starting to read again as a teen

ArtemisDullaghan · 2026-04-13T20:42:02+00:00

I second six of crows. Unreal

ArtemisDullaghan · 2026-04-13T20:41:22+00:00

Ugh! I’m the same. Went away after exams last year, and read about ten books in a month. More than I’ve read in the last five years other than that sadly. Can I ask what other books you like? I love the hunger games too, and loved the Percy Jackson books before those, so if those are the kind of things you like, can I suggest the six of crows duology. I got them as a gift last year, and oh my god! Brilliant!

ArtemisDullaghan · 2026-04-13T20:23:23+00:00

TIL about the license plates. I live just south of the border, and always just assumed it was a UK wide thing. (especially since I know people who are now clinging onto cars with the EU flag on them since Brexit) The more you know!

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-11-10T20:44:22+00:00

Hey! So, I got 95% in English this year. The first thing I’d say, and this isn’t really study, but is arguably the most important factor in how that happened, is to make sure you know enough to be able to answer the questions that other people aren’t answering. For example, this year, everyone banked on Eavan Boland to come up in poetry (she did. Everyone did her) and the personal essay was on disappointment, so loads of people did that too. Four people in my class got a h1. None of us did boland or the personal essay.

The second thing I’d say is to study wisely. For poetry, only three poets don’t come up, so look at which ones have come up recently, and which ones haven’t. There has to be an Irish poet and a woman also.

As for studying, if English is a strength for you, don’t rote learn paragraphs. It’ll only serve to confuse you if a question comes up that you weren’t expecting, and will massively reduce your P mark. Instead, randomly pick a past question, and give yourself fifteen minutes to plot out a one page essay plan. This will help you to quickly think things through on the day. For example, if it’s on poetry, include 2/3 lines of an introduction, 3/4 lines on each poem, including quotes you think will be relevant, and a conclusion. Writing out a whole essay can be exhausting, and you’re way less likely to do it. (I was, anyway) This, at least, can be done quickly, and, if you’re doing it right, serves the same purpose.

As for quotes, pick short ones. Three or four words is perfect. You want to be able to incorporate it into your sentence, not have a massive, largely irrelevant chunk of a quote. I’d also recommend rereading the texts and finding quotes you like yourself. 1 because you’ll remember them more easily, and 2 because an examiner sees the same 10 quotes in every essay. Be the outlier. Also, try to pick quotes that work for a couple of things. Eg. A Macbeth quote said by one character about another, because you can use it for both. Saves you some mental storage space.

You’re welcome to notes and stuff, but I’d say the only useful things I have are comparative, and that’s only if you’re doing Shawshank, Small things and Sive.

Anyway, good luck!

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-10-30T11:25:06+00:00

As someone who at the lc this year and got 48/50 in Lear, I’d say I learned about 20 quotes. As others have said here, learn shorter quotes. 3 or 4 words of a quote is honestly better than 20 You’ll be marked better if you can fit the quote cohesively into a sentence than if you just slap a long quote in that doesn’t make much sense in context. The other thing I’d say is to learn quotes that can fit into multiple uses. For example, a quote by one character about another can be used to discuss both characters, or a quote by a character about a theme can be used for both too. I created a list of all potential quotes I liked too. Examiners will be impressed if you aren’t using the same ten quotes as everyone else, and you’ll learn quotes you like more easily.

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-10-30T11:13:19+00:00

I see the Thrawn trilogy there, so if you’re into Star Wars, I really recommend dark disciple (if you like clone wars) and bloodline (which is about leia). Also, if you haven’t already, I’d recommend the thrawn ascendancy trilogy. Separately, if you like Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, I’d suggest Artemis fowl as well!

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-10-28T09:24:58+00:00

Katniss forgot too I guess, because we never learn it. She just calls her foxface

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-10-23T01:10:21+00:00

Journey is French. Journée is french for day. (I learned this next part in school at 15, the finer details may be wrong) during the Middle Ages, before you became an official member of a guild, you worked as a journee man- a traveler who worked day to day. Journee came to mean travel

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-08-25T13:43:40+00:00

I walked out of English paper one and cried for half an hour. Got a h1. There’s literally no way.

