How to improve on English Language GCSE AQA

[Hello1290]

DD achieved a grade 3 in her mock exam. She was five marks short of a 4. I'm looking for any general advice as to what she should focus on to gain a grade 4. She has parents evening in January so I can ask at this meeting but in the meantime if anyone has any ideas about any techniques she could work on over the Christmas hols or any useful websites it would help. Thanks.

Not a teacher, nor an English expert, but DD had a lot on English tuition (which came to nought due to covid)
Really she needs to look at her papers and see which questions she did worst in. ie probably any where she got less than half marks.
The first question on each paper is relatively straightforward so she should be hoping for good marks on them.
Then otherwise it is probably 'easier' to get half marks on a question than improve to 75% on another question.

Identify the questions, check the guidance she had had from school and the mark scheme and see what was omitted.

• eg not enough to pick out a metaphor, have to say the effect on the reader
• need to use a variety of techniques in the writing questions, there are mnemonics for helping them think what to include for both creative writing and writing for purpose

Ignore anyone who says just get your DC to read more. DD used to read loads, still didn't help her punctuation or spelling or ability o pick out literary techniques

I dont want to out a downer on it. But people generally start tuition. And its generally pretty early on in their school career.
The other thing that helps is reading. Readin widely. Reading literature. Understanding what the book is about but also the themes. And again these are all things that help the earlier it starts.

(See, I said people would say read )

For AQA English Mr Bruff on YouTube
www.youtube.com/user/mrbruff

It depends what year she is in. Of in year 10 or 11 she needs a good tutor stat

Taking a bit of a blinkered exam paper/ practice approach could help. Reading mark schemes and understanding what it is that ticks the box to get the mark can help to cut through the noise of the exam question. A purely box ticking to gain marks approach has really helped me in the past.

I teach this specification.

The biggest number of marks is on the two writing tasks - one is a story,one a letter/speech/article. Both are worth 40 marks and the biggest reason for poor marks is not writing enough.

She needs to read lots of short, Well crafted stories to see how writers build their settings/characters/plots. A good place to start is the bbc 500 words competition winners for the oldest age group. The examiner then wants to see evidence that the student has telly considers their language choices, so interesting metaphors, connotation-heavy adjectives etc.

Paper 2 writing problems are more about running out of ideas. She should look at one she has written, but then make each of her points the topic sentence for a whole paragraph - extend it with more examples, a little anecdote about a made-up person in the situation. This task also benefits from some metaphorical language even though supposedly factual.

Reading literature. Understanding what the book is about but also the themes. And again these are all things that help the earlier it starts

She's a solid 5 in literature - it's English language she finds difficult.
She's year 11 but I'm not looking for a tutor or a grade 9 just a way forward to achieve a 4.

Thank you everyone for your input. It's interesting you say about not writing enough keira - she definitely struggles with this. I will look at the BBC 500 words, Mr Bruff and the mark scheme.

The biggest mark questions are Q5 writing (descriptive for paper 1 and writing to express a viewpoint for paper 2). So writing accurately with correct punctuation and paragraphs, ambitious vocabulary, descriptive techniques like similes and personification on paper 1 and persuasive techniques on paper 2.

Also paper 1 question 4 is worth 20 marks and often kids only write a paragraph as they run out of time. Get her to answer q4 in detail (make sure she uses quotes and refers to the statement in the question) before moving on to 3, 2 and 1.

I mark paper 2.
Write well, thinking about making clear links between paragraphs and having a thread from start to end rather than unconnected ideas.
Good vocabulary and a range of sentences.
It doesn't need to be long - 4 sides is unlikely to get significantly more marks than 2.
In the reading questions, timing is key. Don't skip Q4!

@MrsHamlet

I mark paper 2. Write well, thinking about making clear links between paragraphs and having a thread from start to end rather than unconnected ideas. Good vocabulary and a range of sentences. It doesn't need to be long - 4 sides is unlikely to get significantly more marks than 2. In the reading questions, timing is key. Don't skip Q4!

@MrsHamlet, I'm so pleased to see you write that! I don't mark for AQA tho' I do for another other board that has discursive essays on the spec. I tell my pupils the same as you all the time. Do they take any notice of me? Do they hell

@AnInspectorBores nah.... cos what do we know?!
After all, being paid to accurately mark hundreds of exams every year means nothing.
As an aside, I bloody hate that play

@MrsHamlet, I don't hate the play, but (as my user name suggests) I'm so fed up of teaching it. I also find it quite difficult to keep my left-wing views hidden in front of classes which tend to spout their own parents' Daily Heil views.

I'm teaching this year for the first time in twenty years. I am reminded why I haven't taught it since then!!

To be honest get a tutor. My son only managed 4s in both Englishes because he had a tutor. He went to private school and had plenty of time from teachers but he wasn't going to do much on his own.
My daughter by contrast also used the same tutor - she got 9s. For both the formulaic way the papers are marked meant the tutor knew what phrases and quotes would get them marks. My daughters problems was overwriting and running out of time - the tutor helped her be more concise and organise herself. For my son he got enough of those key phrases etc to scrape through.

all the tutors went to Oxford and Cambridge so high quality and super smart
Whereas I went to neither but am a senior examiner nonetheless 🤷‍♀️