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.

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Beyond the Book: 'Purple Hibiscus', Why Wider Reading is your Secret Weapon at A Level / IB English Lit

Let’s be honest - securing those top grades at A Level or IB English Lit isn’t about your child nodding earnestly at Hamlet.

Sophie Welsh

Oct 22, 20243 min read

VIP Treatment or a Learning Squad?: The English Online Tuition Dilemma

Tuition. That golden ticket to better grades, fewer exam jitters, and the occasional boast at the school gates.

Sophie Welsh

Oct 14, 20243 min read

How to Win at Literature Essays (Spoiler: Plan First)

Here’s the secret: with a solid plan, your child will breeze through their English essay faster and with fewer bumps along the way.

Sophie Welsh

Oct 7, 20242 min read

Last night I dreamt of Arthur Miller

There he was, in all his intellectual glory, stretching like a cross between Socrates and Usain Bolt.

Sophie Welsh

Sep 9, 20243 min read

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

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

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

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

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

Theresa, Abu Dhabi

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