My Literature students are studying the short stories from the anthology Stories of Ourselves in CIE’s IGCSE Literature specification and I’ve been looking around the internet looking for anything helpful worth pointing them to. There was a disappointing lack of anything useful. It's almost all author biography and story synopsis masquerading as analysis and understanding.

This just encourages candidates to do the wrong thing in the exam: focus on the background and context of the writer and spend the bulk of the time available on a re-telling of the story.

The short story Tyres came up recently in a CIE Literature exam paper. The Examiner's Report says this:

• 'How does Thorpe make the ending of Tyres so sad? Few candidates scored highly on this question. In many cases, the response was essentially a narrative run through of the whole story, with the sadness left as self-evident. Candidates who focused on the end of the story tended to dwell on the effect of the accident on the rest of the narrator’s life, without much consideration of Cecile herself or the manner in which the accident is described. The wartime context was sometimes considered, although the unintended consequences of the narrator’s actions were seldom highlighted as a contributory factor to the overall effect.'

Writing about Literature in an exam context is meant to be, 'an informed personal response with close reference to the text'. Close reference means examining the narrative structure/language choice/characterisation etc in detail by exploring what the author actually writes. The informed personal response means that, yes, you have to understand the impact of the socio-historical context of story, but what is really required is YOUR personal reaction to what you are reading. Trust yourself to do this.

​First, think hard about the question, then plan your essay. Does your plan actually address the wording of the question? It sounds like few of last year's candidates did.

I attended some training on the updates to the JCQ regulations last week and the main change is that AAs must be applied for, by the centre, a whole month earlier than in previous years. This means that home educators need to contact a potential centre even earlier in the exam cycle that they have done in the past.

Last year, some home educating candidates were left having to struggle through their exams without appropriate Access Arrangements in place, because they had been assured by their centre that they could be arranged at the last minute. This is not actually possible, except in the case of a true emergency, and only then if the AAs are available to be used. A centre which has no more space, for example, can’t magic up another room, the day before the exam. So, if your child needs AAs, you need, as always, to plan well in advance.

This year, the JCQ representative emphasised the importance of the 'Five Conditions' being confirmed and signed by the centre SENCO, in addition to there being adequate primary evidence (report from qualified professional etc.). These are that the SENCO must:

1.     confirm that the candidate has persistent and significant difficulties when accessing and processing information and is disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010;
 
2.     include evidence of the candidate’s current difficulties and how they substantially impact on teaching and learning in the classroom;
 
3.     show the involvement of teaching staff in determining the need for 25% extra time;
 
4.     confirm that without the application of 25% extra time the candidate would be at a substantial disadvantage; (The candidate would be at a substantial disadvantage when compared with other, non-disabled candidates undertaking the assessment.)
 
5.     confirm that 25% extra time is the candidate’s normal way of working within the centre as a direct consequence of their disability.

Obviously, none of this was written with home educators in mind and those parents seeking AAs will need to contact the centre now (for next summer) and discuss with them how these conditions may be met in the home education context.

Because the SENCO is now the lead professional (as opposed to the Exams Officer, in the past) and s/he has to sign a statement confirming these conditions being met, some centres may run a mile from private (external) candidates requiring AAs. If you find a gem of a centre willing to work with your child's needs, do remember that they are under no obligation to do so and they are doing you a favour. Please treat them well, so that they will be happy to help other home educators in the future.

​The HE-Exams Yahoo Group is the best place to ask questions about exam-taking as a home educator:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/HE-Exams-GCSE-A_AS_Levels-OU-Others/info​

This is the second in a series of posts about applying for Access Arrangements in exams as a home educated candidate.

The process for applying for Access Arrangements can be thought of as in this timeline. It is possible that this entire process could take about a year:
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1. Teachers (parents, in this case, and any other tutors etc that the child comes into contact with during the course of their home education experience) find that they have to regularly adapt the way the child learns. For example, they allow more time than the task could normally be expected to take. The child may need someone to write his ideas for him because he is, despite appropriate instruction, unable to write legibly. The parent may suspect a significant learning difficulty or medical condition of some kind.
2. This ‘history of need’ prompts the parents to seek an assessment for exam access arrangements. If there is no ‘history of need’, the exam centre is unlikely to be able to justify the application for AAs and so may decide not even to assess. Evidence of this ‘history of need’ needs to be supplied to the exam centre. Evidence of a medical diagnosis, if there is one, preferably at consultant level, will be helpful at this point.
3. The Assessment for AAs must be conducted by a Specialist Assessor who is appointed by the exam centre, who works with them regularly and is known by them. The centre is not obliged to accept any assessment conducted by anyone with whom they do not work. The assessment must not be conducted before the child is in Year 9, or it will not be accepted.
4. If the assessment finds that the child has a long term disability with a ‘substantial adverse effect’, the Specialist Assessor may recommend specific AAs such as 25% extra time or a reader. If the centre is able to provide the candidate with these, they will then be applied for by the centre’s SENCO.
5. The application for the recommended AAs is made to the awarding body (exam board).
6. If these are approved, the exam centre informs the candidate.
7. Evidence of the history of need (including observations from any tutors), the report on the assessment by the Specialist Assessor, the approved application for AAs, a candidate’s signed Data Protection Notice are all kept on file at the centre for inspection by JCQ.

