Getting DS to stay on topic (English writing and comprehension)

[Sunnymeg]

YR7 DS (Aspergers) came home devastated yesterday. He got the results of his English end of year exam and they were very poor.
The teacher has sent the exam paper home with a note for us. They were given a paragraph as a start of a story and had to answer some questions and continue the story. The answers to the questions are correct but not given in great detail, but the continuation of the story goes off in a completely different direction. He was asked to write about a farm in the 1960's DS said a dinosaur skeleton was found on the farm and he then proceeded to write two pages about dinosaurs (his main interest). The writing is very good and his teacher has commented saying it is a pity that she can't give any marks as it is completely off the topic .

Has anyone had a similar problem with their child and how did you help them to understand that they have to keep on topic no matter how boring they think it is?

That's a great shame, and I sympathise. Speak to him about getting into the habit of stopping after every paragraph to check he is still on track.

Just out of interest, has she leveled the work at all?

All that was written on the answer paper was 38%. He is 6c for his end of year report. In her note accompanying the exam paper she says that the standard of writing is high, but is not on the given subject. She has crossed through everything he has written about dinosaurs apart from one line which mentions a tractor.

How odd to have a percentage, and bad form to cross through work. Is it an academy?

Yes it is, but so is every other school in a 10 mile radius of us