11 Plus Exams Forum

We have gone for the non-tutoring option and are doing the NFER papers at home. Please could someone tell me what scores my daughter should be aiming for to pass the 11+ in all papers ie for VR how many out of 80, should she be getting right. The same would be useful for maths and VR.

sorry if this is a silly question but when I've asked around friends have said they should be getting 80/80 - which seems incredibly high. Thank you

In Bucks a qualifying score is usually around 86% - aim for 90+% in practice papers. Sorry I don't know the situation in Kent I've heard the term superselective bandied about - presumably the schools select on score so the higher the better?

Would agree with andyb

Thanks for your prompt response. We'll have to work a bit harder but we've still time!!

1sttimer - I notice you are in Kent. You might find some reassurance in that section.

It strikes me that in areas that just use VR, parents and tutors are much more focused on the finer details of the VR test, practice is intense and competition seems high. In Kent, unless you are applying for a super-selective which operates its own test, your child will do VR, NVR, Maths and a writing piece. The precise format and content seems to me to be less predictable than appears to be the case in VR only areas, therefore perhaps more difficult for people to coach to very high standards. In Bexley we used to do VR, NVR, Maths and English until a couple of years ago when we dropped NVR and English. Bexley and Kent both use Nfer so there is a lot of similarity.

Because I've got a son about to do Bexley and Kent tests I have been digging out old papers used by his brothers. My eldest boy did the Bexley test 4 years ago when it was NVR, VR and Maths, as Kent is now. I've kept a record of the scores he achieved in the Nfer practice tests. These were: NVR: 42%, 88%, 81%, 91%. VR: 82%, 77%, 85%, 89%. Maths: 72%, 65%, 84%, 64%. He passed by around 40 marks. He's a November birthday so little allowance would have been made for age.

If you look at the Kent section you will see posts which suggest that in Kent, full marks equates to a raw score of 75% and a pass 50%. I don't know if this is true, but the suggestion is that most children underperform in real exam conditions.

The headmaster at my son's primary told me that we ought to be aiming for around 80% in practice tests.

Thanks for this. Some parents locally that I've spoken to have been panicing and getting very upset when their child doesn't get 100% on the practice papers. My DD has been getting around 75% on VR and much higher on NVR and Maths and is improving each time. We are being very laid back with her results as she's working hard and is getting better each day. Also we want to boost her confidence - not knock it. Its reassuring to know that we don't have to get 100%. She is mildly dyslexic and therefore finds some of the questions impossible but she's trying hard.

Well I've had two boys pass the 11+ and I'm currently working with my 3rd. I've never known any of them get 100% in a practice paper! DS3 only got 80% on an Nfer maths paper today - I say "only" because he admitted half way through that he'd done it before!

You're very wise to remain laid back and try and boost your DD's confidence - it's such an important factor in exam success.

Anecdotel evidence and my own experience of DC1 would suggest BexleyMum2 is pretty much spot on. If you are getting 70% in papers (assuming your child is unfamiliar with them, and not recalling answers), I would suggest you are on the right path. Extra marks from now on would improve the factor of safety.

Agree totally with dadofkent and Bexley Mum 2, neither of my boys got above the mid 80% on practice papers and both got 140 ponts on two of the three papers.

I think a lot of confusion arises when people say things like their children got 100%, or got everything right, when in fact they had a standardised score of 140.

Just to correct BM2, the super selectives in Kent do not have their own test, St Olaves and Newstead Woods do, but they come under London Boroughs and not Kent.