Can you raise 2 GCSE English grades in 5 moths

He can get from where he is now to a grade 5 but everyone's working slightly blind on grade bundaries at the moment! I would advise a tutor basically so he can focus on exam technique - if you keep going over what particular questions require and practise writing answers, it really helps. Build up a bank of useful vocabulary for the creative writing and keep revising and practising grammar. He's at a real disadvantage doing the one-year course with the new specification but if they are leaving literature until next year, hopefully the school will put extra effort into preparing students. We teach it in one year in FE but it's tough.
Don't do an hour a night, that's too much! The tutor should be 1-2 hours a week. Ideally, do an hour-long lesson plus homework. However, getting him to read a newspaper (print or online) most days would really help. Magazines on areas that interest him are good, too. One of the writing tasks may well be an article or blog on a particular subject so it will help him get a sense of the style.
I think the school's approach is totally misguided but if they really insist on this, I would get a tutor and focus ruthlessly on the exams!

My niece got a D in her mocks and a GCSE grade B, so yes it can be done. She wanted to get a grade B as she wanted to do A level English as it was needed in two job areas she was interested in, so she was determined. She didn't have a private tutor, but pushed and pushed the course to help her.

Salty, sorry, I assumed you were a teacher talking about your school. I have just re-read and realised you have not said you were, so please ignore my question.

If a child is entered for an exam, but then is ill on the day of the exam is that still considered their first attempt? Or would such a child who actually took the exam the following year have that exam put as their first attempt? If it is the later, you could take this option.

In maths, it is so much easier to get an able child to high GCSE grades earlier as it is just a logical discipline, whereas English draws on life experience. The extra year of maturity will make a difference.

I would also consider getting a tutor to bring his English up anyway. Even if he goes into science, written communication skills are very important. I too was a late reader, slow writer and bad at spelling, but luckily had one of those life changing teachers for English O level.

Salty, my last post was a genuine question. I was not questioning the teachers as it seems they too are trapped in the system where the school is more interested in what is best for the school, rather than each child as an individual. It just seems wrong to get as many children as possible up to grade C, when many could have got to A or A* instead of say B by waiting a year. (Or whatever the equivalent will be in 9-1).

there is no discussion possible with the school to be honest

There is always discussion possible with the school. I bet you're not the only parent worried about this way of doing it not working for their child. You should make an appointment to speak to his teacher.

There has been a lot of threads on taking GCSE maths early where the advice is: Do not unless you are sure they will get the top grade. Only the first result counts, not the resit.

SaltyMyDear, how would you have responded had one of the parents insisted on their child doing the GCSE in year 11 and not year 10? I find it difficult to believe the school was concerned about the top set dropping out. It would not be in their interest to take GCSE early.

It does not sound as if it has been thought through. The requirements for a 5 in English Language, which will be expected for most A Level courses, are closer to the old B than C. Also the new spec requires a recorded spoken task but it does not count towards the grade.

Until this year we always did early entry for Lang but not for Salty's reason more because it allowed the pupils to concentrate on this important subject in January, having a couple of days just doing English prior to the exam. It was incredibly successful.

I would arrange a meeting with the Head of English at your DS's school ASAP. With this being the first sitting of the exam results will be turbulent anyway and it is difficult to prepare for anyway since teachers are to a degree working in the dark.

I wonder if he might be better to fail it this year. Then he can resist next year and get a better grade AND he can miss out on the Lit paper which might also give him lots of trouble.

He's getting these very low grades with a laptop and extra time. Which is significant.

The rationale behind it is easy.

Everyone sits language in Y10. Those who pass sit Lit in Y11. Those who fail resist in Y11 and don't do lit at all. Because Lang is the most important one.

They do it this way because a some children give up in Y11. Stop attending school or discover weed or alchahol or whatever. So those children do better sitting in Y10 than Y11.

It was a good strategy when you were being measured on your number of C grades and above and you didn't care what grade above C students got. Now with progress 8 every grade matters so it's a bad strategy.

Is he at an Indie school? Sounds bonkers and it is clearly a school which is not bothered by P8.

Dm tutors maths and she has brought people up that far in 5 months.

But in your case I think I'd request he moves down a set and does it at the proper time. Ridiculous!

flutter What on earth is the logic behind your whole y10 sitting a brand new English exam early?

If he didn't learn to read till 9, he's dyslexic.

Does he think extra time or a laptop would help him? If so you should spend you money on a proper assessment and get them to see if he qualifies.

(You don't qualify for extra time just because you're dyslexic, but the dyslexia assessor can see if he qualifies. Same with a laptop)

I'm an English tutor. I've tutored lots of students who've gone up two or three grades between now and the summer, but it is very individual of course. I agree with pp that an hour a night would be a waste (and probably make him hate English). I usually see GCSE students online for an hour a week, and set about an hour's work for them to do in their own time.

Hi! I think you need to talk to the school about whether he really should be entered early. Is his first English exam result the grade that has to be used for the Uni application? If so then it may cause him unnecessary problems and I think I would consider it a risk not worth taking.

If they insist on early entry can they provide him with any additional teaching to boost his grades, for example intervention support or after school enrichment which will guarantee exam success? I think tutoring will help but you need to also think about the impact on his other subjects if he is having to intensely prepare for English. The school need to give you a realistic assessment of how much can be achieved in next few months bearing in mind that writing can take time to develop.

Hope it works out for your son.

Is he also dyslexic?

Our entire Y10 are sitting early. Yes, it's likely that they will go up a couple of grades between the mock and the real thing, but as early entry he can indeed sit again as others have told you.

Again, as others have mentioned, it wouldn't help their progress 8 if they didn't think he could do it. Either they more confident than you are, or they may choose to withdraw him nearer the time.

Good luck to him (and you!).