GCSE English in class assessments - how much home help?

[MuttonCadet]

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice on how much at home help we should be giving to DS.

He's got an in class 4 hour assessment to do on Macbeth, but they haven't read the whole play, which has me concerned.

I've got him the play and a GCSE commentary book which he's working through. Do the kids get to know what there assessment title is in advance? Should we be working through this with him?

He's bright, but his English is poor, I want to give him all the help I can.

Any advice gratefully recieved!

Hi, English teacher here.
He should know his title in advance- we tell the students the title at the start of the unit.
Unfortunately it isn't always possible to read the whole play in class due to time constraints. Also, usually the assessment is based on selected scenes so these are studied in detail and the rest of the play is covered through reading but also watching the film version or studying modern versions or summaries. I hate this but we are ubder a lot of pressure to get results fast :(
If you have bought him a copy of the play and a study guide he should be ahead of the game, as many parents won't bother or care tbh. So you have really helped him already :)
Hope that helps

Thanks, that's hugely helpful. I've asked him to get the title from his teacher on Monday and we'll talk it through with him.

We've ordered 2 versions of the play on DVD, (Orson Welles and Patrick Stewart), so I'll make sure he's got everything covered.

Wow- if your DS was in my class I think I would be sending you a gold star home!
If you have any questions once he has his title, feel free to pop them on this thread and I will try my best to help.

Thanks so much, I'm sure I'll be needing advice. (I've not seen the play myself yet).