11 Plus Exams Forum

I have noticed lots of negative comments from parents who have referred to their children as "failing the 11+". My DD hasn't got into her first choice of school but I do not see this as her failing the 11+! The competition was really tough (as it is every year) and I am sure that all the children tried their very best.

Our children should all be praised whatever the outcome as they all work so hard and the difference in scores between gaining a place and not gaining a place is minimal. I think that taking the 11+ is an achievement in itself and I for one am a really really proud mummy.

Sorry I will get off my soap box now!

well said.

You're right, of course. They have all worked hard and talk of failure seems cruel. The difficulty is that this eleven plus business is pretty complicated. Some counties have the eleven plus. Some don't. Some counties have a fully selective system. Some don't. Some counties set a pass mark. Some don't. Users of this forum probably know their own county's set-up really well. We understand that for some CSSE schools there is no pass/fail and that for other schools there is a pass/fail for some (but not all) candidates. By and large, we talk about getting/not getting a place as this is the most accurate way of putting it.

Not everyone is up to speed with the various eleven plus processes, though. I didn't grow up in an eleven plus county. Before becoming involved in putting my DS through the exam, I thought of it as a pass/fail situation. I think this is fairly understandable. We didn't apply to the Southend schools and so while he couldn't technically fail the exam, he could have failed to gain a place. The difference is subtle, and one which general well-wishers and casual enquirers could not be expected to appreciate. When I was asked if he had passed, I simply answered that he had. If he had been unsuccessful, I wouldn't have had a problem with other people using the word fail. It's not a dirty word. It might not technically be correct for the north Essex schools but surely this particular f word is preferable to slipping into the doublespeak of pass/not pass?

Whatever gloss is put on it, the effect is the same. It is the effort and hard work that is to be commended. Failing to get a GS place does not make the child a failure and we shouldn't be too wary of using the word. Nor should we upbraid those who use it as a simplistic way of making sense of the world.

We all fail. Nothing wrong with that. Just don't let it become the elephant in the room.

Agreed.

When my dd has spoken about 'failing' the 11+ I remind her it isn't possible to fail, it's just a case of not having a high enough score/being near the top of the list & that others had a better score. I didn't make it to gs & neither did dh & her brother refused point blank to sit it because he wanted to follow his friends so she has done amazingly well to cope with the extra work & the stress of the exam & waiting for the results