SGSPTA Sutton G Mock Exams - new session

[panicattack]

I agree that it's a good idea to tell your DD. She's obviously worked hard, is very bright and is on track to do very well. She deserves to know how well she's done. Just tell her that she needs to keep going.

I doubt very much that the standard of performance is lower this year or compared with the N London grammars. Much more likely that the English paper was more difficult than usual. Well done to all who sat the exam - let's not underestimate how tough it can be to do challenging questions in a tight timeframe in an unfamiliar environment. Good practice for all.

Incidentally, looking at the stats, I reckon about 750 boys to around 550 girls sat the exam.

[J50]

If you don't tell them the result they could easily look it up themselves, couldn't they?

Has anyone thought of doing the Mensa test as a VR/NVR style mock for schools such as Tiffin with their VR/NVR bias? You do need to be 10.5 years old by the looks of it. Just an idea...

[Womblemania]

Thanks to everyone for their advice about 'to tell or not to tell'. I think, on balance, we will. She is a sensible girl and we can explain to her that she needs to keep working hard and not take anything for granted.

She wouldn't be able to look it up as she doesn't know her candidate number!

DAO - she's at a state primary so has had no prep sessions in school. She has had some great maths support though, working with the year 6s doing Level 6 maths. She's also had the benefit of a weekly tutor since January.

[ShaqArif]

My DS2 got a standardised score of 107 in each of Maths and English. A little disappointed, as the notes say that a score 216 (108 in each) would be the expected minimum cut off for a selective. I know his English needs work, but I was surprised by his Maths score - only a week before the exam he did a past paper from a Grammar (I think Merchant Taylors), and he got 96% - and that was with completing the paper 45 minute paper in 15 minutes!

Bit worried now - I really would like to see him join DS1

[Ladymuck]

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[ShaqArif]

Thanks Ladymuck!

No, we were not planning on doing the B test, starting to think now that maybe I should have...

I just thought we'd do the one so that he could used to the idea of it.

I think the issue is likely to be careless arithmetic errors and not reading the question. This was something he had trouble with at the beginning, but with practice, he is a lot better in that regard now. Maybe the unfamiliar situation distracted him, and caused him to slip into old habits again.

My yardstick is DS1, who did the Sutton Grammars last year, and passed both Wilson's and WCGS - no idea how did with Sutton. I tutored him myself too, and if anything, DS2 is ahead of him at this stage (in Maths, probably not in English), so I tell myself that he should be OK...

Unfortunately DS1 didn't do the Mock tests, as when I became aware of them, they had already sold out.

DS2 is November born, so the age factor is not in his favour either!

Thanks for the advice!

[J50]

Blimey that seems to have come round quickly! Nearly forgot he's got one of these tomorrow! Late night out at the cricket tonight should serve him well.

[Daogroupie]

Yes, Good Luck to all those sitting Session B tomorrow, hopefully you will have learnt from the mistakes of Session A. I expect to see much better English results in the B rankings. Shaqarif, what does your ds do for the remaining 30 minutes when he finishes in 15 minutes? Do you make him sit there doing inverse operations on every question or do you let him leave the table and go and do something else? Rushing any exam paper is unwise. There are no extra marks for finishing early but plenty of marks lost for misreading questions. Home mocks don't really reflect the exam hall situation. Timed mocks in a hall with strangers where you can't leave until the end is the best way to assess current levels. Sutton mocks introduced a second paper this year so students could learn from their mistakes and have another go. I would estimate a high percentage of Session B students will be having another go. All the students I know of signed up for the earliest possible A and latest possible B to give them time to learn from mistakes made in A. DG

[J50]

For a start I thought that was well organised this morning by Sutton PTA, easy parking etc. Could probably turn up about 9.10 and park and join the tail end of the queue if you wanted. Not sure who was the most tired this morning though, me or the lad as an 11pm return from the Oval yesterday didn't help! He said the maths was easy but he still only finished it close to the end of time. He said the English was fairly easy but he was a bit slow (sleepy?) and didn't do the last 4/5 questions. About 6 kids hanging around as we left as their parents hadn't returned in time for them...

[Ladymuck]

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