Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Should I let DD withdraw from French GCSE as she's finding it tough?

74 replies

Sobek · 14/03/2015 14:01

Year 11 DD took German GCSE last May and immediately started working on French GCSE to be taken this May. They did their first controlled assessment after 3 weeks and needless to say, most did very badly. The writing assessments were taken much later, but again marks have been poor. Almost all of the group have failed (and these are the top languages students!). Dd said the teacher has been teaching beyond the scope of the course and has over complicated matters. Some of the group don't want to take the GCSE as they've already got a German GCSE and don't want a bad grade amongst what should hopefully be good grades for most of them. Dd hasn't ever failed at anything or found any subjects particularly tough, but she is really struggling. She said the amount of time she'd need to put into French in order to do well (predicted A* but now would be absolutely delighted with a B) would mean that her other subjects would be neglected. She doesn't want to do the exam but the head says that she has no choice as it's too late to withdraw. Following something I posted about Dd2's German yesterday, I've found out that is not the case at all, and the school could pull her out.

My dilemma is this....would it be better for her to try and fail/not do greatly or, by letting her drop the subject, would that be giving her the message that when the going gets tough, you just give up? At the moment she is completely demotivated.

Do they get their grades on one certificate? Head says if she does badly she doesn't ever need to tell anyone about it, but surely if all the results are on one certificate, she can't lie?

OP posts:
PunkrockerGirl · 14/03/2015 21:37

Ds2 got a C for French gcse. He didn't need it for future plans and was surprised to get a C. However, he decided he liked French and wanted to learn to speak it. So for 3 years he's been having French conversation classes with a private tutor and he loves it.
It's just a way of saying , I suppose, that sometimes our dc surprise us and that gcse' s exams aren't everything.

Branleuse · 14/03/2015 21:45

if shes getting a c, whats the problem. Thats a decent pass.

chocolateshoes · 14/03/2015 21:56

Just to clarify In MFL we are not allowed to correct CAs. Also we're not allowed to give much feedback on drafts. But yes they are allowed dictionaries. So I must admit I'm a bit shocked reading that some people have handed in drafts for correction!

Original poster
Sobek · 14/03/2015 22:26

somewhere that is the dilemma for me. I'm not sure that giving up is a good for confidence levels in the future. Agree that if she is able, then she could bag a pass if she works hard. Maybe she isn't capable of getting it though? Perhaps it was overly optimistic of the school to predict an A*? I think she takes the view that in order to do well she would have to put in a huge amount of effort and this would mean spending less time on her other subjects.

She doesn't like the subject either which isn't helping. I keep trying to encourage her by saying what a beautiful language it is and how useful it would be for trips to France in the future etc. Did you son always like French Punk or was it only after he'd finished the GCSE?

OP posts:
Original poster
Sobek · 14/03/2015 22:31

chocolateshoes I did think that perhaps her teacher was playing by the rules by not correcting the CAs. Dd just thinks she's lazy because her German teacher last year did correct the CAs! Dd's French teacher in comparison just makes comments e.g. you need to use more complicated language, use a variety of tenses, make the piece more imaginative and interesting. The problem for Dd is that she is given no guidance as to how she can achieve any of this. She's never been shown what an A* piece of work looks like...she has absolutely no idea what she should be aiming for.

OP posts:
Greenrememberedhills · 14/03/2015 22:44

My yr 11 is averaging As and A * , and there is no way I would pull him out of any exam over a C grade.

Christelle2207 · 14/03/2015 22:46

A bit different but I recall a similar scenario with me struggling with double science years ago. Although the school were dead against my parents pushed for me to be able to drop it and do single science on the basis that all subjects would suffer if I continued to work to get 2 Cs- I wasn't interested in going any further with science after 16. Anyway it was eventually allowed and I got a B in single science and rather more As than I would have done if I'd pressed on with the double. I'm all for MFL gcses but she has one, so don't think she needs to work her butt off to get a 2nd unless she wants to go further with languages.

PunkrockerGirl · 15/03/2015 07:32

No Sobek ds wasn't particularly keen on French prior to GCSE. I think he was astounded that he got a C as he was convinced he'd failed. He then decided he'd like to take it further but without the pressure of exams and its worked out really well. Hope you manage to reach the best solution for your dd.

