To do my daughters GCSE course work?

[LolaLouise]

My daughter is adhd diagnosed, probable autism which she is still on a waiting list for years after the referral was submitted, she gets frustrated and gives up quickly, she tries, she really does, but sometimes gets overwhelmed and cant continue a task.

Her art GCSE course work is due in this week, she was very behind. I have spent all last weekend and this weekend helping her get it done. Up until now its been sitting and encouraging her, ive done some of the research whilst shes been doing the sketches needed, and then shes re-written it out, suggestions of sketches she could do, and cutting it all out so she can place everything into her book, helping her with layouts and ordering, but mostly just keeping her on track and focussed in 2 hour windows. There was one piece of art required for it to be done, she tried, for hours, yesterday to do it, but she got so frustrated and couldnt do it, its a portrait of a person. She ended up getting quite upset with the drawing and the looming deadline. This isnt the first time she has attempted it, shes been trying to draw it for weeks, but i put it to one side as she was hyperfixated on it, and in order to get everything else done, i took it off the table and said we would do that last. The sketch is needed as her final piece was based around this portrait, though her final piece was just shapes no details. The teacher has told her she absolutly must include this portrait in her project. Her final exam has already been sat so she cant just change the direction of the project now.

So ive drawn it, its not great, i can draw a bit but not even close to being skilled, but its better than what she was able to produce. She doesnt know ive drawn it last night. Ive started the shading to block out the main shadows, but it needs finishing, which she can do in the same way she has shaded all her other work, it looks vaguely like the person its supposed to be if you squint a little bit. We are going to try again today, ive even suggested to her tracing the facial structure today if we can figure a way to do it as we have no thin paper left to trace with, just really thick watercolour paper and card left. But it needs finishing today to hand in tomorrow. Then we can focus on her other much needed revision.

Her college plans do not include something even close to art related, its one drawing in amongst probably 100 others over the 2 years of project work, in the grand scheme of things i dont think it will make a difference to her grade, but her teacher has said it has to be included, so she is building it up to be the most important thing ever. I just want to help her, and ease some of her stress. Would you give her the drawing and help her finish it? Or is it too much help? Ive convinced myself if she does the shading then its no different to having traced the initial drawing, which is perfectly acceptable in her work, we just dont have the access to do that easily today. Do we try the tracing first and it that goes wrong then i just give her this one to shade over? theres a chance she has tried tracing in school on the lightboxes and they have been discarded already, as i know she traced other images.

How much help is too much, considering her SEN, but also that this is GCSE work?

If you have a projector she could also do a small sketch, take a photo onto your computer and then project it big and trace the outline. Plenty of people do that to get proportions right with big pieces.

I don't think it's a big deal to help out tbh, but I'd be worried the art teacher would know and the rest of her coursework that she has done herself and worked really hard on would be discounted.

Go on @LolaLouise. Do it.

But only if you're willing to tell your DD you did it when it was her task.

Thought not.

I might have helped with some of it, like the research. But I wouldn't have drawn the picture.

Another tracing solution.

You say you only have watercolour paper...but you/your DD must have something thinner somewhere. Lined A? A page in her English book? A handout/photocopy from physics she doesn't need.

Use this to "trace" from the laptop (amend the contract/turn it black and white to help).

Then graphite transfer onto the paper she is going to use.

I have ADHD.

Our ‘superpower’ is being able to hyper focus to meet deadlines.

weeks I’d spend in the library trying to do an essay. I’d sit on 300 words for months. But there I’d be sprinting up the four floors at uni to get my essay pushed through the window with 9 seconds remaining.

Same with my A-level media coursework. Changed direction the night before. Spent all night filming it. The next day editing it. Asked my teacher what time he was leaving site and passed him the USB stick just as he went to leave work.

You could stick blutack on a computer screen and use paper to trace the portrait. You bail her out now, you’ll always have to bail her out.

I get it, completely. Let her try again when she's rested. If she's not studying art further it's almost a safe way to allow her to feel the consequences.

My DD is GCSE year too, her coursework subject is textiles. She also has dyslexia and is awaiting an ADHD diagnosis.

As a parent I can only do so much and that's been reminders, sitting with her when I can, breaking things into small steps, putting food on the table and paying(!) her to revise the subjects she hates but needs to pass.

Procrastination, distraction and worrying about failure all hold DD1 up. She leaves everything to the last minute.

In the end the textiles coursework was finished the night before the exam. She stayed up almost all night and got 45 minutes sleep. Then did a 5 or 6 hour exam.... But, I think it's a lesson learned.

Talking about how hard she finds coursework and motivating herself has helped. We've chatted about future steps that she can move on from depending on results. And she has decided not to do a coursework subject at A level.