As we know, home educators have the advantage of being able to choose when they sit their exams, unlike their school educated peers. They can take them later than the traditional age of 15-16, or they can take them earlier.

Advice is often given that, because English and Maths are such vital subjects, they should be taken last of all, to ensure the best possible grade. Others advise that younger children are quite capable of getting top grades, if they are skilled in the subject and keen to sit the exam.

My own experience of helping home educated children prepare for the CIE English IGCSE is that some 13 year olds have done very well, attaining As and A*s, whilst others can really struggle to achieve a C at that age. This is an individual decision, but the following questions may help you to decide.

There are there are some key factors to take into account when making this decision about your child’s readiness.

How are your child’s skills? Are their writing and reading skills excellent? Good. They will need to be. If your child has a Specific Learning Difficulty, going for an exam early, even with Access Arrangements in place, may be very unwise.

How extensive is their vocabulary? Do they have the ability to express their ideas with a variety of appropriate and precisely selected words? If not, perhaps a delay of a year or two, whilst they work on widening their vocabulary may be helpful.

Can they read between the lines? Do they know the difference between literal meaning and implied meaning? If not, they won’t be able to achieve the best marks in a task testing comprehension of reading. If your child is a very literal, ‘black and white’ thinker, perhaps leaving the exam until later might benefit them, while they develop more linguistic experience.

How is their emotional maturity? Some of the extracts included in English exams expect a degree of maturity which your child may not yet have developed.

How experienced a reader and writer are they? Have they read plenty of good quality literature, especially classic fiction? If they are inexperienced readers or writers, their own writing may be too simplistic, cliché-ridden and unoriginal. This will impact their grade.
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Lastly, do they have sufficient life-experience to draw on? The English IGCSEs depend on this. They are written for students in Year 11 and are based on the assumption of certain life experiences common to that age group. One exam question set recently, for example, required students to describe the atmosphere in the crowd before a large sporting event or music concert. If your child has never attended either, they would need to try to imagine the details of such an event, which could compromise their ability to give a realistic account. The composition section of any English exam will have questions such as this, based on the same assumptions of common life-experiences.

Hopefully, considering these questions will help you to make a decision!

Papers 1 and 2 of the CIE English First Language IGCSE contain questions about how writers use effects. The most common problem in answering these questions is assuming that you are being asked to explain the meaning of a given word or phrase. You are not. Obviously, you will need to understand the words and what they mean, but the question goes deeper than that.

The word 'how' in the question is asking you about how language works.

It's also not enough to simply name the technique: metaphor, simile, personification etc Yes, you need to be able to identify those things because you are asked to include imagery in your answer to Paper 2 Question 2. Knowing what constitutes imagery is therefore vital.

However, the key to a good response is knowing how the image works and why the author chose it over another word or phrase.

Steps to a good answer:

1. Read the question carefully and make sure you follow instructions as to where the phrases must be selected from.
2. Make relevant selections of short phrases, some with striking imagery.
3. Try to explain why a particular word or phrase is being used in that context.

Don't waffle about how some phrase helps us to imagine something more clearly. Be clear and precise with your own language to explain exactly how the writer's choice of words work and the effect they have on the reader.

I have been developing new courses in English for 12-14 year olds and Humanities for 11-14 year olds, starting on 10th June 2016. They will be 90 minutes each, in Summertown, Oxford, on Fridays, and will be offered in 6 week blocks.

At the same time and in the same venue, Dawn Taylor will be offering Science KS3 courses. Together, we are calling this new venture Learning Curve.

Details to follow. Use the Contact Me form if you would like more information.

If your child has a disability such as Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD) or a Specific Learning Difficulty(SLD) such as Dyslexia, they may be entitled to what is known as Access Arrangements(AAs) during the exam.

The Equality Act 2010 requires exam boards to make reasonable adjustments where a candidate, who is disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010, would be at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to someone who is not disabled.

The idea is to level the playing field for the child with the disability.

Read all about what kinds of adjustments may be made, and in what circumstances, in the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations here:

How has it worked for home educated students in the past?

Up to quite recently, when a home educated student required AAs, they would approach a centre and ask if it accepted Private Candidates (PCs). If it did, the parent would inform the Examinations Officer (EO) at the centre of the need for AASs, and the EO would deal with the application process. Usually, the EO would ask for evidence of the need for the AA being asked for. If, for example, the parent was asking for a Reader for a child with Dyslexia, there would need to be a report from someone qualified to diagnose that condition. Sometimes, the school SENCO was happy to interview the child and conducted a reading test or something like that. Usually, that was all the EO needed and the candidate would be awarded the Reader on the strength of that report.

Recent changes

In the last couple of years, the JCQ regulations have been tightening up. Firstly, a requirement was introduced so that all such reports and assessments needed to have been conducted by someone who is either a currently registered Educational Pyschologist or a Specialist Assessor with a particular set of approved qualifications. Many schools, whose SENCOs had been doing all the assessing, found that they were no longer qualified to do so and schools found themselves needing to buy in such services until one of their own staff could become qualified in the Level 7 (Masters standard) qualification. Evidence of a ‘history of need’ for the AA was also required. This might have meant the parent submitting a piece of written work for the file which included the assessment report.

