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Thinking AloudEnglish Blog
An occasional blog concerned with the world of English Language and Literature. Featuring insights from examiners and past students as well as encouraging and inspiring everyone to pick up a book and get lost in a new world.
Naming a Puppy: A Literary Minefield
There are some decisions in life that require deep contemplation. Applying for a job. Choosing a partner. Picking your Desert Island Discs. And then, there’s naming a puppy.Â
Sophie Welsh
1 day ago2 min read
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The Blarney Stone and the Art of Eloquence (Exam-Board Approved)
For those of us in the business of literature, St Patrick's day is a chance to celebrate Ireland’s unrivalled literary legacy.
Sophie Welsh
Mar 172 min read
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The Dogs of Literature
Reading a book or watching a film and a dog appears, steel yourself. It is most likely about to be devastating shorthand for human despair.
Sophie Welsh
Mar 132 min read
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Reading Between the Lines: The Bee Sting, Paul Murray
And that’s the power of reading, isn’t it? Stories settle differently in the mind when they pass through the eyes rather than the ears.Â
Sophie Welsh
Mar 82 min read
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Lost in Literature? Good! Interpretation's the Whole Point.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that an English student in possession of a novel must be in want of the right answer.
Sophie Welsh
Feb 43 min read
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The Power of Maggie O'Farrell
If I Am, I Am, I Am is about the individual’s fight for survival, Hamnet is about the collective weight of loss.Â
Sophie Welsh
Jan 73 min read
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Pushing Boundaries: Lessons from Bacon, Bowie, and the Brave
There’s nothing quite like a Francis Bacon exhibition to remind you that life is equal parts grotesque, tragic, and utterly captivating.Â
Sophie Welsh
Dec 10, 20242 min read
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Page to Stage - the unwritten adaptation (just as the West End beats me to it)
Shush, I know we shouldn’t have favourites. But if I had to choose, go on then, it would undoubtedly be the IB’s Literature and Performance
Sophie Welsh
Aug 19, 20242 min read
9 views
1 comment
Shakespeare Reworked
Shakespeare is nothing if not a crackingly good storyteller. That he stole most of his plot lines is neither here nor there, just don’t ask
Sophie Welsh
Aug 13, 20243 min read
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A Trip of a Lifetime, with a Nice Little PhD Attached
There's an unmatched thrill in perusing the dusty shelves of a second-hand bookshop, where the scent of old paper and the promise of...
Sophie Welsh
Aug 5, 20243 min read
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Tune In, Turn Up, and Geek Out: How BBC Radio 4 Can Be Your Secret Weapon in Acing English Lang Lit
Remember, reading is something that draws you into other worlds. Listening does that too… So let me introduce you to Radio 4.
Sophie Welsh
Jul 24, 20244 min read
22 views
3 comments
Summer Reading for aspiring A Level / IB students
Pens down, books away - you’ve done the exams, you’re just waiting for the results. Nothing more to be done. IT’S THE SUMMER!
Sophie Welsh
Jul 23, 20242 min read
14 views
1 comment
When the Summer Comes...
When the summer comes it comes with long sunny days to catch up on your reading, educational blog posts and revision courses.  Not always.
Sophie Welsh
Jul 23, 20242 min read
6 views
0 comments
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