of Latin, Humanities and English and then again in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, both at the Institute of Education, (now part of UCL) London University.

I have written numerous publications for IELTS, and EAP and ESP, such as the widely used IELTS publication Ready for IELTS (Macmillan), Direct to IELTS, IELTS Introduction, IELTS Testbuilders and various IELTS skills books, Oxford EAP B2 course book (OUP), and Medicine 1 and Medicine 2 (OUP). I have also written various articles on IELTS and ESP and have edited glossaries for CD-ROMs on tropical medicine for the Wellcome Trust as well as working as an editor for various organizations including the WHO. My interests include materials production, including the use of electronic media, and teaching methodology and fiction writing. I continue to write on a daily basis.

My interactive app, IELTS Skills (published by Macmillan) won the English Speaking Union President’s Award 2013 for innovation and good practice in English language teaching and learning. The app was also shortlisted for the ELTons Award 2014 for Digital Innovation.

I am still teaching IELTS by video-conferencing and face to face with a select group of postgraduate medical students and I also give presentations to teachers, mainly on behalf of my main publishers and the British Council. On occasion, when I have the time, I undertake consultancy work.
 
Please see the Publications and Links for details of my published work.