babychic

11+ exam

Have a question about your child's education? We have a range of teachers from Early Years right up to Secondary ready to help and offer advice.
Message
Author
Schmushe
Blissful
Posts: 9876
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:59 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#16 Unread post by Schmushe » Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:46 pm

Sorry shoebury isn't a grammar but they are split from main areas of the school for a majority of learning. They still follow the grammar based curriculum and expectations and still need a relevant pass mark to get into that section of the school.


sarahsquarepants
Teen
Teen
Posts: 373
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 6:01 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#17 Unread post by sarahsquarepants » Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:48 pm

No that's not quite how the scoring works, it's weird how they work it out - you think they would just add up the scores wouldn't you? They statistically standardise the scores instead of using raw scores. Different areas do it in different ways but it generally involves weighting for the the number of questions on each paper, the time given to complete the test and the age of the pupil. That's why a lot of scores have a decimail point in them.

Kathryn
Image

Essex Mums Book Challenge 8/25
Currently reading: A Storm of Swords, George R R Martin

sarahsquarepants
Teen
Teen
Posts: 373
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 6:01 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#18 Unread post by sarahsquarepants » Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:50 pm

I can give you some typical scores on the actual papers if you like Michelle? Without student's names/details of course.
Image

Essex Mums Book Challenge 8/25
Currently reading: A Storm of Swords, George R R Martin

Schmushe
Blissful
Posts: 9876
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:59 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#19 Unread post by Schmushe » Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:54 pm

sarahsquarepants wrote:I can give you some typical scores on the actual papers if you like Michelle? Without student's names/details of course.
Yes please. It's so confusing.
The tutor the school provided basically added them up and worked out the percentage. So he started off with 77% and now is at 92% For the 3 exams. He is a May birthday too so is the youngest out of the group taking it from our school.

sarahsquarepants
Teen
Teen
Posts: 373
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 6:01 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#20 Unread post by sarahsquarepants » Thu Sep 05, 2013 12:08 am

Just as an example:

English 22/50
Maths 29/40
V.R 58/80

Got through by about 3 points if I remember rightly, so if he is consistently scoring higher than this it's looking good. Have you been timing the papers? That seems to be the difficult thing for a lot of students. Just as a point of interest, the accepted scores over the last few years are much lower for Grammars in Southend than Chelmsford, which works in your favour.
Image

Essex Mums Book Challenge 8/25
Currently reading: A Storm of Swords, George R R Martin


sarahsquarepants
Teen
Teen
Posts: 373
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 6:01 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#21 Unread post by sarahsquarepants » Thu Sep 05, 2013 12:09 am

Some counties standardise for age as part of their process, however I don't believe Essex do. Hope the above info helps.
Image

Essex Mums Book Challenge 8/25
Currently reading: A Storm of Swords, George R R Martin

Schmushe
Blissful
Posts: 9876
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:59 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#22 Unread post by Schmushe » Thu Sep 05, 2013 12:14 am

His scores were a lot higher than those per paper.

Regarding timing - he uses the full time as we always encourage him to go back and check his work so that wouldn't make any difference.

User avatar
weezypops
Site Guru
Posts: 29404
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:16 am
Location: Westcliff on Sea
Contact:

Re: 11+ exam

#23 Unread post by weezypops » Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:37 am

So does it work in their favour if they finish earlier? I remember doing mine and we were given an hour but it really only took ten minutes to complete and check so I had 50 minutes sat in the head's office eating biscuits as I was the only one taking it. :lol:
Image
Image
Image
Image

Schmushe
Blissful
Posts: 9876
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:59 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#24 Unread post by Schmushe » Thu Sep 05, 2013 8:16 am

Yes time is taken into consideration and marked accordingly

The same with age. If 2 children took it on the same day. One 11 and one 10 and 9 months, technically the 11 year old is older therefore has had more 'life' than the other child so that's why most areas standardise it to make it fair.

rachel jane
Great-Grandparent
Great-Grandparent
Posts: 5609
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:53 pm
Location: Southchurch

Re: 11+ exam

#25 Unread post by rachel jane » Thu Sep 05, 2013 9:02 am

Cor just realised Connie will only be 10 years 2 months!!
Edies in the grammar bit of Shoebury.

Schmushe
Blissful
Posts: 9876
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:59 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#26 Unread post by Schmushe » Thu Sep 05, 2013 9:20 am

How is she finding it Rachel?

rachel jane
Great-Grandparent
Great-Grandparent
Posts: 5609
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:53 pm
Location: Southchurch

Re: 11+ exam

#27 Unread post by rachel jane » Thu Sep 05, 2013 9:26 am

Our school don't do anything till nearer the test. We had a meeting last year about it and to see if they were at the right level to go in for it and she is but don't know if that will change this year.
I'm against tutoring big style as I want her to pass because she can not because she's been trained to. I would hate her to go to a school and be the bottom of the class and struggle.
Our school just advise us to do papers with them but not overdo it and they have a summer school in August she will go to and they do a practise paper in the September before the real thing.

Schmushe
Blissful
Posts: 9876
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:59 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#28 Unread post by Schmushe » Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:34 pm

Yes that's what our school did. They did a few practice ones to get used to the style and exam in general and had a few papers over the hol to do. No I agree they shouldn't be tutored.

sarahsquarepants
Teen
Teen
Posts: 373
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 6:01 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#29 Unread post by sarahsquarepants » Thu Sep 05, 2013 3:24 pm

I have a bit of a strange approach to tutoring for 11+. I will offer tutoring for it I'm not completely against it. I feel students need to be 'taught to test' a bit because the way the test is done can be very unfamiliar to the way they work at school. Also a lot of students who come to me are very able but not used to being timed at all, can really through them. I am however very honest with parents. If I don't think a student can pass without extensive tutoring, I won't do it. It's just my personal opinion, but I would be concerned about putting a child through years of tutoring, or intensive tutoring who then didn't pass. It's hard enough for a lot of kids if they don't make the cut so to speak, but if the parents have paid for all that tutoring and they have worked hard it's easy for them to feel they have let people down. I would hate for Sarah to feel like that.

I have been contacted by both parents who wish their child to have several hours a week of tuition in preparation for the exam, and those with 4 or 5 year old children who want to start tuition with the sole purpose of getting them into grammar school. I have very politely turned down their requests.

I think it's important that they get used to the papers, I'm also happy to help if they have weak areas to brush up on but that's the sole aim of it for me. Some parents feel confident enough to get the practice papers and put the extra time in with their child themselves, others come to me. You would be surprised how many insanely pushy parents there are but there are also a lot that have the right idea about the whole thing. If they pass fantastic, if they don't it isn't the end of the world, and they tend to pass that ethos onto their kids. Luckily it is easy for me to tell which is which!
Image

Essex Mums Book Challenge 8/25
Currently reading: A Storm of Swords, George R R Martin

hannamarin
Newborn
Newborn
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 4:38 pm

Re: 11+ exam

#30 Unread post by hannamarin » Wed Sep 14, 2016 4:40 pm

my son is too small for such an exam, but http://getessayeditor.com/blog/grammar- ... s-and-cons has already prepared a piece of nformation about grammar schools!


Post Reply

Return to “Ask the Teacher”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests