11 Plus Exams Forum

With 22 days to go until the first 11+ in Bucks, I have list of words (surprise, suprise!) that my DD either didn't know or used in the wrong context (same thing really ) and thought may be we could start a mishap list which we can all run through with our respective children so they don't fall into the same trap.

She didn't get

Opposite of OBEY REBEL
Opposite of ACTIVE IDLE
Opposite of STRICT LENIENT
Opposite of FIZZY STILL
Opposite of CRISP SOGGY

Find the three words which are connected

CAVITY/TOOTH/HOLE/DIG/PIT (cavity,hole,pit)
FORM/APPEARANCE/SHAPE/ANGLE/EXTERNAL (form,appearance,shape)

Make a word choosing one from top/bottom

out her his
ning ring range

Answer HERRING


Obviously I have a few thousand more I could add but these are ones from the last week which surprised me.

Look forward to reading any of your 'obvious to us but not to them' words.

Ambridge x

Hello Ambridge

Well done what a good idea. I shall add them to my dd word box

Mind you isn't it awful our box gets bigger and bigger.

We too are discovering more and more words every day. ALthough I haveto confess they ar enot always obvious to me

These are a mix of words spelt same but different meanings and words that sound same but spelt differenlty and some tricky compounds

Desert--------abandon, leave,open place that cannot grow veg
Dessert------- a sweet meal, pudding etc

Refuse--------- say no
Refuse--------- litter, rubbish

Bay----------- inlet, cove
Bay-----------cry, howl, wail (didn't knwo thsi one)

Compunds that can catch us out

ear nest = earnest( not earn nest)

us age = usage( not use age)

I believe they do chuck some wrong ones in to trick the kids

Mel

Other tricky compound words we've found:

COME ....DIES = COMEDIES

PAT........RIOT = PATRIOT

I really don't think that many 10-yr-olds will know patriot, nor think of the plural of comedy.

They do seem to deliberately try to trick the children in the 'five words, pick two which don't fit' questions.

e.g. beret head cap bonnet car

Throwing in car at the end along with beret is tricky. My DD knew what a beret was but had never seen it written down (silent t). Once she worked it out, she got it but if you didn't know the meaning of beret, a child may well choose 'bonnet, car and (petrol)cap' as the linked words. Bonnet as a hat is also really old-fashioned usage.

One Down wrote: They do seem to deliberately try to trick the children in the 'five words, pick two which don't fit' questions.

e.g. beret head cap bonnet car

Throwing in car at the end along with beret is tricky. My DD knew what a beret was but had never seen it written down (silent t). Once she worked it out, she got it but if you didn't know the meaning of beret, a child may well choose 'bonnet, car and (petrol)cap' as the linked words. Bonnet as a hat is also really old-fashioned usage.

We had the same problem - DS asked what berett meant but when I told him it was pronounced beray he got the answer right away. It's not a word that you see written down very often.

A particularly nasty one that came up on the 12+ paper ...

LAND + ROVER

DS1 was convinced that it was a valid compound word. That was the point at which I shuddered and closed the post-mortem down!

I still don't know to this day what the correct answer was!

Hi all,

The most recent one that springs to mind is JUMP OVER, DD2 was convinced this was a valid compund word too. Using the method I showed her she came to jump which was the second word of the first bracket and over in the second. I assured her there should not be too coreect answers so convinced this was right she didn't go on the the next word DISC and OVER (DISCOVER) in the second bracket. Not sure how to get round this ????

Willow

My dd got caught out on a similar onme by doing that. I tell her now to look at all just in case, so much for trying to save time

Mel

Mel X wrote:Willow

My dd got caught out on a similar onme by doing that. I tell her now to look at all just in case, so much for trying to save time

Mel

Absolutely! Must check all 9 variations. If the child cannot find the answer after that, then its a speed writing exercise.

I also get the children to look out for letter combinations. T and H make the th sound E and A make an eeee sound. They are aslo taught to change the sound of the letters, BEG and IN, the E is the phonic sound in BEG but change it to the normal sound and you get Beeeeg In.

Patricia

Thanks, I think that's what we'll go over this evening then, depending on her mood of course!!!!

Hope all is going well for everyone.

DD actually spotted COME DIES (and was quite proud of herself!) but fell right into the trap of MONK KEY.

A lot of silly mistakes are starting to creep in now so we'll be spending the next few weeks going back to basics on a few of the question types.

DD was also floored by the word PER-FOR-ATIONS in the first practice test (I thought this one was supposed to be easier? ) I remembered the old advert for tea bags from the 1970's with the slogan "little perforations", wonder if that was what the test setter was thinking about?