AQA English Lang - Higher or Foundation?

[TeenAndTween]

Does anyone have any knowledge on whether a C/D person is better off doing the Foundation paper or the Higher paper for English Language GCSE?
Hoping for half marks on the higher (but not quite there yet).
What's the pros and cons?

[Feellikescrooge]

I would say Higher, the amount of Cs awarded from the Foundation is very low and you have to achieve a far higher percentage.

[GasLIghtShining]

This was my DS last year. Every parents evening questioned whether foundation would be better to which I was told 'it will be ok'.

His CA was a D (didn't know that until result day) so he wasn't in a good position before he even sat the exam. Needless to say he failed and is taking functional skills along side his college course.

If he had got a C in the CA he would have at least been able to resit the GCSE

[gillviola]

I would say Foundation - as there is a risk on Higher that if something went wrong on the day and your child did not understand some of the reading material and did not achieve a D, then the grade they would be given is U. In my school if the pupil is not working at a secure C then they would take the Foundation paper.

[Feellikescrooge]

Well statistically it is clear, easier to get a C on Higher. I cannot understand why schools persist in entering such pupils in Foundation. This was even stated by AQA at a meeting last year.

[MrsFrankieHeck]

Higher.

[defineme]

It might be statistically easier, though I doubt it,but if your ca is weak or you find the language question a challenge then go for foundation. So much harder to compare language of 2 texts thsn presentational features. I also think, if you're the kind of student that panics and misreads a question, that the bullet points after yhe main question on the foundation really helpful.
What did they get in mocks and ca? Which questions do they struggle with?

[TeenAndTween]

Thank you for the range of views.

CAs are fine (averaging around a low A I think). Mock poor, so would have averaged D over all. Struggling with Q1-4, including only 4 marks on Q4.

On the other hand school didn't seem to have done much teaching at all on the paper, and is only doing it now. As she (slowly) gets a better grip on what's needed she should improve. Only needs a few more marks to bring it up, so it should be doable. Having looked at the Foundation paper last night I'm not sure she'll actually find it significantly easier.

Are any of you actual English teachers (who's opinion therefore might carry more weight than others)?

[MaraThonbar]

I'm an actual English teacher. I wouldn't dream of putting a pupil with an A/B CA folder in for foundation.

It sounds like her downfall is exam technique, which is a skill to be practised and learned. Make sure that she has got her time management absolutely tight, and that she is very regularly doing practise questions under timed conditions. I'm always happy to mark extra prep work but do ask her teacher if they're willing to do so.

[MaraThonbar]

PS the exam boards will award an E to candidates who just miss the D. It's a common misconception that missing the D, even by a couple of marks, means an automatic U on Higher.

[TeenAndTween]

Mara Thank you, she is now getting some extra support. She has some specific learning difficulties which were only formally recognised recently and she kind of flew under the radar.
As she is now being formally taught how to do the questions we are ramping in additional practice which she will definitely need a lot of.

[Feellikescrooge]

I am HOD of English and a fairly senior examiner for AQA and would never put any pupil working at a D or above in for Foundation. Too many schools do this and it is a reason why children on the C/D borderline underachieve. To put a child with an A grade CA in for F would be madness.