The reformed qualification from leading awarding body Pearson Edexcel, has been developed in close partnership with schools, language experts and multilinguists to reduce the continued decline in language uptake at GCSE and A level.

Paving the way for updates to Pearson’s language GCSEs in German and Spanish, the new French qualification (for first assessment in 2026), is specifically designed to be more inclusive and accessible to students, with real-world content that reflects and represents the diverse backgrounds, experiences and abilities of young learners today.

The student-centred specification will encourage all pupils to develop their language skills by combining clear, concise and straightforward assessments with engaging, meaningful and relatable content. Key features include:

● Engaging and inclusive contemporary topics that enable students to speak and write about the things that interest them including equality, physical and mental wellbeing, the environment, social media and gaming.
● Content and assessments based on familiar experiences or pre-known settings in the target language culture, with no expectation that students travel abroad for their holidays.
● Extending existing knowledge on familiar concepts i.e. friendships, food and drink, school, shopping, and relevant travel.
● Content and assessment that broadens cultural knowledge, with supporting images or glossing to ensure no barriers to shared understanding.

Ofqual’s approval follows the release of recent findings that show more than three-quarters (73%) of UK adults who speak just one language wish they could speak another, while more than half of monolinguists (54%) have faced difficulties in life as a result of not being able to do so. At the same time, almost half of all UK adults (45%) think it is more important to speak another language today than it was 20 years ago[1] and yet, the number of learners choosing to study a language at GCSE and A level continues to decline.

When respondents to this Pearson research were asked what would most encourage young people to study a language today, the top five responses were: showcasing the benefits to their future lives, making the subject more interesting, learning about different cultures and lifestyles as well as vocabulary, making content more relevant to young people’s lives and more accessible – all features of the new Edexcel French qualification.

Speaking about today’s announcement, Katy Lewis, Head of MFL at Pearson, said: “Ofqual’s approval of this new French GCSE marks a significant shift in language learning for students. We want to eradicate perceptions that learning languages is too hard or only for a certain type of student, and this inclusive, real-world set of language GCSEs can help us do just that.

“Having trialled our draft French, German and Spanish specifications with over 800 students of all abilities, across a wide range of schools, we believe that we have developed meaningful qualifications that are fit for the future. We are proud of the ethos behind the new GCSEs and we look forward to helping a new cohort of students connect, communicate and understand new cultures in our increasingly diverse world.”

Teachers reviewing the specification referred to the changes as “encouraging,” “considered and thoughtful” and a “great relief for both teachers and students” with hopes that as a result, they “should be able to increase the number of students taking languages at GCSE and beyond.”

For more information about the new language GCSE specifications, along with Pearson’s nationwide More than words campaign, visit go.pearson.com/MFLGCSE24

The research, which aims to examine the lack of female representation and voice in English Literature, found that An Inspector Calls and A Christmas Carol were the two most taught texts, which were studied at 80% and 72% respectively at GCSE level (Year 10 & 11). Both of which are in the top texts taught at KS3 meaning that many pupils are taught the same texts twice between Years 7 and 11. Data was collected from three out of four awarding bodies; Pearson Edexcel, the second largest awarding body, who stated they could not provide us with an analysis of their statistics by the gender of the author.

Within these texts the female characters are either victims or servants, which leaves little to offer in terms of representation of women. While these can lead to important discussions it would be more valuable to students to also have discussions around positive representations of women. Only ever having the opportunity to discuss women as victims of misogyny perpetuates a narrative of women as victims of a patriarchal society, reinforcing the notion of sexual inequality as an expected norm.

Of the female authored books on the approved text list, Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice were the most common inclusions, however both are the longest novels on the lists, 624 and 448 pages respectively. This makes it harder for teachers to justify their selection over the shorter male authored texts. The result is that female authored texts are not equally matched in terms of teachability and accessibility to the male authored choices, immediately putting them at a disadvantage.

While authorship is of importance there is also a large discrepancy between the number of female protagonists compared to that of male, and after all, it is the characters and not the authors that pupils will spend most time discussing in lessons. On the set lists 7 in 10 texts for both 19th Century novel and for Modern Prose and Drama have a male protagonist, showing a bias towards the teaching of texts with a male protagonist.

