Magazines & Journals

Every so often I like to recommend a magazine to read, rather than a book, since many teens find the length of a book challenging, but might be able to manage some of the more bite-size articles a magazine offers. 

Plus you need to be able to read and write magazine articles at GCSE too!

My go to magazines are travel - and obviously I can’t always recommend these, so I do try and read a range for my students. Sometimes this means reading magazines where the topics don’t particularly interest me but sometimes it makes for a fabulous new discovery! Hopefully there will be something here that appeals to the young adults out there...

British Travel Journal

... exactly what it says on the tin! Inspiring travel stories and information about places around the UK. All high-end, I'm afraid, but we can dream! Useful for those GCSE Language questions that involve writing reviews, sharing opinions, description and persuasive writing.

There are also lots of articles to look at on their website.

Digital Frontier

A printed magazine which comes out 4 times a year exploring all the latest digital and technology developments with as optimistic and curious a view as possible. The features are wide-ranging in topic, well-written and varying in length, with lots of additional art-work and diagrams to engage and interest a reader.

I can highly recommend this magazine for GCSE students and above who have an interest in digital technologies and innovation. And reading articles will help them prepare for the non-fiction elements of their English Language exams too, so it's a win-win!

Beneficial Shock

A film magazine with a difference. What's the difference? Well, instead of reviewing the latest films, each edition explores a particular theme ("Awe and Wonder", "War and Peace", "Secrets and Lies" etc) and discusses films from throughout history.

Ideal for film enthusiasts and those who love illustration, this would be highly suitable for teens 15+ interested in the film industry (whether as a career, hobby or both!). Articles range in length, and include anything from essays to cartoon strips.

Past issues available online!

Ethos

Ethos magazine is a small A5 publication full of interesting articles about sustainable businesses, ideas, people and places. With a variety of styles, including photo essays, Q and As and longer reads, it makes for varied and interesting reading.

While it would be suitable for any young adult 15+ getting in some extra reading practice for their GCSEs, I feel it is 

particularly well suited for those taking iGCSE CIE English Language - the articles are very similar in style to those which are given as unseen passages in question 1 paper 2.

Oceanographic

A beautiful gem of a magazine suitable and of interest to Year 9s and up.

Whether you’re interested in our seas, marine biology, photography, the environment or natural sciences (or all of these!) you’ll find plenty in this photograph filled magazine to keep you interested.

There’s a range of articles from photo essays, Q and As and short pieces to long-form articles, all well-written.

Like The Wind

A lovely little booklet all about running! 

With poems, photography, interviews, illustrations and short and long-form articles, this has a little bit of everything in it. And that goes for the running aspects too: everything from slow 5kms, to weekly runs with friends, to crazy ultramarathons through the deserts of Nevada (can't say I'll be adding that to my list of things to try!).

It's all about running in every sense: how it can transform lives individually and on a more social level to.

Obviously of interest to anyone who enjoys running! 15+

Sirene

A beautiful magazine/journal for anyone who loves the sea, of interest to GCSE students and above.

Made from algae paper this gives tactile pleasure as well as the pleasure of a range of interesting articles and photography. It includes interviews, diaries, fact files and photo journals about anything connected with the sea. In the issue I read, for example: walks in Greek islands, long-distance canoers, living on the edge of Cape Cod etc.

Friends on the Shelf

A magazine collection of personal short stories, published twice a year.

Written by professional writers, both established and new, the stories are entertaining, well-written and varied, and may even include a comic strip story.

As well as being easy to read and enjoyable, these stories would be useful for GCSE students in preparation for the English Language exams - both for practice in reading and understanding unseen texts, as well as for the creative writing element.

run wild

A cute little travel magazine with stunning photography and short, well-written items. An ideal buy for Year 9s+ who don’t enjoy reading and/or find it difficult to read large chunks of text. Because the magazine is quite small, hopefully the size of it isn’t overwhelming either, as I know some children and young adults can find longer books and magazines quite daunting. 

Delayed Gratification

A slow news magazine. The idea is that they look back at the previous quarter’s news, reminding readers of the headlines and then delving deeper into some stories. The delay means the journalists have time for research and to go into much more detail. This 2023 Winter issue (looking at the news from July-September) had a wide range of interesting articles ranging from the Women’s Football World Cup, to wolves in Europe, to Elton John’s greatest hits.

