11 Plus Exams Forum

Ds2 is keen to try for Tiffins, year 5 now. He is good at Maths reading and spelling. Trouble is his written english is poor. Both his hand writing and the content. Currently in the FLS group. He really doesnt like writing I know the exam is VR and NVR. We have tried a few at home and he is fairly good at them. I am not going down the professional tutoring route as dont want him to go there unless he is well and truely able. Just wondering if we are mad to even consider it. I believe they expect their students to get an A or A* at GCSE in English to be allowed to stay for their own 6th form.

Has he taken CATS at school? If so, they might tell you if he is likely to get to the required standard?

If he is keen then no... you are not stupid. As long as he realises that it is a hard school to get into. Not my area so haven't got much knowledge of the school. I am sure others will be able to comment more fully.

Sorry, what are CATS? He has done SATs and voluntry SATs but not heard of CATs.
Yes he knows its a very hard school to get into and knows what his statistical chances are.
Thanks for your replies

CATs are a test that kids sometimes get in Yr3? They should not have been prepared for otherwise the results are worthless. They normally take the form of a single sheet of paper with bars on it showing a confidence interval of ability.
They do, IMHO, provide a good indicator for VR and NVR potential.

We have a parents evening coming up. I will ask

Maybe you could work with him to improve his written english? or that may be an area where a tutor could be useful. Perhaps ask his teacher which areas really need extra work


There is a lot of information on improving written english on here and I am sure that someone will be able to offer help/advice

If the exams are VR and NVR then you needn't work on English for the test, but it would be worth trying to improve it for confidence etc.
Be aware, though, about the trap of not tutoring because you want to be sure that his pass is "valid." Arguments., or discussions, about this rage all the time on this site. You might not have your child tutored but you can bet your bottom dollar that a significant proportion of the other children will be. It can all get a bit crazy, and if you prefer to look on it as thorough familiarisation, as a favourable take on "tutoring" then do, but don't leave him at a complete disadvantage.
In our school (Glos) CATS are taken in Y5. They are generally seen as a good indication but, as with all things, are not set in stone. My DS1 scored highly in his CATS and less highly in his GS. My DS2 performed in a very average way in his CATS yet got into a super-selective with a rather high mark in his GS.
For VR, you can't do better than vocab, vocab, vocab. And codes. And ... oh it never stops. Good luck!

Many thanks. I am doing familiarisation stuff with him , hoping not to get to obsesive!
Thanks again

mebaasmum wrote:Many thanks. I am doing familiarisation stuff with him , hoping not to get to obsesive!

Hollow laughter.
Oh the innocence... Grab that wise sense of perspecitve and try to keep a tight hold on it!