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Original poster

please please help urgently; English gcse set texts.

62 replies

RedRugNoniMouldiesEtc · 29/05/2015 22:23

Ok, long story short my foster son has been massively let down. After a tumultuous two years he had just a few weeks in school to do enough to get through a few gcses. Turns out they didn't cover any of the higher science so poor lad had 5 days and revisewise to try and get through it. Now we've realised that the only thing he's done towards English is coursework and looked at one poem. Add to this that they haven't told us which exam board he's under and I simply can't help him. I was hoping to pick up everything I can tomorrow and make the best we can but I don't know where to start now!

His exam is Tuesday 9am. Can anyone suggest what we need to look at? Any ideas for cliff notes type things?

Whilst I'm pretty cross right now I don't really blame the school, they simply aren't used to dealing with kids who want to get into college and are happy to do extra work. The poor lad is aiming for a medical based career so this is a big deal for him Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
RedRugNoniMouldiesEtc · 29/05/2015 23:28

Madonna, no they don't enter anyone to higher, he was only in because that was the track he was on in his last school.

Coola that is such a lovely offer thank you so much! Sadly we're not in either of those areas but I really appreciate it! Smile

OP posts:
pieceofpurplesky · 29/05/2015 23:27

Red, apologies. Hats off to you - I just know from my experience in a PRU we sent copies everywhere, especially foster carers as a legal requirement - I forget not all schools are as efficient! Where are you? I have lots of stuff he could use. I am in the north west. Info SHOULD be in school website (even in a unit). College will also look at what he has done.

Original poster
RedRugNoniMouldiesEtc · 29/05/2015 23:24

Sorry Blush Oh for an edit function, feelings are running high right now but that's not the fault of anyone here Blush

Thank you so much everyone, we'll keep pushing on! I'm so pleased he could still progress with just language, that really helps. I think he'd be better getting onto a course next year even with some retakes simply because he needs to see a reward for all the hard work he's put in. Up till now he's not seen a lot of that.

OP posts:
TheFallenMadonna · 29/05/2015 23:23

I missed it was an inclusion unit, sorry! The higher tier Science bit still applies though. I teach everything to all my students, and decide on tiers of entry in Feb of year 11.

TheFallenMadonna · 29/05/2015 23:21

He's been in school just a few weeks? The school is going to struggle to support a student in year 11 who has just arrived there. Very difficult situation for everyone involved.

Higher tier Science does not have vastly different content to Foundation tier. There isa bit extra, and it does not require extra facilities. Does the school really enter nobody for higher tier?

coolaschmoola · 29/05/2015 23:19

If you are in the North Lincolnshire region I'd happily come and tutor him tomorrow, this is a shit situation and he clearly deserves the help. That or Polperro region on Monday (going on holiday on Sunday!)

TongueBiter · 29/05/2015 23:19

Gojimo is another good revision website, and BBC bitesize of course.

Hope he does ok (but it's not the end of the world these days if he doesn't).

coolaschmoola · 29/05/2015 23:15

Op I teach English GCSE and Functional Skills in college. It's nothing like school, if he has to do another year he should be fine; he'd be doing it alongside the subject he wants to do.

Bunbaker · 29/05/2015 23:14

Poor boy. I hope you can get a new timetable from the school on Monday. Some people don't deserve to be parents.

Original poster
RedRugNoniMouldiesEtc · 29/05/2015 23:12

Piece, the school haven't given a printed timetable with the exam boards to me or dfs. They have posted it to his mum who told him she'd burnt it. As for sorting this weeks ago, he wasn't in school weeks ago. I had a boy dropped into my life weeks before gcses having missed most of the courses and a long term school refuser. On balance I think I've done pretty well. Not as well as dfs though who has worked his rocks off. Sadly the school simply isn't set up to support him because this is not the usual situation. Even in school he's mostly done past papers because they don't run the courses he needed. It's been a nightmare time of learning on the fly for everyone.

OP posts:
LynetteScavo · 29/05/2015 23:09

Well, it's not the end of the world if he does a level 2, and retakes Maths and English while at college.

LynetteScavo · 29/05/2015 23:05

Lots of "OPs" there. Blush

Bunbaker · 29/05/2015 23:05

Sorry, I must have missed the bit about him only being in school for a few weeks.

LynetteScavo · 29/05/2015 23:05

pieceofpurplesky, OP says in her first sentence this is her foster son.

