Hi Reader

As we draw ever closer to the GCSE and iGCSE English exams, the importance of exam technique grows. Sometimes it's not the lack of knowledge that prevents your teen from getting the highest grades, but just a lack of understanding of how best to satisfy assessment criteria.

I've put together a list of 5 common pitfalls for your teen to avoid, so they can be sure that it isn't a poor exam technique that is letting them down.

1 Dropping simple marks

The first questions on the language papers tend to concentrate on simple, explicit information finding. But the questions need to be read carefully to ensure the student is supplying relevant and precise answers. True or false statements often include words which can catch a student out - they are paraphrased in the text, so detailed reading needs to be done.

2 Forgetting to annotate a text

It's vital for your teen to make notes on the text as they read it. This is particularly the case when there are two texts to compare. Your teen has to keep track of the author's tone, techniques and perspective, as well as straightforward facts. It's not possible for them to hold everything in their heads, and inefficient to try to do so, because they will just end up re-reading the text multiple times.

3 Neglecting to plan

In the literature and language papers (creative writing) planning is vital. Many questions require critical thinking, which cannot be done 'off the cuff'. For example, if your teen gets a question such as 'To what extent is Lady Macbeth a powerful woman', they are required to develop a stance, rather than just regurgitate everything they know about the character. The examiner's reports state that the most cogent, persuasive answers are those that start with a clear stance and an overview of the supporting evidence. This needs to be thought through and noted down before the student begins to write.

4 Technique spotting

You may have heard your teen bemoaning the fact that they need to learn the names of authorial techniques, but once they have got the hang of hypophora and hyperbole, they can become overzealous, identifying everything in a text. This provokes a 'so what?' response in an examiner. The point is, ultimately, to explore the effect that particular techniques are trying to achieve - so a candidate's focus should always be on the author's purpose.

5 Omitting quotations

There's two reasons for this. Either a student hasn't managed to commit quotations to memory when revising for the literature exam, or they don't think they need to use them in their answer. The latter often is the case when students are writing about structure. This is particularly frustrating because the quotations are in front of them in the text. Generally speaking, quotations are always needed in a reading paper.

6 Not supplying what the question requires

In Cambridge iGCSE English language paper, the student needs to respond to a reading text in the form of a letter, an article, a speech or an interview. The idea is that they use details from the source texts, make inferences and adopt the required persona. They need to stick closely to the text, rather than be hugely creative, as this is a reading skill which is being tested. Equally, in certain language papers, (e.g. Language Paper 2 Question 2, AQA) what is needed are summarising and inferencing skills, but no language analysis. Sometimes requirements of questions are not transparent from the wording of the question. This is where a tutor's guidance and plenty of supported timed exam practice is key, and this is why, in my new Year 11 group lesson, I offer to set and mark timed GCSE English exam papers, along with teaching strategies to tackle each exam question.

Gear Up for GCSE English: Master Exams and Essays

This group lesson, with just FOUR students is going to be super-focused on helping your child to approach GCSE English Language and Literature with confidence. It will offer:

• Strategies to tackle each exam question as efficiently and successfully as possible.
• Clear explanations of what each paper requires
• Mock exam walk throughs
• Intensive essay writing preparation on key texts

It is tailored to students studying under the AQA or Edexcel exam boards, all of whom will be studying the same texts: Macbeth, An Inspector Calls, Jekyll and Hyde and /or A Christmas Carol...not forgetting, also, The Power and Conflict poetry.

The cost of each lesson will be just £35.00 per student, per week.

But, because I know that students don't get enough opportunity for timed exam practice in schools, or enough feedback, I am also offering:

Timed GCSE English exam paper questions, set and marked every two weeks.

Detailed exam feedback can be transformational. If your child acts on it, it can make the difference between one grade and the next. If you'd like to take advantage of this offer, the cost of each lesson will be £50.00.

If you'd like to enrol your year 11 child into my Gear up for GCSE group lessons in January, just get in touch. Please note, it will be on a Wednesday evening at 8pm.​

But don't wait too long. There are only THREE spaces left, and when they are gone, I am completely full for 2025.

All the very best,

Verity

Looking forward to hearing from you,

All the best,

Verity