Good luck whatever you decide to do OP.

I'd hand in your drawing. It's one piece of one project for one subject... it's not like you've done this for every thing she has ever submitted. Feck it. It's causing her so much stress, and it's one piece.

I would do the same as you.

This post nails it. Just let her submit what she has. A poor art grade won’t matter. You can’t save her forever

I feel your pain. My daughter is also about to submit the coursework which leads to her final piece of art work that was completed last week. The art work is so time consuming and has taken over our lives for the last month or so, I can’t wait for all of the equipment to be packed away so I can see my dining room table again!
In the big scheme of things what you’ve done is inconsequential. I wouldn’t over think this, just let her shade the drawing and move on with her other subjects. Life is not an even playing field, people have all sorts of advantages and disadvantages. Your daughter is lucky to have your support and interest in her school work. Good luck!

My mum helped make a dress with me for some coursework once. I still managed to a do science degree all by myself just hated DT!

It's very common where I live to use tutors for dc who aren't struggling, I will do the same. Is it that dissimilar?

I would probably just do it too (I’m shit at art so the thought of my shit drawing in his project would probably galvanise him). Or let her fail, which is si hard to do but g.c.s.e art is not the worst thing to fail, she can re sit it if she needs or just file it away under experience. Failing can be a very positive thing at that age. As another poster said lots of parents are happy to pay for tutors or are in a position to fund extra support, it’s hardly a level playing field. Good luck.

How on Earth is using Chat GPT a good solution to avoid cheating?!!

It’s also cheating, but with a large carbon footprint attached. FFS.

Can she not trace the portrait using a light box?

I imagine in the future courses with 100% coursework won’t exist. It’s too easy to cheat now.
but like a poster up thread detailed, assuming the overall mark is mostly exam, cheating on coursework doesn’t help overall mark.
itll bump up your coursework nark obviously, but when you get to that question in an exam, not a clue, no marks.

You’re doing your best to help your daughter in this very specific situation. It doesn’t mean that your daughter will forever feel that you’ll do her work for her.

I took an art based GCSE (god knows why when my strengths have always been academic subjects) and the amount of time I had to put into that subject was significantly more than any other individual subject.

Fine in my opinion, it’s ridiculous pressure for kids that are struggling, and possibly will never use or look at ever again!

my mum wrote one on my essays many decades ago, still failed though and she hasn’t had to pick any pieces since like many have suggested, I’ve worked very hard since my mid teens, school just wasn’t really ideal for me.

My textiles GCSE course workwas to make a pair of flares. My mum made them. She’s an amazing seamstress. I am not. I got an A. No regrets

I’d hand in your picture if I were you. It’s just one drawing, and you’ve already said it’s not very good anyway. It’s not as if you’re a professional artist submitting grade 9 work for a grade 1 student. It’s only art GCSE. She’s not getting into the cockpit of a Boeing 747 with a fake pilots licence!

As an autistic person who's really good at art but failed my GCSE partly because I was too scared to get paints out of the cupboard (and partly because I bunked off to avoid rounders and mean girls shouting at me for not being able to catch a ball), I think you should do it and not worry.

@LolaLouise I have adhd diagnosed at 46 but always had problems focusing, finishing course work, until last minute. Also probably autistic. If you do this for her she will always feel in adequate. You have a lot of suggestions here that should help you. But let me recount one incident in my life (not sure might be too late). I couldn't do some write up for research. Months and months. Then got hyperfocused on how I was supposed to do it which paralysed my actual doing. My boss from before asked me to read getting this done book. I never finished it but a chapter or 2 into otitis talked about giving yourself permission not to do things. So I really didn't have to finish my research. Had to understand that I was OK with that and accept people will comment or feel a particular way but it shouldn't matter. (Am badly paraphrasing but hope you get the gist. I had to say " I will not do this and am fine with that. It doesn't matter that I have spent 4 almost five years studying abroad. It's not the most important thing in life etc). I felt so so free and let everything and stopped obsessing. A day or two later I took up the research and finished it. Got in the process rather than end goal. So you could let her put the work aside and free her mind. If she decides to come back to it great. If not she can submit what she has done so far.
I do not know what I would do in your case. I just wish you the best of luck

So you want to teach your daughter it's ok to cheat?

Can you simulate a light box by taping things to a window?

Grids are good for drawing faces that look realistic. Draw a grid of squares on the face you're trying to copy. Then draw a grid of squares (very lightly so you can draw over it ans rub out) scaled up or down on the paper you're going to do the final drawing on. It's then much easier to draw shapes and lines in relation to where they sit in each square. I'd do the grids for her as they can be fiddly and time consuming and aren't 'art' and then demo how they work. Hopefully this helps her without you doing it for her