Study Sessions: STG English Revision

In this episode, we walk through the twelve most important quotations from Macbeth that every student should know before their mock exam. Each quotation is explored in play order, with clear context, precise word-level analysis, and ambitious thematic links across the play. This episode will help you strengthen your understanding of Macbeth’s tragic journey—from heroic warrior to “dead butcher”—an...

A shorter, focused episode exploring Carol Ann Duffy’s War Photographer and the emotional, moral, and psychological effects of war. Includes title analysis, three key quotations with word-level exploration, and comparison links to Remains , Poppies , Exposure , and Bayonet Charge from the AQA Power and Conflict anthology.

In this episode of Study Sessions, we turn to Week 6 and the description of a hot air balloon scene. The episode takes our typical approach to idea generation from the stimulus image, before moving onto the AQA descriptive cycle. Use this episode, in conjunction with your teacher's gold dust on Google Classroom, to produce a highly-successful descriptive response! Handout link here: https://drive....

In this episode of The Key Three , we explore the key themes of happiness and joy in A Christmas Carol , considering how they link to Dickens' overall message of social responsibility and compassion. From Fezziwig's warmth and generosity to the Cratchit's familiar love, we trace joy and happiness across the entirety of the key. Use this episode as part of your homework preparation and revision!

In this week's video, I cover some misconceptions around present participles and tense, how to avoid writing a cliched horror story instead of an original description, and how we might plan and sequence our responses. The link to the slides used in this video, including all the sentence scaffolds, is available here .

In this episode of Study Sessions: The Key Three , I'm exploring our Week 5 homework comparing the power of nature in Storm on the Island and The Prelude . In this episode, I recap both poems, their titles and three essential quotations from both texts. Using this episode to support your homework completion will ensure you are practising being successful in your responses. Don't forget that we hav...

In this episode of Study Sessions, we turn to Week 4 and the description of an underwater scene. The episode takes our typical approach to idea generation from the stimulus image, before moving onto the AQA descriptive cycle. Use this episode, in conjunction with your teacher's gold dust on Google Classroom, to produce a highly-successful descriptive response! Handout link here .

In this episode of Study Sessions, we explore how Shakespeare presents ambition as a dangerous and destructive force in Macbeth. Linking directly to your homework for Week 4, we examine “vaulting ambition” in detail and connect it to three more key quotations across the play: “Stars, hide your fires” (Act 1 Scene 4), “To be thus is nothing” (Act 3 Scene 1), and “Signifying nothing” (Act 5 Scene 5)...

In this episode of Study Sessions, we explore Week 3 of the GCSE English homework booklet. You are tasked with writing a description of a celebration, inspired by a bustling street scene packed with people leaning from balconies and watching a parade below. We use our metacognitive framework — Observe, Associate, Sequence, Tone — to unpack the image and model how to turn it into a vivid piece of d...

In this Key Three mini-episode of Study Sessions, we explore how William Blake’s London exposes the abuse of power – linking directly to Week 3 of your exam preparation booklet. This episode focuses on three essential quotations – plus a close reading of the title – to show how Blake attacks abuses of power in the city: The title London → the whole city as a symbol of corruption “Charter’d street”...

In this Study Session, we break down exactly how to approach AQA’s descriptive writing task. Learn how to avoid common errors (like sentence fragments and tense shifts), why third person is your best choice, and how to generate and organise ideas. We’ll plan a descriptive piece step by step using the AQA cycle — Inform → Describe → Reflect → React → Connect — and turn it into a crafted response wi...

In this Key Three mini-episode of Study Sessions, we explore the theme of social responsibility in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Designed to help you tackle the homework task with confidence, this shorter episode focuses on three essential quotations – one from the beginning, one from the middle, and one from the end of the novella. We’ll look at: Scrooge’s cold dismissal of the poor as “sur...

In this episode, we explore Stave Four of A Christmas Carol to support Year 9 students reading the novella independently. We follow Scrooge’s encounter with the silent and terrifying Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, who reveals a bleak and lonely future if Scrooge does not change. From the callous treatment of a dead man’s possessions to the tragic death of Tiny Tim, this stave confronts Scrooge —...

In this episode, we explore Stave Three of A Christmas Carol to support Year 9 students reading the novella independently. We follow Scrooge’s encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Present, who reveals scenes of warmth, hardship, and generosity — from the Cratchit family’s humble feast to Fred’s festive party. We also unpack the significance of Tiny Tim and Dickens’ use of Ignorance and Want to cr...

In this episode, we explore Stave Two of A Christmas Carol to support Year 9 students reading the novella independently. We follow Scrooge’s encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Past, who guides him through painful and joyful memories — from his lonely schooldays to his lost love, Belle. We explain how Dickens uses these scenes to reveal the roots of Scrooge’s misanthropy and hint at his potentia...

In this episode, we explore Stave One of A Christmas Carol to support Year 9 students reading the novella independently. We unpack Dickens’ powerful introduction of Scrooge as a cold-hearted misanthrope, highlight his harsh attitudes to poverty, and examine his chilling encounter with Marley’s ghost. Perfect for helping you build confidence in understanding the opening of the novella and clarifyin...

In this second episode supporting your independent reading of A Christmas Carol, we take a close look at the key characters and the novella's essential themes: social responsibility, inequality and the possibility of redemption. Make sure you listen to the historical context episode before moving onto this one!

In this episode, we turn to Charles Dickens’ iconic moral tale of poverty, greed, and the transformative power of redemption. Use this episode alongside your reading of the novella to place A Christmas Carol within its broader historical context — helping you understand why Dickens hoped it would strike, in his own words, like a “sledgehammer blow” against social injustice and the moral blindness...

In this special episode, a number of Year 8 students share their poetry responding to the Grenfell Tower fire on 14th June, 2017. Thank you to everyone involved and particularly to those students who shared their responses.

In this episode, we explore Seamus Heaney’s The Road to Derry, tracing its depiction of political and personal conflict after Bloody Sunday. Through powerful imagery and restrained anger, Heaney transforms grief into quiet defiance. Use this episode to support your revision of conflict poetry ahead of your end-of-year exams.

🎙️ Ready to test your knowledge? This interactive revision quiz covers key Year 7 English topics — mythology, symbolism, inequality, and literacy skills. Listen, think, and answer — then check how you did! Perfect for practising generative revision and boosting long-term memory. Grab a pen or just listen along!

In this special episode of  Study Sessions , we delve into Simon Armitage’s  The Manhunt , a poignant exploration of the enduring impact of war on both soldiers and their loved ones. Narrated from the perspective of a soldier’s partner, the poem unfolds as a delicate journey through physical scars and psychological wounds, revealing how trauma reverberates beyond the battlefield. Make sure this ep...

In this episode, we explore Jack Merridew’s transformation in Lord of the Flies, tracing his evolution from head boy to savage chief. Through close analysis of key quotations, we uncover how Golding uses Jack to examine power, violence, fear, and the fragility of civilisation.

In this episode, focusing specifically on Year 7's end-of-year assessment, we look at Section C of the paper: the Victorian workhouse description. Use this podcast in conjunction with your exam preparation booklet and Mrs Fallon's in-person deconstruction of the task to ensure effective, successful revision!

In this episode, we delve into Jessie Pope’s 1915 poem "Who's for the Game?" , a piece that epitomizes early World War I propaganda. We explore how Pope's use of sports metaphors and rhetorical devices served to encourage enlistment, presenting war as an exhilarating challenge. Through a detailed analysis of the poem's title and key lines, we examine the persuasive techniques employed and the poem...