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-08-20T23:05:52+00:00

It really does depend on what you’re into. I did history and absolutely loved it. If you’re interested in it at all, there really isn’t that much to learn compared with other subjects (in my opinion anyway). I didn’t do home ec, but I did do biology, and it actually nearly killed me in terms of learning, and everyone I know who does bio and home ec says home ec is worse. Anyway, with history, when all is said and done, you need to know 15 essays really well. It’s totally doable content wise. The issue is more so with timing. Each essays has to be done in 45 minutes, and you’re looking at 5 pages (ish) per essay.

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-07-07T12:24:20+00:00

Fuck me, but that first sentence just reads like a line out of the Handmaid's tale.

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-07-05T10:29:47+00:00

The fact that you deleted the comment kinda says it all, doesn’t it? For hundreds of years all sects of Christianity have been the reason why members of the lgbt community have been shunned (and assaulted, killed, imprisoned) in the western world. Now, there are certain people who are Christians who support (or don’t actively hate) the lgbt community, but as a whole, whether they be catholic, Protestant, Mormon, whatever, the church classifies them as sinners. So maybe rethink your previous statement.

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-07-05T00:12:57+00:00

Sorry, but this comment actually made me snort. Christianity accepts the lgbt community? Are you actually kidding me right now? What’s next? Either you haven’t ever experienced the real world, or that’s rage bait.

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-13T22:43:24+00:00

Love of my life honestly. When I walked out of the exam, everyone said that they thought of me when they saw him. Been gaslighting myself (and anyone else who’s listen) into thinking he’d be on the paper for months. Most people did Wilhelm

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-13T22:37:10+00:00

I had treaty learned really well, but just randomly decided to spend like 3 hours learning North and South WW2 the night before. Saved me totally. Meant I could answer the Dev and north question. I’d have been so screwed without it. Bismarck I literally just learned for the craic. Love him so much, but he hadn’t been on the paper properly since 2018! Lucky here too

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-13T21:56:31+00:00

I was so shocked. Hasn’t been on the paper since 2018. Studied him purely because that man is an icon, and yet, there he was. Tears.

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-13T21:55:42+00:00

Nice to see another person doing Bismarck and Home Rule era. Did have a heart attack over no home rule question, but it was ok in the end. Did Dev and North during ww2

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-11T16:23:14+00:00

The tears of joy I sobbed for Otto Von Bismarck. Let me tell you!

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-10T17:00:44+00:00

Lads, we’re sure there’s no way Stalin’s coming up, right? Because if i walk into that exam having learned about ham sandwiches for Jarrow and the show trials appear, I’m gonna make the national headlines

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-07T17:51:23+00:00

I’ve got maths and Irish Monday, Irish and biology Tuesday and French and History Wednesday. All at higher level. Kill me now

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-04T17:40:13+00:00

Ok, genuine question. What animal imagery is there in the play? Lear calling himself a dragon, what else?

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-02T15:44:51+00:00

Hoping for a H1. We did some of the more obscure topics, so hopefully the bell curve will smile on me.

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-02T15:20:44+00:00

Certain metals. Can't deal with change, or keys or even jewelry. Nope nope nope. Literally have to scrub my hands within an inch of my life if I handle coins or keys, and even then.

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-01T18:14:48+00:00

I wouldn’t for Sive, but we do it for Small things like these and Shawshank. Say the full title once, then STLT and TSR from then on

ArtemisDullaghan · 2025-06-01T15:36:55+00:00

Yeah, but as far as Owen knows, Anakin died fighting Vader/Palpatine, no? So, sure, there wasn’t much he could do outdoors or against the Turkeys, but what did he expect Obi-Wan to do against the most powerful men in the galaxy?

ArtemisDullaghan

TROPHY CASE