By only providing the option for pupils to engage with male perspectives on the world in the literature they read, not only do boys never learn to empathise with and appreciate the viewpoints and experiences of women, but they also get the clear message that women’s voices and perspectives are less important and less valid.

While work in recent years has been done to increase diversity, often this is implemented with a two birds one stone approach with new additions added to the approved text list by female authors of colour. While this is a great first step, it often involves swapping out less studied texts for new novels meaning few schools will be inclined to change the status quo. The message is clear; the supremacy of white male writing cannot be challenged. The core canon of white male authors is not being changed, and by combining gender and race, it disproportionately affects the representation of white female authors and male authors of colour, who have been all but erased from the modern prose and drama paper.

Rachel Fenn, Founding Member of ESIS & English teacher comments: “While these stats are shocking, they are hardly surprising. The traditional canon of English Literature has always valued the white male voice over others since its creation in the early twentieth century. However, for the next generation to grow up challenging a patriarchal view of the world, both boys and girls need to be exposed to strong and empowering representations of women, not the voiceless victims and servants we see repeatedly in the perennially popular texts taught in English lessons. We are what we read – is it any wonder how Andrew Tate has managed to infiltrate the schooling system and violence against women remains such an endemic problem in our society when our academic curriculum spins this narrative in every lesson?

While improving PSHE offered in schools is a step in the right direction to improve equality and address sexism, it fails to tackle the underlying systems which perpetuate the ideology that women are less than and their voices are not worth being heard. This is why ESIS is striving so hard to push examining bodies to ensure an equal balance of male and female authored texts and protagonists, and provide schools with meaningful practical support to help them change the texts they teach. We’ve had enough of virtue signalling and platitudes; we want action, and we want it now.’

You can read the research in full and explore ways to get involved on the End Sexism In Schools website: https://endsexisminschools.org.uk/

Nearly 180,000 18-year-old students in England have had their place at their first choice of university confirmed. This is the largest number ever on record for an examination year, a 20% increase on 2019, when exams were last sat.

Overall, 425,830 students of all ages and domiciles will be going onto university, including a record number of 18-year-olds from a disadvantaged background for an examination year. The gap between the most and least advantaged progressing to university has narrowed to a record low (from 2.29 in 2019 to 2.26 in 2022, and from 2.32 in 2021.)

The first cohort of T level students received their results today, with over 92% achieving a pass or above. Many have already secured their first job or an apprenticeship in areas like mechanics and digital product design, and 370 students, 71% of those who applied, have so far been placed onto a university course, demonstrating the flexibility and appeal of these courses.

This is the first year that students have taken summer exams since 2019. As part of the Ofqual transition period back to pre-pandemic grades, AS, A level and Vocational and Technical Qualification results received today will be higher than in 2019 in recognition of the disruption students experienced during their exam years.

Exams were taken with support and adaptions in place, including advance information of topics for A levels, and longer assessment windows for vocational and technical qualifications.

Grades will be lower than 2021 when exams did not go ahead and grades were determined by teachers, as schools and colleges remained closed to most pupils until March.

36% of entries for A levels are at grade A or above in the UK – up from 25% in 2019, and down from 45% in 2021, reflecting the target set out last autumn.

Statistics published today also show:

• 83% of entries for A levels are at grade C or above – up from 76% in 2019, and down from 89% in 2021, reflecting the target set out last autumn.
• The gap between the proportion of top grades (A*, A and above and B and above) in independent schools and academies in England has narrowed compared to 2021.
• 92.2% of T Level students in receipt of results this year achieved a Pass or above, with 31.9% achieving a Distinction and 2.7% a Distinction*.
• Over 240,000 certificates awarded to a wide range of students who have undertaken Level 3 vocational and technical qualifications used for progression in a similar way to A levels, with results broadly similar to previous years.
• 87.7% of undergraduates for this year at UK universities are from the UK compared to 12.3% of international students. This compares to 14.7% of international students in 2019.

Education Secretary James Cleverly said: “I want to congratulate students getting their results today and say a big thank you to the teachers who helped them get to this point. These students have experienced unprecedented disruption over the last couple of years, and such excellent results are a testament to their resilience and hard work.

“Our plan this year was to ensure that students could sit their exams for the first time since 2019, be graded fairly and move on to the next stage of their lives as we return to normality after the pandemic.

