Testimonials for Sue Tong

Read what our students are saying about us:

Sue was incredible as a tutor and improved my confidence so much with chemistry to a point where I actually knew what I was talking about and knew what I needed to write on the page to gain the marks.

Her knowledge in the way things are marked in the HSC was very helpful for teaching me how to answer the questions.

Dan, Year 12, 2017

Throughout my HSC year, Mrs Tong (Sue) passionately helped me achieve my goals for year twelve chemistry. Every week I honestly loved going to chemistry tuition, and the reason for this is because of how devoted Sue was as a tutor. She always had past paper questions printed and ready to give to me for the week, marked and provided feedback for work I had done the previous week, and was always very flexible when I decided to spontaneously extend the class by one hour. I think that the benefit of having Sue as my chemistry tutor was her personalised approach to her classes with me, her years of experience being a HSC marker which meant that she could give tips on how to answer questions effectively and concisely, and most importantly her kindness and generosity shown in the way she takes time out of her personal life to mark the reams of past paper attempts that I gave her during the weeks leading up to the HSC. I would not have achieved a band 6 without her help.

- Lashan De Silva Year 12 2016

It is Mrs Tong’s incredible dedication, unwavering support and deep understanding of Chemistry to which I owe my pleasing HSC results. She was always able to answer my questions, provide personalised assistance based on my specific needs and give direction to my study programme in the lead-up to assessments and the final exams. Her vast resources and excellent advice allowed me to make the most of my study time and handle the stresses of the HSC. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a Chemistry tutor; both her tutoring and her character are extraordinary!

Jonathan, Year 12, 2015

Mrs Tong has provided invaluable tutoring during years 11 and 12. With extensive experience in teaching Chemistry in a school setting, she brought a wide knowledge and the ability to communicate the concepts effectively on a 1:1 basis and also in a small group setting. The holiday group workshops were a worthwhile addition to the tutoring programme, allowing me to gain an understanding of future difficult syllabus topics in advance of learning them at school. At all times Mrs Tong was encouraging, patient, flexible and well- resourced, which greatly increased my level of confidence and therefore results in the subject. Having just sat the HSC, I am very grateful for Mrs Tong's guidance regarding exam technique, particularly how to approach challenging questions and a personalised approach on how to manage my time during an exam.

Sarah, Year 12, 2013

I have just completed the HSC, and began having chemistry tutoring from Mrs Tong in May 2013. I found Mrs Tong’s tutoring extremely helpful, particularly in areas that I had previously found difficult such as calculations. It was also very helpful to have someone to explain topics in more depth than in class and in a manner that was easier to understand and comprehend. She was very patient and was willing to explain concepts as many times as it was necessary for me to understand them. Through Mrs Tong’s tutoring I gained a lot of confidence and began to feel that chemistry was not my weakest subject and that it was actually very interesting! Mrs Tong is a warm and caring person and she always had my best interests at heart. She was always willing to help me, even if I had a question late the night before an exam and would always make time to see me.

I would recommend Mrs Tong as a tutor to any senior student undertaking study in the HSC chemistry course. Her knowledge of the syllabus and experience in teaching makes her a very good tutor who is able to assist anyone at any standard. I wish I had found her earlier as I think I would have benefitted from a longer period of tuition but even in the short time I had with her my grades improved dramatically.

Emilie

Sue is an amazing tutor who is always well-prepared and passionate to teach chemistry. This helped me to appreciate chemistry as more than just another subject but as an opportunity to learn about many everyday phenomena covered by the syllabus. Along with her knowledge of the subject, Sue also took the effort to mark and source many HSC, trial and term papers in order to maximise my performance in the exams. Sue’s tutoring can help anyone at any level of ability and really does make a difference!

