2014 Bucks exam

[southbucks3]

I sort of understand the theory behind the vocab section a, ie. The child either knows it or they don't, no working out, eliminating, straining the brain etc. This makes the synonym and antonym section tutor proof imo....but too hard for a 30% normal, local cohort that the 11+ should be selecting. The same concept vaguely applies to mental maths, which is also recall of number facts.
I will never understand speeding through comprehensions or long maths though. That just goes,against absolutely everything they have been taught and will be taught at secondary school.

[wucks]

I director understand the theory behind the vocab section a, ie. The child either knows it or they don't, no working out, eliminating, straining the brain etc. This makes the synonym and antonym section tutor proof imo....but too hard for a 30% normal, local cohort that the 11+ should be selecting. The same time vaguely applies to mental maths, which is also recall of number facts.
I will never understand speeding through comprehensions or long maths though. That just goes,against absolutely everything they have been taught and will be taught at secondary school.

Of course children can quickly eliminate words they know cannot be a synonym or antonym. This is the very technique a tutor will teach. Learning words will also increase vocabulary, so of course the section can be prepared and tutored for. Yes, the words are too hard if not well read and if one did not bother to increase vocab. The tests driver children to tuition. Philip Wayne has admitted there is no evidence the test is resistant to preparation or tuition. The "new" test has simply increased tuition for our wonderful Bucks children and made the tutors very happy.

[hasmum]

Hi,
My dd was ok, I thought she would be upset but said paper 1 was ok 2nd paper was harder. She thought it was slightly easier than the CGP papers....I got a bit worried as have heard so much it is hard and timing is strict....which she said was.

Out of all vocab learnt she said maybe 3 words she knew came up ...had to give it her best guess. We looked up the guesses after (well this insistent mother did ) .

On the whole all topic areas in 2nd paper were harder. The good thing was she finished and a few mins early .... Well will pray now till results day

Good Luck to all

[KenR]

Of course children can quickly eliminate words they know cannot be a synonym or antonym. This is the very technique a tutor will teach. Learning words will also increase vocabulary, so of course the section can be prepared and tutored for. Yes, the words are too hard if not well read and if one did not bother to increase vocab. The tests driver children to tuition. Philip Wayne has admitted there is no evidence the test is resistant to preparation or tuition. The "new" test has simply increased tuition for our wonderful Bucks children and made the tutors very happy.

The time is factor here - for Synonyms and Antonyms they can have as little as 7 secs to identify the correct answer(see Birmingham forum, historically sometimes 80 questions in 10 mins). The techniques used by tutors take very much longer to eliminate incorrect answers and arrive at an educated guess. Those that have excellent vocabulary will immediately know the correct answer. So the CEM rationale goes....

[southbucks3]

Of course children can quickly eliminate words they know cannot be a synonym or antonym. This is the very technique a tutor will teach. Learning words will also increase vocabulary, so of course the section can be prepared and tutored for. Yes, the words are too hard if not well read and if one did not bother to increase vocab. The tests driver children to tuition. Philip Wayne has admitted there is no evidence the test is resistant to preparation or tuition. The "new" test has simply increased tuition for our wonderful Bucks children and made the tutors very happy.

The time is factor here - for Synonyms and Antonyms they can have as little as 7 secs to identify the correct answer(see Birmingham forum, historically sometimes 80 questions in 10 mins). The techniques used by tutors take very much longer to eliminate incorrect answers and arrive at an educated guess. Those that have excellent vocabulary will immediately know the correct answer. So the CEM rationale goes....

Same in bucks Ken, excellent vocab that is not embedded deep in the old grey matter but easily recollected cannot be tutored in a year, it needs enthusiastic and fully comprehensive reading and talking throughout their short little lives. The techniques I taught both boys went out of the window both times. They are sponges at this age of course, but if you try and saturate a dry sponge quickly it leaks water out. Son number three got pursued and perused mixed up in conversation this week, it was a fairly hilarious indication to how easily they can still get in a pickle. (Apparently our cat was perusing a vole into the woods! )

[abc72]

Re-posting, as I can't find where my earlier one disappeared.