“We have now seen the largest number of students on record for an examination year – including a record 23,220 of disadvantaged 18-year-olds – going on to university, while many others will take their next steps in further training or the world of work.

“Regardless of what those next steps are, I wish all students the very best on this exciting new chapter in their lives.”

179,690 18-year-olds in England gained their first choice of university place, 21,670 their insurance. This compares to 149,670 getting their firm choice and 19,300 getting their insurance choice in 2019.

The Government has been working with the higher education sector to ensure that universities have been making offers that reflect the grades students have received today.

Universities have been encouraged to be flexible in their decision-making on admissions for students who narrowly miss their grades or terms of their offer and they have a wealth of experience supporting young people throughout the application process, including through the changing circumstances with recent results cycles.

Medicine and Dentistry are hugely competitive courses, and consistently have far more applicants than there are places available. Despite more cautious offer making this year so universities can avoid oversubscription, the government expects all places on these courses to be filled for 2022/23.

For those students going onto higher education in September from the lowest-income households, on top of the standard cost of living support package, the Government has continued to increase support for living costs on an annual basis. This means that these students now have access to the largest ever amounts in cash terms. The Government also asked the Office for Students to protect the £256 million available to support disadvantaged students and those in the need for the current financial year.

If students have not received the grades they were hoping for, a record number of places are available through UCAS, as well as a range of high quality vocational and technical options. Students can call the National Careers Service on 0371 468 0468 for advice on their next steps.

To help future students recover from the impact of the pandemic the Government has invested nearly £5 billion including £1.5 billion for the National Tutoring Programme. Over two million courses have now started through the National Tutoring Programme, including 1.8 million so far this academic year across an estimated 80% of schools.

The Department for Education and Ofqual will evaluate the arrangements this year, before finalising 2023 arrangements as early as possible in autumn. The intention is to return to the carefully designed and well-established pre-pandemic exam arrangements as quickly as possible, given they are the best and fairest way of assessing what students know and can do.

Analysis by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT found that entries in England to take Computer Science A level were up by nearly 18% on last year.

Though there are many routes to a tech career, BCS said the subject’s growing popularity was important to the pipeline of talent working in areas like digital health and climate change.

BCS’ study of Ofqual’s provisional data shows that 15,210 students are sitting Computer Science A Level in England this year, up from 12,930 in 2021. This rise of 17.6% is the largest increase of any A Level subject.

It is the highest number of entrants in England ever and a 57% increase over the last five years, BCS, the professional body for information technology, added.

Demand for computer science is rising across higher education too, with BCS’ analysis earlier this year showing applications to study computer science degrees also rising by 13% – the biggest increase of any UK university subject.

Dr Bill Mitchell OBE, Director of Policy at BCS, said: “An A-level in Computer Science helps to develop the thinking skills needed to solve the big challenges facing society, whether that’s in healthcare, climate change, or the digital divide.

“Thanks to initiatives like the National Centre for Computing Education, we’ve got the highest number ever of students ever taking A-level Computer Science, which is excellent for these students and excellent for the rest of us who’ll benefit when they take those advanced skills into their further education and their jobs.”

BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, is one of the three consortium partners which run the NCCE, alongside the Raspberry Pi Foundation and STEM Learning. The NCCE is funded by the Department for Education and delivers training and resources with the aim of enabling every child in every school in England to have a world-leading computing education.

Entries to GCSE Computing have also steadily increased over the last five years, showing a 9% increase over the last five years, with 79,135 students entering GCSE computing in 2022, up from 72,360 in 2018.

Following a public consultation, the Department for Education has confirmed changes to French, German and Spanish GCSEs, supported by a research review by Ofsted, to help students build confidence and excel in learning languages.

In the updated GCSEs, students will be assessed on the most common vocabulary used in conversations and writing, as well as grammar and pronunciation, increasing clarity for teachers and improving the practical benefits for students.

Research shows that a focus on these ‘building blocks’ enables students to more clearly see progress in their ability to understand and use the language, and in turn grow in confidence and motivation.

The changes aim to fulfil the government’s ambition for 90% of Year 10 pupils to study EBacc subjects for GCSE by September 2025. So far, over 95% of students have been entered for GCSE English, maths and science and over 80% in humanities subjects, and the government wants to increase the number of students studying language GCSEs too.