David, Year 12, 2012 (HSC Chemistry Mark: 95)

Sue is one of the best tutor I have ever met. She is friendly and patient. Sometimes I have trouble with understanding some principles, she is able to explain it in a simple way, and she is glad to explain it once and once again if I still have trouble with it. Through the tutoring lessons with Sue, I can feel the significant improvement of my understanding about Chemistry, and I can see the improvement of my ranking in school. For example, she taught me a lot about responding to long answer questions, and my mark improved significantly because of this. Sue's teaching method is effective, every lesson is well-prepared. For each question/exam paper I did, she would mark it, give me feedback about what I did wrong and how I can improve, which I think is pretty useful. Overall, Sue is an excellent tutor. I would highly recommend her to Yr 11 and Yr 12 students.

Gordon, Yr 12, 2017

At the start of Year 11 I didn't like or understand Chemistry. Almost instantly after Sue started tutoring me, I started to understand Chemistry and actually enjoy it. Sue really knows her stuff and is really good at communicating, so that lessons were always fun and engaging.

Alistair, Year 12, 2015

There's nothing like a tutor if you are looking to improve your worded response answers. Mrs Tong is great at diagnosing and treating knowledge gaps as she has handpicked and compiled HSC questions throughout the ages into topically-related worksheets. This may vary from person to person but I feel that her tutelage is extremely effective compared to the relatively light workload given. I was given a 3-hour paper per week and her feedback as she goes through the paper with you is the most valuable thing. Make sure you attempt all questions (within your covered knowledge areas) no matter how intimidating they look. It is through this continuous refinement of knowledge and answering techniques that you will excel. And last of all, she is a nice lady. She is patient and will gladly reiterate things that you did not grasp the first time around.

Ivan, Year 12, 2015

I began Chemistry tutoring with Tong’s Tutoring at the beginning of Year 11. It has been immensely helpful in enabling me to understand and apply the concepts of Chemistry. It is a great feeling to go to class and be ahead of the work, and it has greatly increased my confidence in Chemistry. Tong’s tutoring has been invaluable, it has allowed me to excel in Chemistry and come first in my school in the Preliminary Course.

J.M.; Year 11, 2012

It is Sue Tong’s amazing diligence, dedication and extensive knowledge that make her an incredible tutor. Since joining in year 11, I have found that not only have my grades improved dramatically, but also she has fostered within me a new love and enthusiasm towards chemistry. She is an excellent teacher as well as co-collaborator; and I can always rely on her for not only the best educational support but also moral support. The important foundations to a perfectly well-rounded education.

Zoe Unwin-Hakewill, Year 11, 2012

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sue for her excellent tutoring. Since I began tutoring with Sue last year, I have witnessed a dramatic and very pleasing increase in my Chemistry marks. I am extremely grateful for her unwavering patience, kindness and unlimited feedback for all HSC papers, trial papers, mid-course practical papers/tasks and in-class work. I would highly recommend this outstanding tutoring service to anyone!

Sara, Year 12, 2012

During my HSC Chemistry studies I had multiple teachers which greatly impacted my ability to process and understand the HSC content. Tutoring with Mrs Tong in both a group and one-on-one environment greatly improved my marks, allowing me to be successful in reaching my goal. Her warm nature and dedication to her students provides a sense of security between student and teacher, forming a trusting and helpful environment for students to work towards their desired target.

Grace G., Year 12, 2012.

Mrs Tong is a warm and caring person who takes a genuine interest in her students’ learning in order to bring about the best possible outcomes. I began tutoring lessons with Mrs Tong through her workshops, which is a helpful, innovative way of learning the skills required for Year 11 and 12 Chemistry. Her time and effort is evident through the topic-based booklets that she provides in these workshops. The exercises and examples they contain use simple steps that helped to improve my chemistry learning in correlation with the syllabus. One on one tutoring and group tutoring with Mrs Tong has also been very valuable over these past two years. Her patience and support has contributed to my improvement in chemistry and I am very pleased and happy to have been tutored by Mrs Tong, as it definitely made a difference.