I have heard about '11+ tourism' or something where the bucks exams are taken with no intention of applying for one, but only as a practice for elsewhere.

With the new rule of address proof by October 1st and results out by October 17th, will these children's marks be excluded from standardisation? Would anyone know the impact of such tourists on our children?

If this has been discussed elsewhere, kindly point me to that and sorry

Thanks,

[Tolstoy]

Of course children can quickly eliminate words they know cannot be a synonym or antonym. This is the very technique a tutor will teach. Learning words will also increase vocabulary, so of course the section can be prepared and tutored for. Yes, the words are too hard if not well read and if one did not bother to increase vocab. The tests driver children to tuition. Philip Wayne has admitted there is no evidence the test is resistant to preparation or tuition. The "new" test has simply increased tuition for our wonderful Bucks children and made the tutors very happy.

The time is factor here - for Synonyms and Antonyms they can have as little as 7 secs to identify the correct answer(see Birmingham forum, historically sometimes 80 questions in 10 mins). The techniques used by tutors take very much longer to eliminate incorrect answers and arrive at an educated guess. Those that have excellent vocabulary will immediately know the correct answer. So the CEM rationale goes....

I disagree with this rational. A bright child will use elimination techniques without being taught by a tutor, it's the old adage ' use your commonsense'! tight timings rule out those DC. It plays right into the hands of tutors teaching DC vocab word lists, like that is a useful task for a 10 year old, reminds me of spelling test scenarios where children getting 10 out of 10 and then merrily spell many of those words incorrectly in their next piece of English written work.

If they want to work out whether a child is bright then they need to put difficult vocab in a contextual form i.e as part of the Comprehension and as SB3 points out give them time to read it properly and work it out. It is also an absolute minefield for bright children with dyslexia but then so is the whole UK education system in IMHO. The same goes for the maths. Problem solving type questions, which I am fully in support of as a form of testing children's intelligence, take longer to read and hence for slower readers regardless of their intelligence finishing the maths is impossible. Also the weighting given to NVR speaks volumes about the sort of children they want to succeed in the test. This is the one area dyslexic children can excel and many tutors/parents struggle to make a huge impact after the initial introduction to them.

The old VR allowed children to pass regardless of the standard of teaching that went on in their primary. Yes it could be tutored for but it was the sort of tutoring a bright DC could do by themselves with a couple of papers, I know I gave some to a DC who got herself a place at one of the Gloucs SS grammar schools.

[SIT]

Re-posting, as I can't find where my earlier one disappeared.

I have heard about '11+ tourism' or something where the bucks exams are taken with no intention of applying for one, but only as a practice for elsewhere.

With the new rule of address proof by October 1st and results out by October 17th, will these children's marks be excluded from standardisation? Would anyone know the impact of such tourists on our children?

If this has been discussed elsewhere, kindly point me to that and sorry

Thanks,

I agree that 11+ tourism is unethical, some tuition centres actually advocate going for a CEM exam as a "mock". Now because CEM do not release any past papers and the questions are supposed to be closely guarded shouldn't students be forbidden from taking too many CEM exams, exceptions are of course if you live on the bucks/berks border and need to take both (or are moving house etc)

Eg. Bucks students can take Warickshire CEM as a mock, the exam was set 1 week before Bucks, but if you look at the Warickshire registration form you have to show you live in the area and ask your head to sign the form, I feel this is sensible as it discourages 11 plus tourism.

[berks_mum]

Eg. Bucks students can take Warickshire CEM as a mock, the exam was set 1 week before Bucks, but if you look at the Warickshire registration form you have to show you live in the area and ask your head to sign the form, I feel this is sensible as it discourages 11 plus tourism.

In berks, girls appearing for Kendrick have to have their registration card stamped by current primary school. However, it is not clear if that will stop OOCs sitting Kendrick test/marks not passed for standardisation unless they check registration cards on the actual exam day and deny entry to OOC primary stamped card holders.

[Booklady]

No stamped cards needed in Slough though. You just tick the box to share with Kendrick. We are in catchment though - so I am not sure if they check that at some point.