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Original poster

Help! Fast Track French GCSE at 13 and stressing

33 replies

MzMonkey · 15/05/2014 20:53

Hi all

DD is just 13 and about to sit a French GCSE on a fast track programme. We are not sure where she is at progress-wise as we have been away for 6 months. All seems a bit tricky and scary at the moment.

She's very capable overall, and has been keeping up, but what a stretch! Don't want her first GCSE to be a big stress or end up in a low mark or, even worse, fail. She's at a vulnerable age / stage and a lot else going on.

We have a tutor helping and DH did a French A-Level equiv. many moons ago.

Questions then

  1. If she gets a low grade or fail, how will this look later on?
  1. Could we just drop it? All seems a bit stressy at her age. Lots of other stuff going on. How many do they need?
  1. Can all this cramming just kill her love of languages? Want a life long language lover not a hot house swot here...

Confused! Will know more when we speak to the teacher, but as she has not been tested for awhile, they don't really know where she is at. Trying to get Tutor and DH to communicate with teacher before it's all too late. They sit written just after half term.

Sorry for length. Yep, I'm a newbie.

Many many thanks in advance....

OP posts:
Stopmithering · 15/05/2014 23:02

Aren't you a bit late anyway? The GCSE French Listening and Reading paper was on Monday and controlled assessment deadline was today.
Unless you mean she's just about to start the course?

bevelino · 15/05/2014 22:57

At dd's school only those who are fluent speakers in a particular non English language are entered for GCSE early to give them the best chance. Eldest dd took French in year 7 and got an A* which wasn't difficult or surprising as we are a family of fluent french speakers.

AElfgifu · 15/05/2014 21:53

Yes, MzMonkey, if you start taking GCSEs in year 8, and take them a couple at a time, you get very high marks, that is why GCSEs taken like this are disregarded, and your GCSE scores are based on GCSEs taken together in year 11.

AElfgifu · 15/05/2014 21:50

It doesn't count in her GCSE score, because it is too early. if she is not a linguist, and never wants to touch languages again, it is a good way of getting a language GCSE under her belt, because she will still have a language GCSE if she is asked, but it won't count in her over all score.

Original poster
MzMonkey · 15/05/2014 21:45

That link is for an article which says:

"Two years ago, High School, a 1,450 pupil comprehensive in Brighton, tried a bold experiment putting Year 8 students on a fast-track GCSE course.
The results exceeded all expectations. After five and a half terms, all but one of the 56 in the group gained a A-C.

These are the figures: A* 13, A 25, B15, C2."

OP posts:
Original poster
MzMonkey · 15/05/2014 21:43

www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=370492

OP posts:
Original poster
MzMonkey · 15/05/2014 21:42

It counts as a GCSE on her record, added to the others. This gives her more options when she chooses her GCSE's in Year 9.

OP posts:
AElfgifu · 15/05/2014 21:05

If she gets a low grade or fails, this will look very bad on her record. if she gets a high grade at this age, it will be of no benefit to her what so ever, as it will be disregarded in applications to uni or sixth form. unless she is planning to move straight on to A level French in KS4?

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