I found this to be a very rewarding magazine and read it cover to cover. This would be a good choice for GCSE students interested in world affairs.

Lodestars

Travel guides with a difference, giving a beautiful, well-crafted introduction to other cultures. I recently enjoyed reading their Japan Anthology which included a variety of articles exploring different aspects of life in Japan and places off the beaten track which make exciting alternatives for travellers. The photography and sketches included really helped bring the articles to life.

These would be highly suited for GCSE students - who could choose an anthology based on a place they’re going to visit, or would like to visit one day as is the case with me and Japan!

Konfekt

This recommendation is for parents really, as I don’t think that the whole of Konfekt magazine would be of interest to teens. Nevertheless, full to the brim as it is with fashion, architecture, design, travel, food and art, I think it would be a wonderful thing to leave lying around in a lounge or kitchen for a teen to pick up and flick through… They are bound to find an article to read…

Particularly of interest to those with an arts and/or design bent!

New Philosopher

The issue I read was all about the philosophy of uncertainty - with very little in our lives being certain at all. 

With teaching from ancient philosophers all the way through to contemporary, and a wide-range of article types, this was an interesting way to explore bite-sized chunks of information. 

Little White Lies

For movie loving teens (and adults!), why not try the magazine Little White Lies. Very well written, with a range of articles including interviews, long-form reads, fun snippets and the obligatory film reviews, I would recommend this for ages 16+. I particularly enjoy the art work and the three levels of review for each film (Anticipation, Enjoyment and In Retrospect). 

There is some swearing (both from interviewed actor and the magazine writers themselves) and a range of challenging vocab which is why I think this is definitely for post-GCSE students. Interest and enjoyment aside, this would be great for any A Level student taking an essay writing course as well as those interested in studying English, Drama, Film, Media etc at university.

find a magazine that suits your interests...

Over the past few months, I’ve been starting to research and read more magazines that I think will be both of interest and benefit to my students - especially GCSE students. I’ve been amazed at both the range and specificity of magazine subjects! - there really is something for every interest. 

The photos here are of magazines that have been of interest to me recently - I’m not suggesting them for students. Instead, I’m encouraging both students and parents to find magazines that feed the interests of their teens… whether it’s a specific sport, photography, cooking, travel, philosophy… whatever - I think you’ll find a magazine for it!

Good Place: Travel less Ordinary

Packed with a variety of writing, from the tiniest snippets giving a glimpse of a moment somewhere in the world, to interviews, to longer articles, this is ideal for helping students prepare for the second language paper they’ll sit at GCSE. 

Lovers of travel, human geography and photography will particularly enjoy this magazine… but so will anyone interested in life on our varied planet.

The Moth

The Moth is a quarterly arts and literature magazine and the grown up sister of The Caterpillar which I recommended earlier in the year. 

Filled with new poetry, art work, short stories and interviews with writers, I would highly recommend this to anyone age 16+ with an interest in the arts and in creative writing. 

In the Spring 2022 issue (pictured), I particularly enjoyed the two short stories and an interview with the writer Jessie Greengrass. 

Oyla

A STEM magazine aimed at young people 12+ and their families. Their blurb says:

“OYLA is a popular science magazine for young readers (12+) and their families. Every issue offers a look into world-changing discoveries, unsolved problems, and the surprising scientific principles behind everyday objects.”

I was particularly impressed by the range of content in the magazine which included interesting articles on medicine, geography, history and architecture as well as the more obvious tech, science and maths. The content certainly doesn’t ”talk down” and I learned a lot. I’ve included a few photos to show you that it’s not all dense text. And would really really recommend this for children ages 12-adult who are interested in the sciences. Very impressive stuff, and very very reasonable for the size of the magazine. 

Oh

I have so loved reading this magazine. It has an incredibly wide range of well written pieces, varying from short paragraphs to a “long read”. Articles include: extracts from books, philosophy, interviews, “oh moments”… and every single page is beautiful with thoughtfully chosen illustrations, pictures and photographs. 

Apart from the many mums out there who I’m sure would enjoy this as much as I have, I would recommend this magazine for girls in their GCSE years and beyond. It will expose them to a variety of non-fiction (which forms the basis of 50% of English Language GCSE) in an enjoyable, often bite-sized format. 

Sadly this publication is coming to the end - however a number of past editions are available to order online and don’t really go out of date.