Anyone else's otherwise high achieving child having difficulty with English Language GCSE

[Echobelly]

15yo DC has GCSEs in May and just had rather concerning email from the school to say they had March mock exams marked by boards to check out standards and they seem to have fallen back in English language marks by some way (they say 'some students', 15yo says its everyone). DC has siad the outcome was people were 2-3 marks down on what they thought and that's serious because if that doesn't go up they could miss their 6th form choices as English Language is one of the things you need a decent mark on.

And it seems bizarre because DC is getting 8/9s in History and Psychology, which are essay subjects so clearly English language in general is not an issue for them. I'm wondering what the hell the exam boards want from them in English Language as I'd have thought that any reasonably intelligent, articulate child ought to do decently on it (DC predicted 7s-9s) without much help and guidance, but evidently it's changed since my day?

Obviously pretty upset at the school, which has generally been great otherwise, and is at least launching a lot of intervention for the next few weeks, but I don't understand how one can get teaching English language so wrong? Or is there something about the expectations in English language that is super difficult these days?

@Echobelly Can you PM me the name of the company who conducted the external marking, or post it here if you’re happy to share.

4-6 is quite a jump to need to make. Something had gone very wrong here.

Same here. DS took his GCSEs in the same year and got 9s in chemistry, physics, biology and maths, 7s and 8s in all other subjects except English where he got a 3. He only scraped a functional skills level 2 pass at college!

My ds was similar in 2019, he got 7/8s for everything else and a 5 for English language. Fortunately he didn't need a 6 for any of his A level choices. But we asked for a review and he got a 6 in the end.

It was a bit odd but in his case we wondered if it was because the school had put everything into the literature side of things (he got an 8 for that) and neglected the language.

English Language is such a strange exam. My DC despises English Literature but has a strange capacity for English Language and is on track for a 9. I think his disdain for Lit actively helps with Lang - he approaches it in a purely instrumental way, knows exactly what he needs to do to get the marks and does so in a cold-blooded and cynical manner. Meanwhile I am sure there are kids who are genuinely talented and creative kids who are struggling.

@Echobelly if the grade 6 is very important to you then I definitely would not be assuming your child can pull it out of the bag on the day. There’s a world of difference between the marks needed for a grade 6 and a grade 4

@downsizedilemma - that is interesting. I was just thinking that I wonder if DH's nephew, also taking his GCSEs, who is a brilliant science/maths type but I would see as less of an 'English' person to DC, will do better at Eng Lang as this seems to be an approach to answering questions that actually sorts those with a more scientific approach.

@countdowntonap - I don't know the name of the company that marked it. DH and I messaged English teacher who sent us a very helpful and comprehensive reply, but didn't think to ask who did marking. Teacher mentioned that these markers had said nationally test papers they'd marked had all had similar drops, but I take that with a pinch of salt.

I just feel a bit helpless now - I'm a Philosophy/Lit graduate and have been an editor for nearly 25 years but I don't see how I can help with this. DC is definitely working hard, and is getting their predicted 8s for science, for example, which isn't even a subject they like very much, so it's not a case of them not trying with subjects that interest them less.

Now I feel there's going to be worry hanging over our heads about their results and sixth forms, although they only need a 5 for their 2nd and 3rd choice 6th form and will definitely meet grades needed in every other respect.

There is a bit of a formula to the reading sections and the papers are a test of time management as anything else but an able child who can write well should be able to get a 6+ fairly easily by performing well on the writing sections, even if their marks on the reading are mediocre. Do you know which paper(s) they did and the question-level mark breakdown?

I also don’t want to add to your worries but I think it is worth repeating my concern that if the English team have been consistently out by two full grades in their marking of English Language I would have serious concerns about the quality of internal marking of Literature.

We've established there haven't been significant staffing changes and that last years Eng Lang marks were 86% 4+, 76% a 5+ and 60% a 6+.

Again, don't know how typical this is but a friend whose oldest did GCSE last year shared an example, where the question was about 'how would you describe Brightly's home' and both she and her daughter read this as 'Dark and wet' but she was told the 'correct' answer was 'Magical and fairy-like'

'Brightly had a home. The river saw to that; not the Tavy, but the less romantic Taw. On the Westernside of Cawsand are many gorges in the great clefts cut by the Taw between Belstone and Sticklepath. There narrow and deep clefts have been made by the persistent water draining down to the Taw from the bogs above. In the largest of these clefts, Brightly was at home. The sides were completely hidden by willow-scrub, immense ferns, and clumps of whortleberries, as well as by overhanging masses of granite. The water could be heard dripping below like a chime of fairy bells.In winter, the cleft appeared a white cascade of falling water, but Brightly's cave was fairly dry and quite sheltered. He had built up the entrance with shaped stones taken from the long-abandoned copper-mines below. The cleft was full of copper, which stained the water a delightful shade of green.'

Friend and daughter's interpretation seems totally fair to me. You could also say You could also say it was 'whimsical and strange'. You could say it was 'private and mysterious'. Any of those would suggest you have read and paid attention, you can't impose a 'correct' reading.

Caveat that I don't know friend is right in understanding that there was just one right answer, but if so that is shocking.

Absolutely this.

Caveat that I don't know friend is right in understanding that there was just one right answer, but if so that is shocking.

Mark schemes always include suggested possible responses but with the caveat that answer may include....

I've never seen a mark scheme (except Q1 of paper 2) which suggests there's one right answer.

@Echobelly I recognise that extract. It’s not from an official paper but from a practice paper written by Mr Bruff. With respect to him as I know many students find his content useful, he is not to my knowledge an examiner.

For AQA the question you refer to would ask for ‘four things you learn about Brightly’s home’ and be worth four marks. All of the points you make would be rewarded. Examiners are explicitly told to reward valid interpretations.

What board is your DC doing?

AQA I think

Thanks @ThanksItHasPockets - that seemed more likely to me that it's a suggested answer; friend in question can be a bit literal sometimes.

I do want to look at some of DC's answers and see if there's anything I can spot that might be a weakness in what they're doing, and I was thinking earlier today I will watch some Mr Bruff as well.

How did this work out in the end?