DS 15 and A level English?

[Boedatives]

NC recently for this as it feels hugely disloyal......

DS is 15 and doing GCSEs next year. He is predicted all 9s - he's not a genius, just an all rounder at a very expensive school that spoon-feeds the boys, for want of a better word.

He is thinking of doing English A level ...... but he has read ONE book in the last year. I can't think of any before that.

It was Arsene Lupin by Maurice Leblanc, translated from French and it took him 7 months. He has never read anything by a classic english author - this is all apart from what they read and study in class. I mean for 'pleasure'.

By his age, I'd was deep into Thomas Hardy, all the Brontes, JD Salinger, Harper Lee.

I've given him short stories by HG Wells and a couple of PG Wodehouse schoolboy tales. If he doesn't look at them this summer, wibu to go into school before he makes a level choices and advise the teacher of his reading habits, or lack of? It seems ridiculous.

Back in ancient times, when it was "O" and "A" levels, I came into my own when I moved on to "A" levels; I found the process of formulating my own thoughts liberating, after ploughing through reams of "stuff" that I had to be able to churn out. I appreciate that GCSE's aren't the same in many ways, but I would imagine that spoon-feeding at that stage remains a more feasible prospect for the teachers.
I remember one of my friends, a nice, conscientious, hard-working girl who had acquired a very respectable set of "O" levels by steadily ploughing through the reams of rote learning and practice, dropping out when she realised how different the work was. She went off and got an office job (the world of work was very different in those days!)
The expectation from my teachers was that I would not just read the set books, but would "read round" each author, but that was no hardship!
In fact, before the start of VI th form, we were given a reading list, not compulsory but a steer towards more challenging texts.
I wouldn't go up to the school specifically to air your concerns with the teachers, as I would guess that they have his measure, and have taught many of his ilk.
It's true that it's his decision, but as things stand, it's unrealistic.
(And if it's charging high fees, the school will have half an eye on the league tables, and won't want someone lowering the grade averages.)
A friend of mine who undertakes tutoring told me of a lovely student who transferred to my old school for "A" levels, with a good GCSE grade in English, which she managed on the strength of revision notes, having not actually read any complete books, just "relevant" chunks. She was astounded by the suggestion that she might do well to read whole books!
You may well find that, after public exams finish, the timetable will be reorganised with a view to the coming academic year, and and he will find that his teachers are saying much the same things as boring old Mum!

I teach the lit A level. We always tell kids they can't do it unless they love reading. In reality I can count on the fingers of one hand vociferous readers I've taught in a 20 year career. I've taught many non-readers who've gone on to get As. The only time it's a pain is when they can't choose coursework texts, but they get there in the end. I know for a fact that some A grade students I've taught never read their coursework texts in their entirety. Pains me to say it but it's true.

Not necessarily as it may change from year to year depending on the teacher. You can find out what the current lot are doing and assume it will probably be the same, if the teachers are the same. Or you can find out what the exam board is and see the list of set texts so at least know what it could be.

I have a degree in English and read every day. I also don't/can't picture the story. There's no reason for that to make reading a slog. He could engage just as well with the emotions of the story and find it interesting.

That being said, I'd be concerned about the school pushing English lit instead of drama if that's what he's really interested in. Would he be better off moving school for A level?

English grad, PhD student lecturer/tutor and mum here… if he is not a voracious reader he will hate A Level English. The critical skills you acquire by reading outside GCSE, from reading between genres, underscores what will be taught in the syllabus.

Lots of teens think it will be an ‘easy’ option, but it’s very academic at A Level - much more difficult to spoon feed if your child has no other texts/reading experiences to draw upon. Most of my friend’s kids who chose it thinking it was an easy subject, had swapped out by half term in Y12. You need to love English to do it for 6 terms (for context, I didn’t read a proper book for years after I graduated… and you couldn’t pay me to read Dickens or Beowulf).

I wouldn’t push it right now, but the conversation I would be having is which subjects did you absolutely love at GCSE and which ones do you think you might consider at university - is English or a strongly essay based subject something he really wants to do? Obvs if he is looking at History and French, then English is a natural accompaniment and would work well… provided he is genuinely interested. I’d also remind him that he needs the best possible grades to increase his chances of getting into preferred courses/universities - so again, he should chose the subjects he is strongest in and feels he would perform well in.

Ie. I’d focus away from talking about English directly and upon choosing subjects strategically. Usually I’d start with which subjects he actually gets 9s in, but that may not help if he gets 9s across the board.

Lots of teenagers, particularly boys, don't read much for pleasure at all. That doesn't mean they won't do well at English A-level.

There are plenty of students who read nothing but the set texts (and probably don't even read all of those in their entirety, despite what their teachers might believe). Provided he has a talent for analysing what he does read and expressing that well, that's the main thing when it comes to English A-level. Bear in mind that some of the exams and coursework for English will be having to analyse previously unseen texts on the spot, rather than studying set texts over a long period.

Also, novels are only one element of English A-level. He'll also be studying Shakespeare and contemporary plays (most of which they'll probably be reading out loud in class) and poetry. Do they still do Chaucer at A-level? Again, it's a pretty different kind of reading from slogging through Great Expectations or Far From The Madding Crowd.

You also seem to be thinking that he needs to be reading 'classics', but he doesn't need to read HG Wells or PG Wodehouse if he doesn't want to. He will have classics as set texts at school. If you want to encourage him to read outside of school, for fun, then encourage him to read whatever he fancies. Give him a Waterstone's gift card for £50 and send him off to have a look round on his own and spend it.

Reading widely, even books you might consider light and non-challenging popular fiction, is the key thing. You really do absorb a lot about narrative structure, word choice, character construction and use of literary devices from reading contemporary genre fiction.