Carambar · 15/03/2015 09:06

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

chocolateshoes · 15/03/2015 09:48

So yes OP her French teacher is doing the right thing. However it would help to have been shown some A * phrases etc. how about looking on TES for some useful structures that she could include in her next speaking and writing CAs. Things like après avoir, je doute que je puisse, avant de. I agree with Carambar the set up sounds crazy but having got this close would seem a shame to drop it now. Has the school got a subscription to Linguascope? Then she could do some basic vocab practice to fill in those gaps.

Chipsahoythere · 15/03/2015 09:55

I don't correct CAs either. I also don't tend to hand out dictionaries at the start as they then sit down and open the dictionaries straight away and put together a piece of rubbish.
I don't think you can criticise the teacher for actually doing her job properly and not cheating.

chocolateshoes · 15/03/2015 10:32

Exactly Chips.

Bonsoir · 15/03/2015 18:09

The school is clearly stark raving mad: alternating languages year on year is outrageous.

DontGotoRoehampton · 15/03/2015 18:24

The school is clearly stark raving mad: alternating languages year on year is outrageous
YY
Her French teacher is playing by the rules - the German teacher was cheating, very common practice tho' - I once saw a HT blatantly helping pupils cheat on a CA.
hence good thing hey are going.
As others have said, is just a memory test.
And yes, dictionaries a complete waste of time at that stage.

MillyMollyMama · 15/03/2015 18:36

No wonder our universities are struggling to find decent linguists for their degrees if this sort of rubbish teaching is going on in schools and putting people off. Not sure how a school can predict an A in a subject that has, effectively, been dropped for the whole of year 10. Also no As in German is not brilliant either! Sounds like the better children are being badly let down and the school over predicts!

DontGotoRoehampton · 15/03/2015 18:56

I am attending a seminar in a few weeks time at an Oxbridge College - they are desperate to get MFL applications from state comps - but this sort of thing makes them put their heads in their hands...

chocolateshoes · 15/03/2015 19:05

And I do feel sorry for that French teacher. Knowing her class are slating her for being lazy, when she's following the rules. Meanwhile dodgy German teacher is probably everyone's favourite Hmm

Original poster
Sobek · 15/03/2015 19:40

I feel sorry for the French teacher too. It must be infuriating knowing that your colleagues are breaking the rules and getting better results. I think she wanted to teach the kids beyond the scope of the GCSE as she knows how limited the GCSE exam is. That's probably hugely beneficial for the pupils who only take French and do it over two years, but for the double option pupils taking it in one year, there just isn't time to do anything that isn't in the spec. However, it does sound as though she has been mistaken in predicting such high grades. Last year, all of the French students achieved grades far below their target ones and lots of parents complained and asked for papers to be remarked. She also was over generous in her marking of the CAs last year and the exam board lowered the grades for the whole class. Perhaps she's being over cautious this year. But if she is under marking, will this be picked up as easily as it would be if she is over marking? Would all the grades be put up?

The school is ofsted outstanding and supposedly in the top 10% of state schools in England and the MFL teaching is really not great. Dd has a grade A German and I doubt she could even order food or drink if she went there on holiday. The CAs are an absolute joke too. Totally unfair. Dd's best friend has a French tutor who wrote her CA out for her and then she just had to learn it!

OP posts:
Carambar · 15/03/2015 19:40

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
Sobek · 15/03/2015 19:41

I also just wanted to say that I'm so very grateful for all the help and advice you've all given me so far!

OP posts:
Original poster
Sobek · 15/03/2015 19:44

Caramber I agree and this whole thing has made me realise how results driven the school is and that it doesn't always have the best interests of the pupils at heart. It's been a real eye opener actually. I'm one those shallow/silly people who sent my Dc to the school just because the results are good, but at what cost?

OP posts:
Carambar · 15/03/2015 19:51

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

MillyMollyMama · 15/03/2015 20:09

Except the MFL results are not good.

Original poster
Sobek · 15/03/2015 20:14

No Milly they aren't good at all! I did ask at school what the results were like for each GCSE subject but they wouldn't tell me.

OP posts:
Carambar · 15/03/2015 20:36

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Swipe left for the next trending thread