English speaking & listening - does this sound right?

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From what DD yr10 has told me.
For the GCSE speaking and listening assessment, they are in groups of ~ 4, performing a part of their set book.

The concern us, that their teacher has told them that they need to do the proper accent in order to get above a C grade.
DD is mortified, as although loves drama, cannot do Sourh American.

Somethingdoesnt sound quite right here.....

Sounds very odd. Mind you, my daughter's science paper had questions which were more english comprehension than science, so I'd not not be surprised if someone says, that is correct.

Not come across the english comprehension in science (yet).
Just got over the shock of French spoken being not much more than a memory test.

Then she comes home with this on the English!

DD did a group S&L which was based around Of Mice and Men, their lack of a southern drawl didn't mean marks where lost. I would question this. My DD hates having to just answer a question in class, S&L assessments are torture for her and having to fake an accent would just add to her whole S&L angst.

Nope. ENglish teacher here, and I know of no board where this is the rule. THey do have to do a drama focussed task, but performing part of the text wouldn't count and accent wouldn't matter. Without more context - text, actual task, etc - I can't be sure but this sounds dodgy all round. In any case, they should be doing more than the minimum number of speaking tasks and drawing the final assessment form the best combination of marks.

Wow, how things have changed... I remember I got A for my speaking and listening because our teacher took us to a play and there was a workshop afterwards and I asked a question about the motivation that a particular character had for her actions. I was the only A in my group (set 2) and the only one to ask a question so I assume that was why I got that grade! I would have been mortified to have to do drama, surely they are taking English and not drama!?

What a rubbish task! I can't actually see how that would give the children scope to get a high grade at all. I hope they will be offered opportunities to redo it.

Right, as far as know all exam boards require students to do three components for speaking and listening: individual talk, group discussion and drama. They are all, in my opinion and experience, a really good idea. Most students are really not very at S and L- as you know, if you've got teenagers. No student likes all three categories, so it's a really good way to get them out of their comfort zone.

For the Drama S and L for AQA (which is the biggest exam board), there is certainly no requirement for accents. In the top band, I would be looking for the creation of a complex character ('redoing' a scene from a book won't achieve this one), use of unusual or Dramaish techniques i.e. monologues, freeze frames etc. -just something that isn't straightforward and shows they are able to think outside the box. I'd also be looking for a serious treatment of complex ideas and relationships. Honestly, simply redoing a scene from a book won't attain that because they are not 'creating' the complex ideas, relationships or characters. They would be if they were inventing a missing scene. Is this the task?

Could the teacher be attempting to get them to stay 'in role' in some way? Rather than just mumble the lines, to actually try to act the part a bit?

Performing a section from a novel, as a play, could work - if it allowed them to develop and sustain a role and use language to impact on listeners.

Absolute rubbish to say they need to do an accent in order to get a C.

English teacher here. Most odd. Not sure how this counts as an assessment because they will just be reading out the words of an author. Perhaps ask what board they use and try and look at the specification (includes assessment criteria)

I think the board is AQA but need to diuble check.

Ir is acting out a scene, they have been asked to write out their own parts. Although this has meant choosing the relevant bits and summarising to get the best for the character, nothing about adding snthing of their own. It needs to be performance like rather than just reading the script. I asked DD again and they have definitely told they need to do the accent in order to get above a C. She's hoping that means doing the accent badly will count.

Tortu - nit sure what you mean by "top band". The groups seem to have been put together randomly rather than according to ability. All top set, but that's still the top 25 to 30% in their school so quite a mixed ability range. One of DDs friends who has an A/A* target has been put with a group that just want to mess about, which seems quite unfair.

Silly thought. Does teacher mean use appropriate dialect rather than accent. If your DD doesn't understand I would definitely contact teacher to ask for clarification.

Sounds like a misunderstanding on teacher's part about the requirement to be in role. Either that, or has the teacher said voice and your dd has heard that as accent?