The Latest Changes

This academic year, further changes were brought in.

History of Need is the Primary Requirement

The exam centre is now required to start collecting evidence of the ‘history of need’ for the AA being applied for from very early on, from around year 9. If the student’s normal way of working, for example, is to be allowed extra time, consistently, to complete written assignments, this would obviously constitute proof of the need for the AA of extra time in the exam. The subject teacher would write a report to the SENCO to explain this. The ‘history of need within the centre’ is what will trigger a full assessment to be carried out by the Specialist Assessor and the report from that will contribute to (but is not guaranteed to unlock) the application for AAs.

SENCO is the Lead Professional

The other significant shift is the change from the Exams Officer taking the lead in application for AAs to it being the SENCOs responsibility, although the ultimate responsibility is with the Head of Centre (usually the head teacher).

Relationship with Specialist Assessor

Additionally, the centre now needs to have an ongoing professional relationship with the Specialist Assessor who does the assessment. If you have a report from an assessor who has recommended a particular AA, the centre may not accept it, because they do not know, and do not regularly work with, that assessor.

What does this mean now for home educated children?

Unfortunately, some exam centres may well be put off dealing with Private Candidates who need AAs. Anecdotal evidence seems to be that this is already starting to happen. The time and effort involved for already over-burdened SENCOs may just be too much.

The possibility is that fewer centres will want to deal with PCs at all. After all, it would be awkward for some EOs to accept non-disabled/autistic/dyslexic candidates but say no to disabled ones. Some Heads of Centre will not want to be thought of as being discriminatory, so they may well simply close their doors to PCs altogether.

What can parents do to make things easier for themselves?

1. You must make plans well in advance. A year before the expected exam sitting date is not too early. Contact the exam centre and ask if they would be able to accommodate a candidate with the specific need and AA you want and think your child is entitled to.
2. If your child has a medical report and diagnosis, or has already had an assessment with a Specialist Assessor, this will be helpful, so inform the centre of that. Ask if those reports will be accepted by the centre.
3. If they don’t have an assessment, ask the centre if they have the name of a Specialist Assessor with whom they already work.
4. Ask how you can fulfil the centre’s requirement to provide a ‘history of need’.
5. Be prepared to do whatever you are asked to do to provide that.
6. Be prompt in replying to emails, sending in evidence etc.
7. Always be polite to the person from the centre you are dealing with. Remember that they are essentially doing you a favour and are under no obligation to provide such a service.
8. Finally - Don’t leave the exam entry to the last minute. PLAN AHEAD!

NB, Cambridge Examinations International (CIE) board is not governed by the JCQ, although all other exam boards are. They have equally strict procedures for AAs, but are different in key areas.

I will be writing more on this subject in coming months.

When writing an essay in your Literature exam, you are writing under time constraints. Yes, write a brief plan to help your ideas flow and to get them organised into a logical order. Don’t make the plan too long though and then get straight into answering the question.

There will be no time for a lengthy general introduction. It won’t attract any marks, so there’s no point. You don’t need to give us lots of background about the plot either; just assume that your examiner has read the book/poem and seen the play.

Avoid waffling. Get straight to the point and make sure that you actually make a point in every precious sentence. Load your writing with lots of short quotes, but make sure that they back up the point you are trying to make and aren’t just randomly thrown in because you have learned them and want to use them somewhere.
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Keep answering the question. Keep re-reading the question to make sure that this is what you are doing. Stay on track right until the end. There is no need, and no marks, for a general, waffly, repetitive conclusion. Let every sentence count.

This may sound harsh but it is a lesson worth learning. You must plan your longer responses in the CIE English Language IGCSE exam, especially those in the Paper 3. A poorly structured response is inevitably the result of not taking the time to plan carefully what you are about to write.
 
Planning Directed Writing
If you make good use of your highlighter to identify the ideas from the passage in Question 1 that you want to use, that will go a long way to shaping the structure of your response. You need to develop each new idea in a new paragraph, sequencing your sentences within the paragraphs. This will make your argument logical.
 
Planning Descriptive Compositions
If you choose a descriptive essay for the second question, a spider diagram may well be the best way to plan, as you can include all the ideas you want to describe. Once the ideas are down on paper in the spider diagram, number them, so that the description flows smoothly through space or time, depending on which format you are using.
 
Planning Narrative Compositions
A narrative essay must be planned to the end, before you even write the first sentence. Too often, candidates will peter out or flounder around, searching for a suitable ending after writing a good story. Unfortunately, it’s too late to do a good job of the ending by then. Plan the final sentence before starting the first sentence. Plan to use an interesting or unusual narrative device, but make sure it is well constructed within the plan. This will help your writing be more purposeful and you can afford to be a little more free with your imagination, because you have an overall structure to work within, which will keep you on track to the end.
 
It always shows when a candidate fails to plan. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can get away without planning. It’s too much of a risk.