11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi, my daughter sat the test this year in Glos. she has qualified for HSFG with 242 and Rh with 255. She is number 149 on the Pate's waiting list and her and our first choice would be Pate's. On the day of the test there was an error in administration - for the first test the invigilator wrote the start/finish times on the board, but the finish time was 5 minutes later than it should have been. It was noted and changed with 20 minutes left. I emailed the school for clarification and received an email with the above details. My daughter had given me a slightly different account and is adamant she has no memory of it being changed (of course I'm sure it was, I'm just adding this to note that she didn't take the change in). She didn't finish the paper - left out the last 4 questions as she ran out of time. She finished the second paper with time to check. We are considering an appeal, given that those last 4 questions may well have made the difference, but I haven't managed to find any accounts citing similar circumstances, so I wondered if anyone could tell me what sort of weight the error would carry? Apart from her suitability for the school, this would be the main element of our appeal. Thanks to anyone who can help and best wishes to everyone who is in a difficult position.

Hi Parismum

I am sure there have been other cases - not sure that they made any difference in the end, perhaps some will remember where and when. TBH you have to remember that if there was a problem in the room then it could be considered to be a problem for all the children in the room and ultimately it sounds like they did have the right amount of time.

have you had a look at http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeals" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

edit - am going to start an appeal thread for you so that the info and advice doesn't get entangled with others

Thanks so much, Hermanmunster!

I could be wrong, but from the parents I have heard from, she is the only one who was close enough for the problem to have possibly made the difference between top 120 and waiting list. Another is in a similar position with HSFG though and I think will appeal for there on the same grounds.

It is fine to put the schools down in the order you want and then after allocation appeal to a school higher on your list than the one you have been allocated . as always with appeals, the key part is academic evidence - good idea to start thinking about this now.

You are still qualifed for Pate so still worth putting it in first choice and then the other schools in preferred order.

this would be the main element of our appeal

It's certainly worth a brief mention - but, as Herman says, the focus of your case should be alternative academic evidence:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... cation#b11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As we often point out, you might win an appeal with academic evidence but no extenuating circumstances – you cannot win an appeal with extenuating circumstances but insufficient academic evidence.

Thank you so much, advice is very much appreciated, will start doing my homework! And I do want to stress we know how lucky she is to be in this position, I so feel for those for whom an appeal is more 'make or break' than ours. ***