The consultation was based on recommendations from an expert panel chaired by Ian Bauckham and received 1,644 responses, with the majority from language teachers agreeing with the proposals. The plans for the new French, German and Spanish GCSEs reflect sector feedback, giving exam boards an additional year to develop them.

Schools Minister Robin Walker said: “Studying languages opens up a world of new, exciting opportunities for people and is hugely important for a modern global economy.

“That’s why we want more young people to take up modern language GCSEs, and these evidence-based changes aim to do just that – making these qualifications more well-rounded and accessible, and helping more young people to enjoy learning languages.”

The revised GCSEs will start to be taught in September 2024, with first exams being held in 2026. The changes to the language GCSEs include:

• Students will be assessed on the basis of 1,200 ‘word families’ at foundation tier GCSE and 1,700 ‘word families’ in higher tier GCSE
• An example of a word family could be ‘manage’, ‘managed’ and ‘manages’. Exam boards will select topics and themes to inform the selection of key vocabulary, as opposed being prescribed in the subject content
• At least 85 per cent of the ‘word families’ will be selected from the 2,000 most frequently occurring words in a language to make sure students have a good knowledge of the most common words

Ofqual has also confirmed the assessment approach today, following a public consultation, which sets out the revised assessment objectives and confirms that the current use of tiered assessments and non-exam assessment (NEA) will continue. Ofqual will now conduct a public technical consultation on the details of assessment requirements and then exam boards will develop GCSE specifications, ready to be taught from September 2024.

The newly accredited Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) English Language 2.0 qualification, which will be available for teaching at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year, provides students with a strong foundation for further academic or vocational pathways through real-world, applicable content.

Based on feedback from teachers, the new, one-year specification supports students following a less traditionally literary pathway through their English studies or educators looking for a fresh, new English Language course to motivate those required to re-sit.

With an innovative approach to the 19th century text requirement that sees 19th-century, non-fiction newspaper articles and instructional pieces of writing used rather than 19th century fiction, the qualification uses texts with relatable, modern themes and focuses on real-world applicable writing tasks such as letters of application.

Speaking about the new qualification, Katy Lewis, Head of English and Drama (pictured), said: “Every year 750,000 people take their English GCSE. In consulting with the English teaching community last year, we recognised that a one-size fits all approach to English Language doesn’t equally suit the needs, interests and progression of all learners.

“We wanted to develop a qualification that was equal but different to the English Language GCSEs that are currently available to learners across the UK, whilst motivating and engaging students to equip themselves with life-long skills.”

Requiring no co-teaching of literature, the functional qualification is designed to reinvigorate English language learning and pave the way for exam success whilst exposing learners to a broad range of diverse and inclusive texts.

As part of the organisation’s work with the Lit in Colour programme, Penguin Random House UK will also be providing schools and settings taking the new specification with access to a bespoke anthology of texts by contemporary writers and writers of colour.

The specification has been described as a “positive move” by teachers involved in its development, which allows students to truly engage and showcase their knowledge, providing them with “a better chance of success because the qualification meets their needs.”

Ruth Rhoden-Farmer, GCSE and FS English Lecturer at Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, said: “The new GCSE format and resources will give each student the opportunity to explore visually engaging texts, engage with the English Language heritage, and apply the techniques they have discovered in their own writing.”

Pearson will be providing schools and settings with specification and sample assessment materials, mapping documents, schemes of work and one-year planners, a comprehensive programme of online training and network events and one-to-one support from an English specialist to support them in delivering the qualification with confidence.

To find out more about the new Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) English Language 2.0 qualification, please visit quals.pearson.com/Lift

As well as facing almost a year of disruption to their studies as a consequence of the initial closure of schools and more recently whole year groups being placed into isolation, they also face continuing uncertainty around the forthcoming A-level cycle.

In order to support sixth-form students due to sit their exams in the UK next summer and help ensure they are not disadvantaged compared with those who sat their exams before Covid as well as future cohorts, the University of Birmingham has announced that it will be introducing additional flexibility around its admissions approach this year. This will involve reducing the entry requirements across the majority of its undergraduate degree programmes by one grade.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, Professor Sir David Eastwood said: “We recognise the need to adapt our admissions approach for this year given the extraordinary disruption affecting these students and their schools and the fact that many are likely to experience more than a year of interrupted learning by the time they sit their exams next summer.