- Shamma from Beecroft, 2012 Graduate

Read what the parents of our students are saying about us:

Sue has been an excellent Chemistry tutor to my two daughters. One to one tutoring was an invaluable tool to achieving their goals. Her friendly and personal approach in each case was the key to their success.

Sue provided notes, questions from past exam papers and even extended one of them with university- style questions! Both my girls not only enjoyed the tutoring but learnt a lot.

I was able to keep in touch with Sue throughout the two years as she provided in-depth feedback; so that I was totally assured that the girls were progressing well.

I highly recommend Sue to any parent. She is well organized, dependable, trustworthy and always brings a positive attitude to her work. She is one of the most passionate tutors I know and it is obvious that she enjoys her sessions with her students.

Sarita Naidu, Parent 2012 & 2014 HSC

Sue has inspired Sarah to develop a passion for chemistry. Sarah's marks have significantly improved under Sue's guidance and encouragement from 40% in Year 11 to a high band 4 in the HSC. I never imagined I would hear my daughter say how much she enjoyed chemistry! Sarah found Sue's method of coaching extremely helpful and I was particularly impressed by Sue's ability to restore Sarah's self belief during some of the most challenging times during Year 12. Her empathetic and caring nature is part of the reason Sue is such a great coach and mentor. Sue was able to thoroughly prepare Sarah for not only chemistry exams and assessments, but imparted tips and techniques which she used for all her HSC subjects, and was instrumental in Sarah achieving a high ATAR.

Parent 2013 HSC

My daughter has just completed the HSC, and began having Chemistry tutoring from Sue Tong in May 2013. Sue was a wonderful help to my daughter, and greatly improved my daughter’s understanding of aspects of the chemistry syllabus which she had previously found very difficult. My daughter’s confidence in Chemistry also improved dramatically once she began with Sue, as she knew there was always someone available to help her if she was having trouble.

Sue is genuinely kind and caring and interested in the well-being of the students she tutors. Whenever my daughter had a question, even late at night on the evening before an assessment task or exam, Sue was available and ready to assist. She was always able to make time in her schedule to fit in extra lessons when required, and was always patient in taking time to explain the concepts which my daughter found difficult.

I would definitely recommend Sue as a Chemistry tutor for anyone having difficulty with the senior syllabus. I only wish I had discovered her as a tutor earlier – my daughter would definitely have benefited from a longer period of tuition. When my son reaches year 11 I will definitely be calling on Sue to assist him!

Lynne Glasson

My daughter first engaged Tong’s Tutoring services for science in May 2012, and has not looked back since. Sue Tong has truly been a blessing, and we are extremely fortunate and very grateful to have found someone that not only has a superlative knowledge of science, but is also a lovely person. At all times Sue has presented as a knowledgeable, well-spoken and kind person, with the exceptional ability to connect with those around her from the very first meeting. Sue is always thoroughly prepared for tutoring sessions, and strives to accommodate the student’s learning requirements to the highest possible degree. To be knowledgeable is great, but to be able to impart that knowledge is even greater, and a gift held by Sue. She is not only capable of sharing her wealth of knowledge in a manner that makes learning enjoyable, but does so with the utmost encouragement to the student. My daughter’s outstanding science grades have been the result of a partnership of factors working together, one of the most valuable of which continues to be the outstanding contribution made by Sue Tong. Based on our personal experience, my daughter and I would not hesitate to recommend Sue Tong’s science tutoring services; she is both professional in her work and exceptional in character. Sue is a true credit to the teaching profession.

Parent – Senior Student 2013

Having Sue by my side over the course of my stressful HSC was the best decision that I could have made! I can’t thank her enough for always having the patience to watch me run in circles and then teaching me the right path and for always having a plan and not letting me get overwhelmed. Thanks to Sue I have had a competitive advantage, her background in high school, and specifically HSC, teaching gave me security and this was reinforced by her endless supply of resources. I would recommend Sue to anybody who is interested in further developing their skills, or students like I was, who need to gain some.

Amir Zandi, North Sydney TAFE; 2012