Maybe the teacher has just told them to try the accents in order to encourage them to get into role and develop their voices and mannerisms to fit the part, or perhaps just to make it more fun. It doesn't sound like a great task in itself but we don't know the context or planning. Perhaps the teacher is trying to loosen the students up and knock the edges of the nerves off before going on to bigger and better things. A lot of pupils in the middle of the ability range enjoy things like accents and bits of costume or props to help them get going. I can see, though, that it is not a successful approach for your daughter, poor thing.

Hmmm. Still not a brilliant task. It's not going to push the top students.

OP, I'm so sorry, I'm just using 'exam board speak'! AQA don't actually state the grades next to the assessment criteria, but rather give numbers in bands. By 'Top band' I meant the B/A/A* students.

Don't worry about mixed ability groups. Students are assessed individually and, actually, I often find that high ability students can get higher grades by being in a mixed group, because they can then be classified as leading the group, or helping others to speak.

Wait and see what happens. This may simply be a misunderstanding of the teacher's aims and they may do well. If not, the task can easily be redone (in fact, I tend to redo S and L tasks every time we have a couple of spare lessons. By doing them repeatedly, students get really good and get much higher marks by the end of Year 11)

Tortu - They are taking the written exams for English Language in May if y10. Yr11 is literature only, possibly retakes. So suspect all the language assessments will be completed this year.

The accent is not a confidence thing with DD. She just doesn't know whether to attempt it and risk making a hash of the whole thing, or play it safe. DH is good with accents so he is going to try and help her crack it.

Re-iterating what Tortu said, for top marks in the role play S & L task pupils need to create a convincing character. Too much concentration on getting the accent right would distract your DD from that ,imo. Maybe the teacher was trying to give some gentle encouragement to the pupils to give the accent a go. What book is it?

Is this a new thing?
I speak reasonably well and am completely capable of listening and understanding but would have done appallingly at this. I chose not to do drama for this very reason. I can't see how it proves much at all about the knowledge of someone but I'm beginning to feel that about a lot of GCSE subjevts.
Sorry op no help at all

I actually think it is a very good idea. Literacy is about speaking and listening as well as reading, understanding and writing. It's only fair those who are good at communication (but maybe less good on paper) have some credit for it in an English exam.

Communication isn't just about feeling like you're making an idiot of yourself in front of your peers though is it? Memories of horrible heckling at school don't help I guess.

Kez - DD IS better verbally than written, just not too hot on accents. Would have done GCSE Drama if there had been enough options.
And as Midnighthag says, don't want it to distract from the task in hand.

Book is To Kill a Mockingbird and DD loves it.
Did it myself for O"level Eng Lit 34 years ago.
In those days, "Spoken English" was an extra to Eng Lang. I actually refused to take it, but all that meant was the "with spoken English" is missing from the certificate.

I agree the 'accent' bit of it seems 'drama orientated' and wrong for English assessment but teachers say it sounds strange too, so hopefully it will turn out to be wrong.

When you think of good speakers and debaters it makes you think 'English and literacy' not drama, so as a componant part of an overall exam, it seems fair.

Dyslexics are often very good with undestanding and spoken word and deserve that element of credit.

DS seems to be following the same course as your DD circular and he is working on speeches for his speaking and listening assessment. They are looking at persuasive language and so far they've looked at speeches by people such as Martin Luther King, Bono and Sarah Palin(!) and will be writing their own. DS has already done one in the lesson on equality in society and has been marked on some of the discussions they've had. I think he will score well and we were told that speaking and listening marks are normally a grade higher than written marks. The fact that I actually know what he's doing shows that he is enthusiastic about it as he only normally gives out the minimum of information!

The task should be about getting the best out of the kids not them worrying and feeling self conscious. I can't believe that its right to score on accent - speech patterns and dialect yes but not the actual accent.

From what DD is saying now, the teacher wants ANY accent other than their own !

Webwiz - what your DS is doing sounds much more interesting and challenging. Is that also yr10?

Yes he is year 10. He's doing english language this year and english literature in year 11.