And no, you really don't need to go up to his school to tell his teacher he doesn't read much. The teacher knows how to do their job and will have those conversations with their pupils.

I'm a PhD English Literature student and have MA and BA in English. It is a BIT odd that he isn't reading very much outside of formal study, however it's possibly not a dealbreaker. It may be that he is engaged in the curriculum and can cope well with the texts in it.
I would say that reading around the curriculum is a valuable skill though and an enquiring mind and a love for literature will be of increasingly importance if he does English at higher levels. Tech and screens seem to be the bane of this generation when it comes to losing yourself in a book.

Also, lots of teachers who believe they are teaching 'voracious readers' are not, in fact, teaching many voracious readers at all. Kids will happily tell teachers they read a lot outside school when they actually don't.

Just for balance, this is the link for the AQA A Level syllabus. There is generally overlap between the exam boards so even if his school won’t be doing this one it would give you both the idea of what he’d need to read. I’d suggest having a dip into a few of these, catch a few of the plays on YouTube/National Theatre on line and see how he feels after that?

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english-literature-a-7711-7712/subject-content-a-level/texts-in-shared-contexts/set-texts

I kind of wonder too.

It’s not that usual to read so little at that age. I would not tell the teacher though .

My worry would be he is coping at this level ( and gcse is fairly rudimentary if we are honest); but without a broader base he may slip back later on if he isn’t really engaging with the subject.

He won't have got 9's without reading the set texts for English Lit. I'd perhaps point out there is a lot of reading for A level Eng and if he is still determined to do it then great.

My son did Maths History Eng Lit and the latter was a massive mistake. Like yours, he just didn’t read. In hindsight I wish I’d pushed Economics a bit more and also asked the teacher to explain the syllabus / requirements.

Reading has always been my main hobby, but reading for pleasure doesn't really impact English at school. You read the books they teach, and you may choose to read others by the same author for your own understanding of context, but it wasn't essential. The exams were firmly based on the studied texts.

If he enjoys English lessons, let him take English!

It's his choice.

I have a Masters in Eng Lit. I HATED some of my A Level English texts. Some years I read a book a week. Other years maybe A book. My roundabout point is: even if he loved to read, if he hates his set texts, meh. Swings and roundabouts.

All he needs to do is read the set texts, regurgitate at exam/coursework. Done.

I despised half of the set texts and (back in old money perhaps, don't know how they score now), I managed a 586/600. Heck, I was bored senseless by a lot of my undergraduate texts, and still got a First.

What's your concern? That he won't get an A / continue his GCSE success OR that he won't enjoy it?

Students I have taught enjoy the scope for discussion that an A level in lit offers. Some students who do enjoy reading tell me with some regret that they aren't taking lit A level as analysing books ruins them. Conversely, some students enjoy analysing texts and want to read but there are too many distractions and other options for their free time which mean that reading is never going to be a hobby. They tell me they love the fact that in English we read together and then discuss the text. It's the only time in their lives they will ever do that and it's a source of real enjoyment for them, which is lovely.

The set texts will be coupla books, coupla plays, book of poetry. You don't have to be much of a reader to get through that.

The interesting bit is thinking about it, talking about it, taking it to bits.

Oh, and then there's passing the exams. But, as I know from personal experience, you can just learn what they want to see in the exam and spit it out. I was actively encouraged to come up with original ideas all year and specifically warned off putting any of that on paper in the exam.

(Admittedly this was in the mid-eighteenth century, and Dickens was our Modern Author, so things might have changed by now.)

Maybe doing English Literature will inspire him to start reading more. I did GCSE Resistant Materials and had never used a drill or a circular saw before that - I built a desk as a GCSE project!

depends- is the same school going to spoon feed him through A levels?
what about uni, who’s going to hold his hand there too, out of interest?

Enjoying reading definitely doesn't mean someone will do well with English Literature.
I love reading but you couldn't have paid me to do it for A Level because I don't enjoy the pulling the story apart and looking underneath the words. Equally there are lots of people who don't read a whole lot independently but they do enjoy that part and that's why they do well.

DD 15 got all 8s & 9s in mid and end of year assessments and wants to do English Lit, History & Politics A Levels, despite barely reading fiction and having zero interest in political news.

I had also read many of the classics by this age. DD is more interested in Tik Tok 🤔

She says Eng Lit and History are her strongest subjects and teachers agree, so I say let them crack on…

The books you’re giving him are very old-fashioned to be fair. He has to first discover a love of reading for its own sake.

Try books like

The Catcher In The Rye
The Secret History
Trainspotting
The Secret Life of Bees
The Bricks That Built The Houses
The Wasp Factory

I mean there are loads.
Then he might want to move onto the books that are considered classic. If he can’t find anything he enjoys reading for reading’s sake I agree he might want to reconsider.

I know for a fact that some A grade students I've taught never read their coursework texts in their entirety. Pains me to say it but it's true.

I think in that case OP, your boy will be fine. Take him to lots of theatre, lit festivals etc.

GCSE English is nothing like A Level and I did mine early too. Wish I hadn't. I didn't have the understanding or maturity for the content, not the in-depth understanding of essay writing, which is a huge difference in standard to GCSE.

Exams can be a farce. His A level Eng Lit will test what he knows about the set books and whether he can write intelligently about them, which I have no doubt he can. He probably sees it as an easy option.... a way of getting an A level under his belt.

This is about an exam and not about real life. Just leave him be.

I did A level French by reading the books in translation. I picked out quotes that looked pertinent and learnt those in French for tge exam.

It's about exam technique rather than true knowledge in these sort of subjects.

Both my DC got 9 in Eng Lit and only read
the books and poems they needed for the exams.

Neither had read a book at home since year 7.

DC2 just finished yr12 doing Eng lang A level. Predicted A