What raw practice scores should we be aiming for?

Eleven Plus (11+) in Warwickshire

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Googley2
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 7:53 pm

What raw practice scores should we be aiming for?

Post by Googley2 »

I have been diy my dd for the 11+ in September. The main thing I am seriously worried over is that I have no idea what type of scores we should be aiming for in practice papers to be able to pass the 11+. We are hoping like many others to get a place in Shottery but definitely not sure of that!!

We have done many Bond books and Scholfield Book 4 and practice test papers. Like all kids I suppose it really depends on dd mood on the day she is doing the paper as to what her score will be. On the best days it can be 80% in something and on another day it might be 40%. As she is Home Educated as well I really have no means of testing where her ability is although she has always been in top 3 when she was at school. I removed her last December due to bullying and have been teacher since. Now as the exam approaches I am worried what have I missed, not done etc etc. Probably nothing but its those nerves that get to you. We have done algebra, ratio, expression and probability and she just loves the English.

I have just got the latest Bond book for 2016 practice papers but still wonder what an 11+ exam mark would be as a raw score as of course I could never calculate otherwise, if anyone can advise I would really appreciate it. I read elsewhere on the forum that raw scores less than 50% could give a pass mark (300 for Rugby Grammer in 2012) but dont know if that is still correct info as exams have changed etc.

We had the open day at Shottery and the head said most girls got an awful lot of questions wrong - am I worrying too much for nothing, dont want to relax and find out too late its the wrong scores I am working at.

I have hired a tutor for the last few weeks but cant find myself believing her when she says my dd will pass as she could just be saying that for the money!
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: What raw practice scores should we be aiming for?

Post by Daogroupie »

It is all about the scores of the other students, That is what will determine if your dd will get a place or not.

The best way of making sure that your dd is in the ball park is to do a local mock and actually have her sitting in a room with her cohort and then be able to see her mark against as many other students as possible.

Your tutor should also be able to help you with this as they will be working with other local students and should be able to give you an idea of average scores.

I also suggest you post your concerns and ask for help in your local region area as it will be read by those who have experience of the schools you want to get into.

Hopefully there will be forum members who have knowledge of the type of scores required and the best materials to use, DG
guest201
Posts: 484
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2009 4:04 pm

Re: What raw practice scores should we be aiming for?

Post by guest201 »

Hi Googley2, my son did the Warks 11+ last year, to prepare him we signed him up for the mock at the well known tutor centre in Shirley that begins with K, so we could measure him against other kids, as you home tutor it is very difficult to know how she is doing, you say she was always top 3 at school, this is obviously relative, top 3 at one school could be mid class at another. As a general rule how many kids normally get to grammar school from her old class? I know it is a very crude measure but if there are normally about 6 who get to grammar school from that class and your daughter is top three you can presume she has a good chance. Keep plodding along with maths and make sure her basics are solid, times table, percentages, fractions, area, data analysis, things like bus timetables, speed, distance and time (if a car is travelling at a certain speed how long will it take to go a certain distance). Do the Bond NVR books to keep her ticking over and I am sure she will be fine. If she likes the English then I wouldn't focus too much on that as it shouldn't be a problem.
nervousmom
Posts: 1687
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2012 9:38 am
Location: Warwickshire

Re: What raw practice scores should we be aiming for?

Post by nervousmom »

A big part of last years test was VR - I.e English/vocabulary - I believe this accounted for 50% of the score.

Your DD needs to spend a lot of time reading. When reading she should keep a note book at her side to write down any words she doesn't know. Then she should look that word up and try writing sentences with it in.

My DD read a large number of books over last years summer holiday - I'll list them to give you an idea of the sort of level she should be aiming for:-

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
The Borrowers
Tom's Midnight Garden
The Secret Garden
Charlotte's Webb
Matilda
Danny, Champion on the World

Books on the read list she didn't do

Goodnight Mr Tom
The wind in the willows
Holes
Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone

Whilst reading the top list, she was also reading Jaqueline Wilson and Enid Blyton (Malory Towers and St Clare's)

The other thing to practice is exam technique. The questions are multi choice, firstly she must make sure she reads properly how the boxes should be filled out I,e shaded.

Also make sure she definitely sees each page and doesn't miss any out.

There are big time pressures in the kids, it may be worth having a quick glance through the paper and if she sees a question worth 10 points, better to answer that than one worth 1 point.

Also, never leave a box unshaded. If she is running out of time and funds she has 10 questions left, quickly shade in answer for each one I,e all B's or all C's, then go back and work through until time is called.

She has a 25% chance of getting each question right, so theoretically could gain an extra 2-3 marks more than if left unanswered.

As someone has suggested, I too would strongly recommend she sits a mock exam with the Shirley based company beginning with K. This year they are doing 5 mock exams, with the last one being in August. This will give a good indicator of where your child is.
(They also offer a course of on-lines tests each day, this too may be worth considering)

Good luck.
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