Study Sessions: STG English Revision

Year 9: Act 2 of Macbeth 03.07.2026 16min

In this episode, we recap the essential plot points, ideas, quotations and themes from Macbeth. Listen to this episode to support and reinforce your understanding of the play as we complete our study of the text in class.

Lord of the Flies: 12 essential quotations you NEED to know! 14.05.2026 29min

In this episode, we review 12 essential quotations from Lord of the Flies, ahead of your Paper 2 English Literature exam!Featured quotations:Jack: “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages.” — Ch2Roger: “Roger stooped… threw it to miss.” — Ch4Roger/civilisation: “Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life.” — Ch4Jack: “The mask was a thing on its own…” — Ch4Simon: “Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.” — Ch5Narrator: “The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.” — Ch5Jack: “Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt!” — Ch5Narrator: “The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering.” — Ch7Lord of the Flies: “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” — Ch8Narrator: “At once the crowd surged after it… screamed, struck, bit, tore.” — Ch9Narrator: “The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.” — Ch11Narrator: “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy.” — Ch12

Civilisation and Savagery in 'Lord of the Flies' 13.05.2026 19min

In this episode, we explore one of the most central themes in Lord of the Flies: the tension between civilisation and savagery. Given the centrality of this theme, today's short, accessible episode is essential revision ahead of your Paper 2 English Literature exam!

Family in 'A Christmas Carol' 05.05.2026 37min

In this episode, I explore the theme of family in A Christmas Carol. From Scrooge's early experiences as a 'solitary child' to the Cratchits at Christmas, this episode is designed to support your revision of an under-assessed area of the text. Best of luck for the 11th May Paper 1!

Masculinity and Femininity: Gender in Macbeth 05.05.2026 28min

In this episode, we examine gender in Macbeth. Moving beyond simplistic statements like 'masculinity is presented as violent' and 'femininity is weakness', we look at gender across the play, from Macbeth, to Lady Macbeth and Macduff.Listen to this episode to support your revision and understanding of the play ahead of your Paper 1 exam on Monday 11th May!

Paper 2 Q5 The Knowledge: Smartphones, Social Media and Young People 01.05.2026 17min

In this episode, we look at the debates around smartphones, social media access and young people. Our new series, The Knowledge, is designed to give you the key information needed for topics that might come up as the focus for English Language Paper 2, Question 5. This episode is designed to be listened to alongside the supporting listening sheet - ask for this from your class teacher.

Macbeth: Kingship, Power and Leadership 30.04.2026 23min

In this episode, we explore four models of kingship and leadership in Macbeth: Duncan, Macbeth, Edward and Confessor and Malcolm. With detailed quotation analysis and comment, this episode covers a topic yet-to-be assessed in the exam. Make sure you use this episode to revise such a central theme!

Baughcuts: Duncan - Kingship, Trust, and Moral Order in 'Macbeth' 29.04.2026 14min

In this final episode on minor characters in Macbeth, we turn our attention to King Duncan. Kind, generous and benevolent, certainly - but also naïve and far too trusting in a corrupt world. Use this episode, and the previous two, to ensure you have a good understanding of characters many students wrongly overlook.

Baughcuts: Banquo - Integrity, Temptation, and Moral Contrast in 'Macbeth' 29.04.2026 13min

In the second episode on minor characters in Macbeth, we turn our attention to Banquo, Macbeth's foil and moral counterpoint. However, is Banquo as straightforward as he first appears? Are there criticisms we can make of Banquo, especially around moral inaction? From his first meeting of the witches, to his ghostly reappearance at the banquet, listen to this episode to learn all you need to know about Banquo ahead of your exam on the 11th May!

Baughcuts: Macduff - Justice, Masculinity, and Moral Restoration in 'Macbeth' 29.04.2026 13min

This is the first in a series of three short episodes on the 'minor' (but still very important!) characters in Macbeth. We're starting with Macduff, the man responsible for Macbeth's death at the very end of the play, but who plays a subtly important role throughout. The episode covers a series of key quotations, along with detailed analytical comment and links back to the play's central themes of ambition, deception, morality and masculinity.

Golding’s Message and Purpose in 'Lord of the Flies' 22.04.2026 14min

This episode explores Golding’s central message that human beings possess an innate capacity for evil and that civilisation is fragile. We examine how the island functions as a “laboratory” to test human nature, tracking the breakdown of order through symbols like the fire and the conch, and the rise of savagery through Jack’s leadership. We analyse the Beast as a representation of internal human darkness, before considering the ending, where Ralph’s “loss of innocence” reveals a deeper realisation about humanity - one that carries a profound emotional and psychological cost.

