Resigned to failing English

[Fightingdragonswithyou]

DD Just got 2nd lot of mock results. She only got a 2 in English, Nov mocks she got a 3.

Shes devastated.

She was diagnosed with dyslexia a year ago and struggles so much to put stuff down on paper but if you ask her she knows it. She's been put in bottom set and says it's full of kids pissing about and she can't concentrate.
She's been going to revision sessions after school every day, she has an English tutor once a week too and revises at home.

I don't know what else to do. She's just above the cut off for extra help in the exams and behaves well but says she cannot learn in that class due to all the disruption.

We have Parents evening in a couple of hours and I'm currently trying to calm her down, she's so defeated and doesn't see the point in even trying as she's not going to pass and terrified she won't get into college.
I'm trying not to cry with her!

Any glimmer of hope anyone can give me?

Can you ask if she can be moved to a higher set for the remainder of the year? Explain that the disruption is affecting her emotionally, and that you're really worried about her.

I would be asking if she's entitled to any extra time in the exam due to her SEN.

She may need (or already be getting) targeted interventions. Do you know which questions she is finding particularly difficult?

Eight weeks is time to improve, depending on the problem, so try to improve her mindset with this, as lack of confidence really can really impact ability to learn.

Could she have someone scribe for her in the exam its self? Of the question is read to her, and she dictates the answers she might do better. My friend does this for GCSE exams.

I’m an English GCSE examiner. To get a 2 I imagine she just isn’t writing anything. If she writes something she will get marks. That’s especially true on the two Section B questions- a side and a half of writing should get a 4.

Does she understand the timings? How to accrue marks?

A good teacher/tutor really needs to work on exam technique. It can be done.

DD is in a similar boat. 50% of 16 year olds apparently don’t get the grade 4 which is insane for something that’s meant to be a school leaving standard.
I was told at her parents evening last night that the grade boundaries are really tight and there are specific things she can do to pick up more marks which she can focus on. In DDs case apparently higher level punctuation would be useful. Other classmates were being told that vocabulary is really important.
I would try and ask her teachers for really specific advice on where she can improve. And then just do loads of exam practice. As someone with an English degree and PhD, this exam is rubbish at assessing whether people can understand and communicate written English. Just treat it as a (stupid stressful) game.

She can have a scribe to write down her answers. Most schools arrange this for mocks and exams. Sounds like a lazy school. I’m sorry for your DD. She’s not getting the best that some state schools can offer.

What is she hoping to do at college and what does she need for English?
DD eventually did functional skills English out of college - do much more straightforward.

She needs to go through with someone where she isn't gaining marks.

Tbh punctuation only counts for a very small amount. I suggest you take a look at the mark schemes yourself

Just a heads up that Functional Skills English may suit her more. Many colleges offer this as an alternative and it is up to Level 2 (Grade 4 equivalent) which is perfectly acceptable for many (but not all) routes of progression. If she achieves a 3 at GCSE however, current funding rules mean she would have to continue re-sitting GCSE at college. Apprentices can still do FS though.
Those suggesting scribes, this is still subject to rigorous assessing criteria. They can’t just have them and op has already stated her dc doesn’t qualify.

You need an assessment for that, though usually the SENCO is qualified to do it. If she’s year 11 now she’s pushing it

Does she use YouTube? My 2 kids are dyslexic and both swore by https://youtube.com/@mreverythingenglish?si=OwmPmBX78JkCv-Nn and https://youtube.com/@mrsallesteachesenglish?si=9xhjT1tYcqGO3rKV
My son said he learnt pretty much everything via them.

You have absolutely no idea whether OP's DD qualifies for a scribe. The eligibility criteria are very tight indeed.

Which exam board is she doing? Tbh is she’s getting a 2 then she’s leaving most of it blank. There are tricks to help her though. I suggest you ask her tutor to only concentrate on timings and certain questions. I’d also speak to the school about the set situation.

