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.
There was a particular look on my puppy's post-op face: confusion mixed with mild indignation, as though the laws of physics had been quietly rewritten while she was asleep. And I realised I have seen this exact expression many times before. Usually across a desk when a teenager opens an English exam paper. Go with me on this one.
There is something deliciously subversive happening in Sweden. After years of being the poster child for sleek screens, cashless living and children who can probably code before they can tie their shoelaces, Sweden is quietly rowing back. Physical textbooks are returning to classrooms.
AO5 (critical engagement) has a reputation. It arrives in lessons and mark schemes like a spectral presence: vague, unsettling, prone to terrifying otherwise confident students into silence. ‘Different interpretations’, it whispers. ‘Critical debate’ . ‘Alternative readings’.
I remember when drama wasn’t something squeezed into an end-of-term production slot or a “practical enrichment” box on the timetable. It was part of English, right there in the Key Stage 3 curriculum, alongside metaphors, Macbeth, and the Year 8 class jumping off the ends of their desks as Icarus tested his wings. (Apologies to the Head whose office was below my classroom.)
Sophie Welsh
Nov 6, 20253 min read
Theresa, Abu Dhabi
"I can’t recommend Sophie Welsh enough for anyone needing some tutoring in English. In just a few hours, Sophie inspired and delivered exceptional teaching."
