Reading Helps In English GCSE

Why are teenagers not reading as much any more? Is this lack of reading now effecting GCSE English results?

In the day and age of iPhones and social media that we have today, as each year goes by, it seems as if less teenagers are taking time to put down their mobile phones and pick up a good old book - or kindle. The most they will take time to read is someone's status on Facebook,

In 2012, only 19% of 17 year olds admitted to reading at their leisure. Sit back in your chair, let out a deep breath and just think about that. In 1984, that was 31%. This is the result of the invention of the internet, mobile phones and social media. Moreover, only 1 in 4 children cannot read very well  by the time they leave primary school, which links to the fact that only 1 in 5 parents can find time to read to their children.

Every parent, no matter how busy you are should find the time to read to your child, even if its just a bedtime story at night.

Many teenagers don't read because they don't find it pleasurable. Reading should be an enjoyable experience whether you're reading 'We're going on a bear hunt' at age 5 or reading 'The Fault In Our Stars' at age 15.

Imagine a small young girl snuggled up in bed hanging over her Barbie book. Beside her, is her mother, with a cup of coffee on the side drawer and an arm around her daughter, smiling down at the girl's little blond head of hair. She asks the girl to tell the story herself from the pictures. In delight, the child eagerly creates her own story from picture to picture, using her own imagination. Although she cannot read words themselves yet, she has begun to immerse herself in stories and the unique communication that books give to her.

If children are not introduced to books from an early age, its unlikely they will suddenly start to read at 16. Furthermore, the more they read, the more they understand the language of the words- so to speak, "reading between the lines"- and become acquainted with new phrases and terms. Which will increase their knowledge.

Is it really a surprise that students that read get better results in English at GCSE then those that never, or rarely have? Increase reading in infants increases C to A* grades in teenagers.

So put down your Facebook and pick up a real piece of literature!