Need a breakthrough for GCSE English

For English with an inattentive profile, the biggest unlock is treating quote-unpacking and essay-writing as two separate skills. For quotes, try short timed drills: give him a quote and five minutes to answer 'what does the writer want me to feel here, and which three words do the work?'

A small flashcard deck of the 20 most quotable lines from each set text (quote on front, technique plus theme on back) is low friction and easy to repeat. For essays, the mark scheme is honestly the best teacher: sit with one of his old essays next to a past paper mark scheme and show him exactly where the marks were lost, not just the grade.

Most kids write without knowing the examiner awards marks for zooming in on language, linking every paragraph to the question, and comparing viewpoints. And before a full essay, have him write just the plan, in 10 minutes, three times a week: point, three quotes, technique, why it matters. If the plan holds up, the essay usually does too.

Mr Everything English on YouTube breaks the English Language papers down in a really accessible way.

Teacher here. One thing worth knowing while you're weighing up Functional Skills, because it catches a lot of families out.

The post-16 rules depend on the grade he finishes Year 11 with. If he gets a 3 in English and goes on to full-time college or sixth form, he'll have to carry on with GCSE English there; Functional Skills isn't an option at a 3. It's only an alternative for students on a 2 or below. So Functional Skills Level 2 can be a useful safety net, but it won't replace the GCSE if he lands on a 3.

(A 4 in English Literature also meets the funding rule, although some sixth forms still insist on a 4 in Language, so check with the places he's applying to.)

On the freezing, since his new teacher is also the SENCO, it's worth asking whether he'd qualify for access arrangements such as rest breaks or a separate room, and making sure he sits his mocks with the same arrangements so they feel familiar by the summer.

Really glad the teacher change has gone well.

I keep seeing ads on FB for something g called the Classic High School teacher fast draft essay kit. Am at the point of ordering it for my dd. She's v similar to your ds I think. Can read perfectly well, actually does write creatively too but ask her to explore how the author uses language to show x and she tanks. Tears within minutes. In theory she could get an 8/9 in terms of her literacy but the just cant jump the hoops in the way they want. Frustrating.

Talk to your DS and find out if he actually has a " mind's eye" . Some people don't and it is called aphantasia.

Ie if you read a descriptive paragraph to him, can he picture it in his head?

I used to be a tutor and found students who had little or no minds eye found compression more difficult. If this is the case to make progress you might try,

get him to read a description ( from a set text) and then actually do a rough "sketch" of it. It doesn't have to be artistic. Eg, for a description of an autumn tree, could be a lollipop tree with "red/gold/brown leaves" written on it. Write the words that indicate it is misty on the "air" part of the sketch etc.

For writing, get him to start by writing description from photos.

Sentence starters. ‘This shows that …’ ‘This implies that …’ The use of the word blank shows that …’.

Very often students freeze and the act of writing the first few words gets them going. You can find lots of suggestions on line. It’s also a quick way of getting marks in the exam.

With DD, we had to explain it was basically a game and that there were rules to follow. It didn’t matter if she couldn’t see the joy/fear/anguish or that she might not have felt anxious or whatever in that situation (or, indeed, have got herself in that situation in the first place as why would you do something so silly!), she knew that these words meant those emotions so, if she wanted to stay on at 6th form (which needed a 5), that’s what she had to write down. If she didn’t want a 5, that was fine but we needed to look at other options.
Same with creative writing. There are actually only so many key themes which can come up, everything else is just a variation of those themes. So write and learn an essay on each theme and then you can just do minimal adaption in each exam.
I’m the same btw but was surprised that DD had taken until Yr11 to figure this out. All of my essays from Yr9 on were basically the same. Even now I sometimes recite the opening paragraph to one of them if I’m struggling to get to sleep.
Don’t try & be flamboyant. Don’t aim too high. Just get that 5 (or whatever he needs - DD eventually realised a 6 would be a better target for her due to her potential Uni course options) and just roll it out each time. Yes, it’s not the creative in any way, shape or form but it gets the job done!
Also, speak to the school about any adjustments they can make which may make the actual exam process easier for him.

Basically we knew English was very difficult for DS (almost like a version of dyscalculia), so although we hoped for a breakthrough and tried lots of things, we gave him the safety net of FS English and it allowed him to go on to sixth form without having to resit an exam.

DS has AuDHD and struggled with GCSE English as well. Tutors since Y4, intensive private tutoring from the beginning of Y10, meds for ADHD starting Y11 Lent term, extra time and use of a word processor for mocks/exams, talking therapy for AuDHD, hypnotherapy.

