11 Plus Exams Forum

One of my children (just 7) went for a trial day at an independent school recently. It include some tests one of which was the Suffolk reading test. She's never done that test before so I don't have results to compare it with. I was told that on the standardised results she came out exactly average for her age (standardised score of 100). I don't mind average, but I was a little surprised as there has never been any other literacy or reading related test where she has come out exactly average. It wasn't really the time or place to discuss it in detail, and I didn't get to see the questions she got wrong (it's a sentence completion test with multiple choice answers) but it has left me wondering a bit afterwards. As it's not my child's school I can't ask more about it, but does anyone have any thoughts about this test, or experience of it? I understood it to be a very good test so assume that it's results would be pretty reliable ......... wondering now about the 11plus!!!

Mystery.....not sure about the test but I'm sure someone can tell you about it, but just consider going to a new, strange school for the day and then given tests to boot...I'm sure if DD was given that test at her usual school or at home ( if you can pin her down ) then her score might have been very different.Just remember before you join us veterans in the old... 'they got one test wrong they must be dim' they stride ahead at different points and there's nothing that you have told us about DD to suggest she wouldn't be capable, is there ? Plus with you doing all you do ..you'll have no worries, I'm sure !

The primary school my DCs attend/have attended do the Suffolk reading test each year (I think). From memory, (but Google might serve you better than my memory ), it is a paper where the vocabulary gets harder as the paper goes on, and so most children would be expected to get the words from the early questions right, with them sort of dropping out as the difficulty increases (oh dear, the heat is addling my brain too). I think that this would mean that if your DC did not finish, for example if there was something interesting going on outside the window, they would not have the opportunity to get the marks on the more difficult questions. So they could end up with a lower mark than you might expect simply from not finishing. Unless of course there is no time limit, but I seem to remember one of mine not finishing. I'm sure someone far more knowledgable than me will be along soon, but I do like to contribute

I've just remembered that my DD made us all roar with laughter when she chose the word "enebriated" in error - I cant remember what the choices were but it made sense in the sentence, but not in the way they intended (something like "my mother was driving the car when she became inebriated")

Ha, LOL, so maybe my daughter gave some correct but undesirable answers too!!

Hi Mystery,

Just found this link:

http://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/educatio ... _scale.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Can't help thinking though, that, as our DC (mine also in year 2) have only really learned to read in the last 2 years, they are probably only just getting to the kind of vocab which would significantly increase their reading score.

Since March, I would say, my DS has begun reading books that would significantly improve his vocab, eg HPotter, a bit of Morpurgo (though a bit upsetting for him), Cressida Cowell etc. But before that, it was basic reading scheme/ corgi young readers etc (you know the sort of thing!), where the word "frightened" was the height of adjectival sophistication!

Thank you everyone. Good points re the vocab and strange surroundings etc. Yep I was wondering whether she had fallen short with understanding the vocab, reading the words accurately, or just not being bright enough or concentrate hard enough to pick enough correct answers to get a decent score. I can even imagine that she would be the kind of child to pick the right answer and then put her mark the wrong side of it - I got a quick sneak at it and I think the missing words were arranged horizontally and you had to put a mark in the box to the left of the correct answer - she would be pretty random about whether she put it on the left or right.
So maybe I'll just lull myself into a sense of false security and convince myself she's above average and nothing that a bit of flowery talking (a la Scarlett) won't put right.

There's nothing wrong with a bit of flowery talking.