“We have considered what we can do as a University to recognise and reward potential, mitigate some of the educational challenges as result of Covid, and reduce some of the pressure on students and teachers at this challenging time. Providing greater flexibility in our admissions for 2021 entry is one such area. Reducing the entry requirements for almost all of our programmes by one grade will, we hope, alleviate some of the anxieties and ensure that anyone who chooses to apply to study at the University of Birmingham is given the best opportunity to succeed in that ambition.”

The headline adjustment to entry grades will be applied across the majority of programmes. It will also be applied to any widening participation applicants at the University of Birmingham such as through the Pathways to Birmingham programme or contextual offer-making. In implementing this change the University also recognises the wider need to review university admissions nationally in order to develop a more effective admissions system that puts the needs of students front and centre.

The programmes that are not included are Medicine, Dentistry and Dental Hygiene, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Social Work, where there is external regulation, as well as the University’s Foundation Year and degree apprenticeship programmes.

As it now stands, the dates student will receive their grades are those which were in place before GCSEs and A-levels were cancelled for 2020. Back in March, when the exams were cancelled, the government had stated that students would receive their grades sometime before the end of July, raising concerns among practitioners that the proposed replacement system would not be able to deliver grades in the timescale.

It now appears that saner council has prevailed, with the switch to the original dates being broadly welcomed.

Citizenship

The US Constitution is meant to enforce the natural rights of all U.S. citizens, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or other characteristics. A first-year political science course would introduce students to these and other concepts. The essential values of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness were first codified into the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the Bill of Rights expanded on these concepts.

At the federal level, the United States is a Democratic Republic, where citizens elect representatives who make decisions for them. Every citizen is not only free to take part in elections, but it is also in his or her best interest to do so from an informed position. This may be especially true for immigrants who may have come from more authoritarian homelands.

Civics and civic education

‘Civics’ comes from the French word ‘civique’ which means ‘citizen.’ Essential components of a curriculum in civics include a number of best-practices, often referred to as the Six Proven Practices for Effective Civic Learning framework. These include:

1. Provide instruction in government, history, law, and democracy
2. Incorporate discussion of current local, national, and international issues and events in the classroom, particularly those that young people view as important to their lives
3. Design and implement programs that provide students with opportunities to apply what they learn through performing community service that is linked to the formal curriculum and classroom instruction.
4. Offer extracurricular activities that provide opportunities for young people to get involved in their schools or communities
5. Encourage student participation in school governance.
6. Encourage students’ participation in simulations of democratic processes and procedures.

Whereas some people believe that values, social justice, and democracy are at their best when they are learned actively through experience, it’s commonly believed that schools must be able to encourage ethical behavior and personal responsibility consisting of the freedom of choice and action, and consequently bearing the results of one’s action. Civic education empowers citizens to be well-informed, active and conscious about their rights and duties. Often, the goal of such courses in civics is to empower students to feel responsible for shaping the world around them.

Democracy

Democracy is a political system that is based on participation in group decision-making. The United States is not actually a democracy at the federal level. In the case of the President, representatives are elected in every state, and the Electoral College determines the outcome, rather than the national popular vote. Civic education equips people with the knowledge to understand the basics of the electoral process. People learn how to protect and support this system of governance and its constant implementation.

Civic education is also used to teach people the most important aspects of the US Constitution. Such an education generally begins with the Bill of Rights but may extend into other areas of the Constitution. The Preamble establishes the purpose of the Constitution, with no force in law. Other sections of the Constitution go on to describe the three branches of government: the Legislative branch, the Judicial branch, and the Executive branch.

Rights and duties of US citizens

All citizens should be aware of their civil rights,so as not to be deprived of their freedom. Among these rights are free expression and a right to a prompt, fair trial by jury. Citizens may vote in elections for public officials, to apply for federal employment requiring U.S. citizenship, and to run for elected office.

As well as rights, every citizen has his/her duties. They are commonly also referred to as responsibilities or obligations. Among the most crucial is a duty to support and defend the Constitution, to participate in the voting process, to stay informed of the issues affecting one’s community and to participate in it, and to respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others. Moreover, every citizen is obliged to obey federal, state, and local laws, which includes taxation, and serving on a jury when called upon.