This is a terrible thing to say but if she fails she's better to get a 2 than a 3. Then (if the rules are still the same) she can study for Functional skills level 2 in college and will probably pass it. It's equivalent to a GCSE. Students who get a 3 are forced to keep attempting the GCSE in college as a condition of funding their course. I had a child trapped in this bind.

Edit - the glimmer of hope is that if you have enough other GCSEs you can usually resit English or maths alongside the vocational course at College, this is quite common.

I will say that as an examiner and English teacher if she has a dyslexia dx, is achieving 2s in March of year 11, and does not qualify for any exam access arrangements at all then something does not compute.

Insist on seeing the script and get a photocopy for her tutor to go through with her. She can't have finished the paper.

I agree too. Sometimes just scraping a 3 might be worse than getting a 2.

Though it depends on the college as some will do FS level 1 and then GCSE so as not to need so many different classes.

Also of course, some colleges may require a grade 3 Eng Lang to do a Level 2 course.

All info on this page - www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding/2025-to-2026-academic-year-16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding

Extract:

Full-time students who have a GCSE grade 3 must study towards a maths and/or English GCSE, as these students are those closest to achieving a pass at GCSE.

Part-time students with a GCSE grade 3 can study towards any qualification approved to meet the condition of funding, as a stepping stone towards achieving a GCSE grade 9 to 4.

Students who have a GCSE grade 2 or below can study towards a pass in Functional Skills level 2 or they can still study towards a GCSE grade 9 to 4.

Why does she not meet criteria for adjustments like a scribe or laptop? It might be too late to apply now but if it has been her normal way of working in written tests and lessons it should apply.

Agreed, can you check out the college course and enquire whether they would take her? Also what support is there for students with dyslexia in the written assignments.? May help her to know there is a plan however things turn out.

To get a 2 she must be coming up quite short on some of the reading questions or her writing tasks are far too short/littered with errors. SPAG is about 20% for lang so she needs to be acing the reading sections on paper one and two for language to make up for the errors she will make in the writing sections because of the dyslexia.

What exam board is it? It sounds like she hasn’t got exam technique down yet, and anything else I would say would depend on whether it’s AQA or another board, for instance. A tutor who knows the exam spec well could make a difference, but make sure they do - I’ve had nightmares with students whose tutors assume they’re doing AQA when we don’t use that board.

It’s relatively straightforward to get a 4 in Lit - you have to know the plots and characters really well and practise the points you would make in response to character and theme questions (there are only so many they can feasibly ask). Even though colleges will tell you otherwise, and put their own criteria in place, in the eyes of the government regulations, officially you only need to pass Language OR Lit to avoid a resit.

Asking for a move to a higher set is not a bad idea, for the reasons you’ve given. It’s probably too late to do anything about access arrangements.

I have had one student go from a 2 to a 5 and a few go from a 2 to scraping a 4. They had to be drilled in exam technique and have the conventions of the forms (letter, speech, etc) locked in so that they didn’t drop easy marks.

Thanks for all responses.

Sorry I should have said she does have a laptop but is not entitled to a scribe or extra time.

Teacher tonight basically told her she's not trying. Kid had a bloody panic attack in the one of the exams because she didn't know what to do.

It's just so frustrating. She's in tears again.

Does she know what is needed for each question, even if she can't do it?
Eg
For question X find 3 uses if imagery and say why they are important. For question write 1 para of 4 sentences giving 2 points for with quotes, then 1 para against, then short para saying what she thinks.

If not then that could be a good first step.

Which exam board? I might be able to help

English language is eduquas and literature is aqa.

No she's no idea what to write, just told she's not trying.

I can help with the Lit, if you can send me a pm.

Try going through her exercise books, you may find she has been taught, but in a way that she doesn't realise.

If you can find guidance try to get it down for her on one revision card per question, for each paper. I had to do that for DD1 10 years ago. (Then I had to show her how to find the info needed but that's another story.)