GCSE

Case Study

STEM GCSE student: From Hating English to achieving a grade 9

Education Pathway:

  • Came to UK after studying in a primary school in Hong Kong

  • Studied in a state school in UK since year 7

Services joined at Reageant Academy UK:

  • GCSE Regular Lessons (English Language & English Literature)

Results:

  • Grade 9 for English Literature

  • Grade 6 for English Language

STEM student: From Hating English to achieving a grade 9

Student Name:

CK.L

From a Grade 4 to a Grade 9: A STEM Student’s English Success

CK.L. was a self-described “STEM student” who strongly disliked English. After moving to the UK from Hong Kong, he found the subject particularly challenging. His mother’s attempts to help with a local tutor led to frustration; there was no homework, no detailed feedback, and no improvement in his grades. Feeling stuck, he was introduced to Reagent Academy by his sister in April of Year 9, just one month before his crucial end-of-year English exams. He was working at a grade 4 in his essays and needed urgent, effective support.

A New, Strategic Approach to English

The students’ dedication continued throughout the summer as they worked with our tutors to pre-learn the A-Level content for their final year. As K.T. and L.F. set their sights on Physiotherapy and A.L. on Data Science, they transitioned to our University Admission Service. Our coaches guided them in crafting high-quality personal statements that effectively showcased their skills and ambitions. This expert preparation led to outstanding results: both K.T. and L.F. received a flawless 5 out of 5 interview offers from top physiotherapy programmes including KCL, while A.L. also secured offers for Data Science at leading universities like Bristol. To prepare for the final hurdle, K.T. and L.F. received intensive, one-to-one interview coaching, using real past questions from their target universities to build their confidence and polish their performance.Our tutors immediately introduced a new way of learning. CK.L. found our well-organised notes a refreshing change from the long, inefficient paragraphs he received at school. Crucially, we taught him a specific technique for analysing quotes: how to “elaborate it whilst linking the analysis back to the quote and also the rest of the story.” After just one month of intensive support for his English Language poetry analysis, his performance jumped from grade 4 to grade 7. This immediate success convinced him to continue his lessons throughout Years 10 and 11, working on texts like Macbeth and An Inspector Calls.

Achieving an Unexpected Triumph

Through two years of consistent hard work, CK.L.’s ability and confidence grew. He noted how his grades “suddenly jumped to a 7… and maintained since then.” His journey culminated in a stunning set of GCSE results: a strong Grade 6 in English Language and a truly exceptional Grade 9 in English Literature. For a student who loves the certainty of numbers and equations, this was a phenomenal achievement he was “over the moon” about. While he remains a STEM person at heart, CK.L. reflected that the analytical skills he learned have been invaluable, helping him to better understand people in real life. His story is a powerful testament to how our structured, expert support can help any student, even one who dislikes a subject, to unlock their potential and achieve outstanding results.

RA tutors had prepared lots of useful notes and the layout used is easy to remember unlike teachers in school does not organize the notes very well. For example, they use long paragraphs to write the contents needed to remember, which resulted in a less efficient and less effective way to complete revision. Additionally, school teachers do not teach how should I analyze the quotes effectively in order to get high marks. However, the RA tutors taught me to analyze one quote, and then elaborate it whilst linking the analysis back to the quote and also the rest of the story. This is one of the reasons why my grades jumped from a B to an A*. Plus, the tutors taught me to “explain” the quote with general knowledge for the examiner, which allows me to show the examiner that I understood the quote and get a high mark. Although I have received a big grade jump from a 4 to a 6 in English language and a 4 to a 9 in English literature, I still don’t really enjoy English because I am a STEM person and likes subject that are mathematics related. For example, I like subjects that uses equations and numbers to present the theories such as Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. However, English Lit and Lang has taught me to improve my analytical skills, especially on characters and also people I met in real life such as in school or in workplace. This allows me to be more sensitive and alert to one’s action to conclude what type of personality that person is like. Finally, a shout out to my tutors, they have helped me all the way from Year 9 all the way to Year 11, and my grades have suddenly jumped to a 7 from a 4 and it has maintained since then. One day, I wish we can meet in person and have lunch together XD. Before, I have started tutoring with RA, my analysis essay only received a Level 2 out of Level 5, which means that it is close to a 4 or a 5. For example, I had an end of year exam in Year 9 and it is an analysis of a random 5 seen poems (English Lang). Then, I have asked the 2 tutors to go through the poems with me with organized notes and very clear analysis. The result of the exam is a Level 4 out of Level 5, close to a 6 to a 7. Therefore, RA tutors have both supported me along the way and have assisted me when I faced difficulties, leading to the second reason why my grades jumped so much.
CK.L
Student
Scroll to Top