Dickens’ Message and Purpose in 'A Christmas Carol' 22.04.2026 11min

This episode explores Dickens’ central messages, focusing on social responsibility, poverty, and inequality. We track Scrooge’s transformation through key quotations, analyse how Dickens uses Christmas as a symbol of generosity and reflection, and examine characters like the Cratchits, Tiny Tim, and the allegorical figures of Ignorance and Want. The episode shows how Dickens combines emotional storytelling with a clear moral purpose, ultimately arguing that compassion, human connection, and personal change can transform both individuals and society.

Macbeth: Shakespeare’s Message and Purpose 21.04.2026 11min

In this episode, we explore what Macbeth is really saying about human nature, power, and morality.Key Ideas:Unchecked ambition leads to destructionPower corrupts, even the nobleDisrupting the natural order creates chaosTyranny vs kingship – leadership must be just, not violentGuilt is inescapable and psychologically destructiveCore Message:Shakespeare warns that the real danger lies not in fate or the supernatural, but in human beings’ capacity for moral corruption when ambition overrides conscience.Key Quotes From the Episode:“Vaulting ambition…”“I am in blood stepp’d in so far…”“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood…”“Out, damned spot!”

What Happens Next? – Northern Lights 27.03.2026 8min

In this special episode of Study Sessions, we briefly recap the plot of Northern Lights and look ahead of the remaining two books in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy: The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Listen to this episode, reinforce your understanding of Book 1 and come back after our Easter break ready to take out a copy of The Subtle Knife from our wonderful school library!

Baughcuts: Ralph’s Grief at the End of 'Lord of the Flies' 25.03.2026 9min

Ralph’s final breakdown in Lord of the Flies is one of the most powerful moments in the novel. In this Baughcut, we explore what Ralph is truly grieving. While Piggy’s death is central, Golding presents a much deeper sense of loss: the end of innocence, the collapse of civilisation, and the recognition of “the darkness of man’s heart.” Through close analysis of key language choices, we examine how grief becomes both personal and collective. Ultimately, this episode reveals Golding’s central idea: that confronting human nature leads not to comfort, but to profound and unsettling grief.

A Christmas Carol: 12 essential quotations you NEED to know! 03.03.2026 21min

In this episode, released just before your Paper 1 mock tomorrow (4th March), we work through 12 essential quotations from across A Christmas Carol. As with the equivalent episode for Macbeth, these are 12 high-value quotations that can be used in virtually any essay question. Each lends itself to detailed, work-level analysis and links to other quotations and moments across the novella. Listen to this episode, recap these quotations and use them in your mock tomorrow - and the real exam in May!The 12 Essential Quotations (Chronological Order)“Solitary as an oyster.”“Hard and sharp as flint.”“Are there no prisons? … And the Union workhouses?”“Decrease the surplus population.”“Mankind was my business.”“A solitary child, neglected by his friends.”“The master-passion, Gain.”“This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want.”“If he be like to die, he had better do it.”“I am not the man I was.”“I will honour Christmas in my heart.”“As good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man.”

Year 10 Half-Term Revision: The suffering of the poor in 'A Christmas Carol' 13.02.2026 21min

In this episode, we turn to the A Christmas Carol task in your half-term homework/revision Paper 1. The episode provides you with a clear thesis or argument around Dickens' exploration of the suffering of the poor, linking this to the novella's broader message of social responsibility and charity. Use the episode in conjunction with Mrs Colson's video to help you be as successful as possible!

Year 10 Half-Term Revision: Lady Macbeth as a character who changes 11.02.2026 13min

In this episode of Study Sessions, we turn to the half-term Lady Macbeth task: 'Lady Macbeth is a female character who changes'. Using the work of literary critic Marjorie Garber as inspiration, we consider her 'loss of affect' and attempts to eliminate her capacity for feeling, a capacity that ultimately returns with destructive power in Act 5. Use this episode to support your completion of our half-term Paper 1 revision during the February break.

AQA English Literature: Unseen Poetry: Composed upon Westminster Bridge — Feelings Towards the City 02.02.2026 14min

In this episode, designed to tie in with our weekly exam preparation homework, we discuss Wordsworth's poem Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 and how we can turn thinking into insightful reading and analysis. This episode isn't about telling you what the poem means, but focuses on the questions confident and successful students ask of an unseen poem to make it meaningful.

Unseen Poetry: Eating Poetry (Week 15) 26.01.2026 16min

In this episode, we turn to Week 15 in your exam preparation booklet and the poem Eating Poetry. The episode focuses on how to approach the task, how to think like a successful student and then apply this thinking within our generic structure. Use the episode in conjunction with your teacher's guidance and scaffolds to ensure your response is the best it can be!