He may have only been living with her a matter of days for all we know.

Who knows where his exam timetable is!

OP, you sound amazing OP. Smile

Original poster
RedRugNoniMouldiesEtc · 29/05/2015 23:04

Thanks everyone, he was supposed to be in for dual English because he needs as many as possible given the limited time and other constraints. I think that's why they left him in the science higher paper on the grounds that an F is still something. The school don't even teach science higher level, they don't have facilities for it.

I've logged that YouTube link thanks Haff. He's using revisewise all the time as the school can only offer past papers for revision. they don't have revision guides or anything because the usual cohort won't use them.

Ds wants to go to college next year, he's hoping to get onto a level 3 course but understands it may be level 2. I honestly don't think he'd manage doing another gcse year. He's very clever but really struggles in a school environment.

On the plus side I've just told him it's language not literature and he's very happy Grin

In defence of the school its not mainstream it's some kind of inclusion unit, sorry I'm not up to speed on the names, I didn't know they existed until a few weeks ago!

OP posts:
coolaschmoola · 29/05/2015 23:00

OCR exam is Tuesday morning too - no set texts.

If it's that board he'll have two related documents to read, section A is three questions, all on the documents. Section B is a piece of creative writing, a choice of two questions. The first question is often easier as it gives a lot of information. The second question is usually a phrase or statement that they need to Base a piece of creative writing on.

The two things I would suggest you look at would be mnemonics - AFOREST and PEE. AFOREST refers to linguistic devices that he will need to identify in Section A questions 2 & 3 and use in Section B. PEE is Point, Evidence, Explain - he needs to evidence every point he makes from the documents in Section A 2 & 3 and explain them.

There's a really good YouTube video explaining AFOREST.

pieceofpurplesky · 29/05/2015 22:59

Bunbaker the OP states he has not been in school more than a few weeks - GCSEs are a two year course - school have not let him down, they have performed above and beyond

pieceofpurplesky · 29/05/2015 22:58

Also you say he has only been in school a "few weeks" in two years -
Sounds to me that the school have worked miracles to get him in a position to sit any GCSEs - he will also have an exam timetable provided by the school which has all his exams on - he will have had this for a long time. Most schools give copied and send them home. Not wanting to sound harsh but should you not have sorted this out weeks ago? It's a bit last minute for revision. Details should be available on school website too.

hellsbells99 · 29/05/2015 22:56

Sorry x-post

hellsbells99 · 29/05/2015 22:56

Hi Redrug. Don't panic as it does look like it is English Language on Tuesday. Most A level & degree courses require this (& not Lit). Do you have a printed list supplied by school of what exams he has been entered for? This will contain the exam board or at least the exam code. You should then be able to download a couple of past papers. From what I remember you need to be able to do things like a formal letter, an informal letter, an article, a marketing brochure etc. Also DD had to read 2 pieces of text and then answer questions.

Bunbaker · 29/05/2015 22:53

I really feel for you, but am concerned that the school has massively let him down. How has this happened?

LynetteScavo · 29/05/2015 22:52

Yes don't panic about the Literature. It's the Language he needs.

Ignore my link, Haffdonga is right.

pieceofpurplesky · 29/05/2015 22:52

It is English Language on Tuesday -all literature exams have been done. He will have not studied for Literature just language and done all his controlled assessments on this. He will be doing wjec or aqa most probably, and will have been told by the school and looked at past papers. The exam consists of a reading section where there are two articles and questions, and a writing paper where he will be asked to write a letter, article etc.
Don't panic over literature - just get him on to the language part of BBC bite size, ask a friend the exam board and download some papers.

busyprocrastinating · 29/05/2015 22:52

If it is the AQA language one he is doing on Tuesday that is better as there are no texts to learn. The language one is the one that counts for the English and Maths grades not literature. I know some schools don't put all students in for the literature one so that they can concentrate on the language one.

Poor lad it sounds like a nightmare.

LynetteScavo · 29/05/2015 22:50

Oh, OK...just seen it's your foster son. Smile

There are so many different boards, and books withing boards, I think it's probably too late to panic and read them all.

The good news is, he will have to retake if he gets below a C, and that may well be his best option right now, if you can get him settled in a college.

My DS is doing WJEC on tues morning, and has studied and Anita and Me and Inspector Calls.