The Importance of an Education in Civics and Political Science

Civics knowledge is used to better every citizen’s life. It’s an essential component of political science, which is applicable to practice. Interest in Civics arises as an urge to keep the US a free and prosperous nation. In 2020, there will be a battle of ideas to determine the direction of the United States over the next four years. While politicians call every election “the most important election in history,” it may actually be true this time around.

Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GPS)

1. Forgetting capital letters and punctuation

It is incredibly common for pupils to forget capital letters and punctuation. Most teachers will have reminded children about capital letters and punctuation until they are blue in the face, but many are tempted to be kinder than the examiners will be and allow the mark in practice tests. Children are more likely to learn from their mistakes, so my recommendation is to be harsh and mark any such mistake as incorrect. Let your students run through a few of our practice SATs Question Sets at https://www.lbq.org/search/english/assessment. If they make a mistake, the system will automatically let them know where they have gone wrong and give them the opportunity to try again.

2. ‘ly’ adverbs

Many Year 6 students believe that all adverbs end in ‘ly’, or that all words that end in ‘ly’ are adverbs. In the 2018 SATs paper, pupils were tested specifically on this understanding. To provide examples of adverbs that don’t end in ‘ly’ and a more basic understanding of adverbs, our Question Set, Using and Identifying Adverbs, https://www.lbq.org/Questions/UserQuestionSetPreview/Identifying-and-Using-Adverbs is perfect. The Question Set https://www.lbq.org/Questions/UserQuestionSetPreview/Express-Time-Place-and-Cause-using-Conjunctions-Adverbs-and-Prepositions, will address this common mistake more deeply.

3. Only ticking one

While the test papers are designed to assess a student’s knowledge of GPS, it is heartbreakingly common for pupils to trip up, simply because of their reading skills. Students commonly miss vital instructions in a question such as ‘tick two’. By giving your students sample questions from our GPS Question Sets they will develop the necessary experience.

4. Not reading all the options

Another example of when a student’s reading skills can let them down is when they decide on an answer before reading all possibilities. It is important to teach them the importance of slowing down. Our SATs Practise Question Sets are designed to have the look and feel of the actual papers whilst providing feedback and a second attempt.

5. Incorrectly punctuating speech

Punctuating speech is a particularly hard skill for children (and even adults) to learn. If this is an area of weakness in your class, use LbQ’s https://www.lbq.org/Questions/UserQuestionSetPreview/Using-Inverted-Commas-to-Show-Direct-Speech to address all the common misconceptions and highlight exactly where gaps need filling.

6. Incorrectly formed capital letters

It may seem petty but if a capital letter is not clearly written, a pupil can lose marks. This is also the case for punctuation included in sentences not correctly formed. Right-leaning commas caused quite a stir in 2017 when children were denied marks for semicolons that failed to meet strict official standards. News earlier this year suggested that markers will be more lenient with punctuation in 2019, but capital letters could still catch out students who don’t clearly accentuate the characteristics of capital letters.

Reading

1. Timing

Managing the allotted time on any exam paper is always a challenge but particularly on the reading paper. It is only by ensuring that children build-up their reading stamina and fluency that they will secure a good pass mark. Our longer reading Question Sets Mission to Mars (https://www.lbq.org/Questions/UserQuestionSetPreview/Guided-Read-Science-Fiction-Mission-to-Mars) and Danger from the Nile (https://www.lbq.org/Questions/UserQuestionSetPreview/Guided-Read-Historical-Fiction-Danger-from-the-Nile) help build stamina to allow children to maximise their marks. Try creating your own ‘reading papers’ on any specific topic by using Learning by Questions’ question collection feature at https://www.lbq.org/HelpVideos. Simply select the relevant topic area and the Question Sets you want to take from and add questions from the list provided.

2. Not using the text to answer questions

Scanning and skimming, are important skills to locate relevant sections of text. Children often lose marks if they find and then copy partial phrases or include slight variations from the actual text; for example, writing ‘babies’ instead of ‘young’. All of our ‘Short Reads’ retrieval sets have been designed to include opportunities for children to find and copy particular phrases. For example in Ancient Egyptian Inventions (https://www.lbq.org/Questions/UserQuestionSetPreview/Short-Reads-Non-fiction-Ancient-Egyptian-Inventions-2-Retrieval).

