How to move up to grade 5 English

[Lovetotravel123]

My child is about to start year 8 and pretty much consistently gets a grade 4 in English. It is evident that eventually for A Levels, even in other subjects, he will need to get a grade 5. I am hoping that if we start now, maybe we can get him to that 5. What I am looking for is something small we can do each day for 5 minutes that will help.

He already reads a bit before bed and is in private school in the bottom group for English.

He isn’t dyslexic and doesn’t have dysgraphia, but he is allowed to use a laptop because he struggles with writing.

When you speak to him he comes across as intelligent (in my opinion).

What can we do to move him up a grade please?

My advice is get a tutor ideally a tutor that is a teacher that teaches English gcse currently ( as opposed to a degree student) . They will be able to teach exam techniques and what to write to improve grades. Also there are loads of you tube tutorials so search that. Mr bruff I think springs to mind ( he might be maths I now can’t remember!) but others too and some did live tutorials night before exam.
make sure they are doing the book’s relevant to your child and the correct course AQA or whatever

I would ask to see examples of another pupils work who gets consistently good grades

Are they marking year 8 work to GCSE marking schemes? In which case, a 4 at the end of y7 really isn't an issue.

I think before you start searching for tutors you find out what the school is marking to.

What does the grade 4 mean?
Before you do anything, you need to know if its current working level, or predicted grade in 4 years time.

Then, can you see marked work, and where he is loosing marks. Work on that first.
We get a 'next steps" on teacher marked work - which tells you exactly what needs to be done to get higher marks next time. Anything like that on marked work?

He is still very young; some boys’ writing gets better as they mature.

1. Check he is writing enough for the marks
2. Read, read, read- all of you, not just before bed.
3. Ensure he is clear on basic and more complex punctuation . ,- ‘ ; :
4. Speak to his teachers and ensure he is being taught how to use the mark scheme
5. Ask his English teacher’s advice

English teacher here.

If they’re grading him as a 4 now, it’s meaningless. It would actually be a sign of a very gifted child, given that a 4 is a pass grade. GCSEs are intended to be taken after 5 years of secondary study. A Y7 doesn’t have the experience and skills needed; it’s not to say a very gifted child couldn’t pass one at the end of the year, but if they were realistically able to, we could enter them all for GCSE after a year and then crack on with KS5.

If they’re saying they predict he will achieve a 4 at the end of Y11, that’s another thing. However, I’d be asking how they know this. They categorically should not be teaching to the GCSE exam in Y7. KS3 is about developing the skills; a love of reading, ability to think critically, excellent spelling and grammar and decent writing skills. Children develop such a lot over KS3 that making statements like “he’s going to get a 4” isn’t really appropriate. I would want evidence for this assertion, then you can look at what specifically he can do. I would say that my pupils who consistently passed with the best grades were generally good and enthusiastic readers at home.

What does a Grade 4 at the end of Year 7 actually mean?

If it's marked against GCSE levels, then he is already doing very well.

It it means he's on target to get a Grade 4 at GCSE, then I would take this with a huge pinch of salt. Children don't follow nice linear progress.

If it simply means he's doing "averagely well for a Year 7", then again, no telling where this will correlate to at GCSE level.

Have you asked his English teacher what he needs to work on? That would seem to more useful than asking on here. Clearly things like reading widely will help regardless.

Second this. I would check marking. Our KS3 aren't marked as GCSE, they are marked differently until they become KS4.

A 4 as a current attainment GCSE wise would be amazing at this point. Outside this KS3 is less standardised so if it is a 4 at this level then I would be hesitant to put too much stock in it. I would instead find out from his teacher where he falls in terms of average attainment in comparison to the year and expected flight plan of students on a 4 from this point.

However if he is predicted a 4 a GCSE then maybe look into it a bit more. Find out if it analysis or creative that he struggles with would be the first thing I'd do and target that area.

Early to get a tutor, but if you did I would ensure it is someone actively teaching exams at the moment.

Thanks everyone. I think the 4 means he is below average in comparison to others in his year. I’ll have a chat with his teacher and put a plan together.