11 Plus Exams Forum

Dear all,

We are going through an appeal for our daughter whose DOB is August 29th, so two days shy of going into the next academic year. The school we are appealing for does not do age-standardisation for the exams that matter.

I am extremely keen to know how common age-standardisation is for 11plus, as it may help us in our case. Having read extensively, I am still not able to discover (short of calling local grammars, hunting on their websites, however this would only garner a handful of answers which may not be sufficient to argue a point) how common place it is.

I would appreciate a reply from any direction but more valuably from an 'expert; if possible. I would be grateful even for one liners from parents who know for the schools their children sat exams for.

Many many thanks in advance,
llam.

PS : Appeal date is fast approaching, if you have an answer, please fire it off !

Bucks is a selective LA - it uses age standardisation for the Transfer Test.

Chilcren are compared to others of the same age [by month] - this does not always mean raw scores needed for qualification are lower for younger children. However it is likely that this is so.

Warwickshire - a CEM 11+ county - also uses age standardisation, comparing children with those taking the test born in the same month.

A rough count suggests that at least 126 of the 164 grammars use standardisation (CEM or GL Assessment tests), and a number of the partially selective schools do as well. All the major areas - Kent, Birmingham, Warks, Bucks - use standardisation.

You would be on safe ground to say that "at least 75% of grammar schools - and possibly rather more - standardise for age".

Kendrick and Reading school also do, and I'm pretty sure the Slough schools do, so that's all of Berkshire to add to your list.

The CSSE doesn't - a few years ago I asked about it at SHSB (out of curiosity; I think at that point our June-born DS had passed with a good score and his September-born sister had achieved nearly 13 marks less than a pass) and was told that the scores were looked at for significant difference by age. Should that be found, they would apply age standardisation, but to that date, they had not needed to. That covers seven grammar schools (plus two bilateral and two partially-selective comprehensives). To be honest, I was under the impression that this was the only non-age standardised 11+.

The Selective Eligibility Test used by the five 'grammar' schools in Sutton is age-standardised. (See http://www.suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk/ ... -Test-FAQs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).
Q: Do you make allowances for age (as in a child whose birthday is at one end of the school year)?
A: Yes. A standardisation for age mechanism is applied to the Selective Eligibility Test.

Goodheart wrote:The Selective Eligibility Test used by the five 'grammar' schools in Sutton is age-standardised. (See http://www.suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk/ ... -Test-FAQs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).
Q: Do you make allowances for age (as in a child whose birthday is at one end of the school year)?
A: Yes. A standardisation for age mechanism is applied to the Selective Eligibility Test.

Why 'grammar' (As opposed to without the 'quotes', I mean)? Aren't Sutton / Wallington B&G / Nonsuch and Wilson's all fully academically selective and only Greenshaw a partially selective comp?

Personally I would not argue about the lack of standardisation as a main point - the system is as it is.

Make sure your main focus is on academic evidence and don't get side-tracked on any other aspect.

Guest55 wrote:Personally I would not argue about the lack of standardisation as a main point - the system is as it is.

Make sure your main focus is on academic evidence and don't get side-tracked on any other aspect.

I would agree - presumably you have rock-solid evidence of your DD's ability in the form of her formal (KS1 SATS) and ongoing school assessments, which are not age-standardised? (Unless, of course, her teachers have been making allowances all along for her being the youngest in the class in their marking, giving her easier spellings to learn etc on account of her age?) So the lack of age standardisation in the 11+ is really a side issue. The standard and pace of learning once one gets into a grammar school isn't adjusted according to the month of birth (at least not in the ones in our area).