3. Not reading the question!

Not reading the question is an ironic yet very common issue for the reading paper. Due to the time pressure, children often skim-read questions and miss key instructional words such as ‘not’; for example, answering ‘what Bob did’ rather than what he ‘did not do’. Our Question Sets provide many of these types of questions, for example, in Is There Life on Other Planets? (https://www.lbq.org/Questions/UserQuestionSetPreview/Short-Reads-Non-fiction-Is-There-Life-on-Other-Planets-2-Retrieval)

4. Not giving enough evidence or repeating points in extended answers

Using direct quotes from the text is a skill that can help children use precise evidence to support their answers. All of our ‘Short Reads’ Question Sets (https://www.lbq.org/search/english/reading?years=3,4,5,6) give children opportunities to develop this skill, providing model answers so that children can instantly self-check their own extended answers

5. Being confident to express their own opinions

When children encounter a ‘Why do you think…?’ type question, they often lack the confidence to put forward their own viewpoint. Looking at the mark schemes so that children can see there are often several plausible answers, can help them develop this skill.

6. Inference

Even though children naturally use inference skills in everyday life, when it comes to inferring from texts, they often struggle to pick up the maximum number of points. Inference usually accounts for as many marks as retrieval questions (if not more), so mastering this skill is a priority. Our ‘Short Reads’ Question Sets include dedicated inference question sets.

Maths

1.    Just add zero

Believing that you just add a zero to turn 10 into 100 is a common mistake! Children need to have a secure understanding of place value to be able to multiply or divide by 10, 100 and 1,000. Get them to try our Question Set, Multiply and Divide Whole Numbers by 10, 100 and 1,000, to see where they are struggling and help them to develop their understanding.

2.    Column subtraction

Column subtraction brings another minefield of misconceptions! Errors commonly occur when there are place-holding zeros in the larger number. Children often take the exchanged digit ‘1’ straight to the column they are working on, missing out the interim exchanges. Our Question Set, Subtract Numbers up to 3 Digits using the Column Method, will help to address these issues.

3.    ‘How many more…’ and ‘Find the difference…’ questions

Children commonly struggle to recognise these questions as requiring subtraction. Bar models are particularly useful at visually demonstrating this. If you would like questions to practice this, students can work on: Subtract Numbers Mentally.

4.    Unfamiliar representations of fractions

Many children can show ¾ when considered in the context of simple shapes such as three quarters of the cake, but with unfamiliar shapes they will often attempt to draw horizontal or vertical lines or just shade in three parts of whatever shape they are presented with. Children need to securely understand the concept of the denominator representing ‘equal parts’ to be able to apply their knowledge. Try these this Question Set: Recognise, Find and Write Fractions of a Set of Objects, which helps children to understand fractions in a range of contexts.

5.    Confusion with carried digits

When performing written calculations, children may reverse or not add carried digits, so if the ones column totals 37 they carry the seven instead of the three. Here are a few questions that will help to consolidate their understanding: Add Numbers up to 3 Digits using the Column Method.

6.    Pie charts

Pie charts always present a challenge because of the lack of numeric scales. Children need to recognise that the circle represents a whole set of data. Our Question Set, Interpret Pie Charts and Line Graphs, will help develop this understanding.

7.    Adding fractions

Another classic area where children make the most mistakes is with adding fractions; they commonly add the numerators and denominators. This misconception is challenged in all of our adding fractions sets such as Add and Subtract Fractions with the Same Denominator.

8.    Converting units of measure

This is a problem because some children don’t know, for example, how many millimetres there are in a centimetre. Try these questions to consolidate their learning: Convert Between Different Units of Measure.

9.    Pictograms

Pictogram questions are often a favourite because they are perceived as ‘easier’. However, many come unstuck because they may not be able to correctly interpret the value of one symbol. Our Question Set, Interpret and Present Data using Pictograms, gives children the feedback and opportunities to avoid this common error.

10. Shape Struggles

A great example of this is the rotated square. Even though it is exactly the same shape with four right angles, children often see it as a kite rather than a square. Feel free to use some of our Question Sets, Compare and Classify Geometric Shapes  and Practise 2D Shapes to explore this misconception.

If you would like access to all the Question Sets mentioned in this article, and over 1,000 other Question Sets covering curriculum aligned topics in maths, science and English, register for a free account today.