We spoke with his school and agreed for DS to drop English Literature (he hated it) to focus on English Language. All his mock exams for English Lit and Lang were U. School let him retake mocks but nothing improved.

In the same year as GCSE exams, we also booked a Functional Skills English Level 2 exam for him in early August, which he passed. This is equivalent to a GCSE Grade of 4 for English Language, and we’re glad he did because despite all of his efforts he got a GCSE grade of 3 in English Language.

Although his chosen sixth form required a GCSE grade of 5 or higher in English for entry, they accepted him as his GCSE results for Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics were all 8. He’s now going into Y13 studying Maths, Biology and Chemistry for his A levels.

Is the harsh teacher the head of department or head of year? Because if not, I'd ring in and have a chat to explain the situation. As head of department I'd be inclined to place students where they would do best and match him up for a best fit. Especially in English! It might not be possible of course, but a little wiggle room and flexibility works wonders, and if approached politely and with no expectation could be a solution.

Ps. I know my punctuation is off, I'm sleep deprived 😴

Found these useful for similar child - visual - all broken down. Concise.

flipscocards.com

This is an excellent YouTube resource https://www.youtube.com/MrSallesTeachesEnglish

I know you said your son has adhd - does the tutor have any expertise/experience working with children with adhd?
Has your son nanaged to build up a rapport with the tutor. DC is dyslexic and had a tutor that specialised in teaching those dyslexia. They had face to face lessons, that changed to online lessons after covid. They had a great rapport, and the tutor understood the best way to get the most out of my child.

It could be that things are still in the early stages, and you will see more progress after more lessons. The tutor could be great, but just not the right one for your child.
Have you asked the tutor how they think the seasons are going? Also, now they have had sone lessons woth him, how much they think they can improve his grade?

As an online tutor myself, I'd agree with this. If there is any significant SEN, working remotely is a lot harder.

Try a technique I call a quote explosion.

Put a quote from a text in the middle of a page (not too long - 5 or 6 words max). Turn it into a spider diagram. Identify all language features and some of the word classes (metaphor, personification, verb/adverb etc).
Then write the meanings of some of the important/key words. I usually go for 3 or 4 meanings or synonyms of the words.

For example, the quote:
'he exploded thunderously out of the car'
Metaphor - describing the movement of the man as a projectile.
'exploded' - verb. Indicates violence or anger. Fast movement. Like a weapon. (Looking at the meanings of the words indicates anger, fury, danger).
'thunderously' - adverb. Loud, rumbling, growling, suggesting heavy or violent weather (which can then be linked to pathetic fallacy).

It sounds as if he may have some additional SEN (dyslexia or autism) making the inference and deduction necessary to understand a text hard for him. BUT practising quote explosions will help him spot stuff and make educated guesses at tone/mood.

He needs to read for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. It is essential for progress. And really, it would help if you spent 15 minutes practising/discussing what he's reading with him and doing some example questions. Little and often.

Which exam board is he with? Which course code?

Can you get him a neurodiverse tutor?

I’m an English teacher and I agree with the suggestion to use a set guide to answer each question to start with, eg writing describe setting in first paragraph using personification and interesting verbs and so on.
I would approach his form tutor about changing classes - if he is not able to complete the paper at all they might be open to this.

Does he have any other neurodiversity, or want to take things very literally? I've found with a couple of students that it can help to re-frame the question as "Some people find that this text make them feel like tension is building up. Can you find any words/language devices/techniques that might explain that [or that they might think explain that]?" Or even "The author was trying to make this scene tense/funny/etc. What techniques do you think they tried to use to do that?"

(Already having explained what words like 'tension' mean - e.g., like when you're watching a scary film and waiting for the bit where the bad thing happens; and already having given a list of techniques and examples where they can indicate something like tension).

Just by moving it to "other people often feel this" or "the author was trying to get this across" can get them out of the cycle that they can get stuck in of "But I don't think it's tense/funny/whatever" or "I don't feel anything" or whatever that can then mean they find it very hard to write about something that doesn't feel true to them, or that they think they're reading/interpreting it wrongly if they don't find it tense/funny, and then lose confidence/get sidetracked.

It sounds like you used an online tutor, and I am not sure this is the most effective means of engagement for students with ADHD. Try an in person/ face to face tutor, preferably one who is a qualified teacher, who will not only know how to teach the syllabus but also know how to maintain your son's focus.