English Language Post continued!

Following on from the initial English Language post I feel I should clarify a couple of points, as well as add some extra information in regards to the CIE course.

From a personal point of view we were (and are) very happy with the CIE board. They are renowned, apparently, for enjoying original  and unique exam papers and a student's personal points of view which is quite a rarity.

They don't seem to have anything too risque in their syllabus and the content is modern but not trashy. Having read through  many past exam papers I have not yet to date found anything I would consider immoral.

Regarding the Catherine Mooney courses. I am not endorsing them here as I have no experience of them personally. However many home educators have used Catherine's two courses and she has a very high pass rate and is supportive.

When I said English Language is usually the 'first port of call',  that is to say most people regard English and Mathematics as the 'essentials' and will opt for these exams first so the child has some form of qualification.

What I did not mean to insinuate is that English is an 'easy' option and that all home educated children should choose this first. (Just in case any one thought this was being proclaimed!).

English, like all subjects, can be extremely challenging to some children. Many children despise writing or may have significant trouble with it and will prefer subjects like Mathematics or the sciences. If this is the case then it would be wise to take English at a later date and concentrate on the subjects the child enjoys more.  Others have a natural inclination to write; enjoying creative writing stories and poetry composition from a very young age. These children will, naturally, have less trouble with the IGCSE when they come to take it.

Our son Ben who has already taken the CIE IGCSE English Language at 14yrs just loves English. As it is his strongest subject and something he enjoys for 'pleasure' we felt he was able to take the exam early and first. Of course had he not been keen, or an avid writer, I would have held back  as I do believe English Language requires a maturity on behalf of the student. This applies to English Literature even more. (A post on this will follow but many HErs take the Literature exam later as the child will need to write essays {three if doing the CIE board} and have an understanding of how to answer an essay style question.)

In Ben's case he took the Literature this summer at 15yrs and felt he was better equipped to answer these style questions than he would have been the year previously.

A very helpful and informative yahoo group which many Catholic Home Educators are on (but it is secular ) is ;

HE-Exams-GCSE-A_AS_Levels-OU-Others-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

I am sorry this address has only appeared now- I am still working out how to add links, answer comments and post information ! Please bear with me as I learn the art of blogging and keep sending in comments and advice! Thank you so much for all the kind support shown already, and God Bless!

English Language

English Language is a sensible starting point for the IGCSEs as one usually needs this qualification when seeking employment and not just to enter Further education.

The IGCSE qualification is again superior to the GCSE and many home educators opt for this as there is no coursework required and is exam based only. This does mean though that it all depends upon those two exams!

English Language has undoubtedly been demeaned over the past years in England. It is alarming how little grammar children are taught in school (if any formal grammar nowadays) and there is little requirement for grammatical knowledge in the exam although well written, grammatically correct work will be acclaimed.

Many Catholics will teach their children Latin which will help them immensely with their English. In past ages English was taught via Latin and the grammar and form the pupil received was of a much superior quality. Research shows clearly that children with a knowledge of Latin will be better spellers, be more grammatically competent and hold a wider range of vocabulary. As one of my children proclaimed the other day, Latin is the spine to the English language!
Sadly gone are the days when schools teach English through Latin so the advantage to having this will be significant.

The C.I.E board offers English Language IGCSE ;

http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/academic/middlesec/igcse/subject?assdef_id=852

The board is quite helpful with appropriate books to use;

http://www.collinseducation.com/TitlesListing/pages/productshow.aspx?Level1=Secondary&ProductId=65128

We used this board for my son's English Language IGCSE last year. We did not find anything morally objectionable with the materials either which was pleasing. The pieces of work they use are not highly literary but they are acceptable and the student is marked on their writing skills, form, analytical skills and creative writing ability.

Another board, Edexcel, also offer the IGCSE;

http://www.edexcel.com/quals/igcse/igcse09/eng/eng-langa/Pages/default.aspx

This is similar to CIE however there is a poetry component in it too.

Both these boards offer the extended or core options. Extended is harder and one can gain between an A*-E grades and core allows the student to attain a C and below grades.

A Home educating Mother, Catherine Mooney, runs a tutoring course for both English Language and Literature. These have proved very popular to some home educators and she will mark assignments and offer alot of support. It is ideal for a child who is less confident with English although it costs around £200 per subject.

http://www.catherinemooneytutoring.co.uk/

Other long distance sites like- http://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/subject/english-igcse-course/ also offer varied subjects in IGCSE level but having no experience of them I cannot expand.

Please do write in with any experience you have with English GCSE or IGCSE exams from home.