11 Plus Exams Forum

My friend's daughter has gained a place in the local grammar school this September. She usually performed well in her practice papers (90%+) and was predicted to achieve level 5 in the Sat test.

However, her rank in the 11+ exam is rather low and my friend is a bit worried that she may struggle in the GS. I personally think that the low ranking does not necessary mean that she definitely will struggle in the GS. Sometimes, other factors such as nerves, worries etc can affect the performance on the exam day.

Also, by answering 1 or 2 questions incorrectly may have a big drop in the overall scores which can lead to lower ranking. Am I right??

Any views/ opinions/ past experiences are welcome!!!

My dd passed the maths element of the 11+ by 2 marks. And it wasn't a blip - it could have gone either way! So far she is doing fine at grammar school - not struggling at all ( unless it's to fit her homework round her social life!)

In North Yorks you aren't told the scores - I think you CAN ask for them - not sure if many do. Scores are only given for those who don't make the threshold and need to have the info for appealing.

Means the kids go into GS without any pre conceived ideas of how well they will do

....interesting to know how they all do in the end ie the 11+ score cf the GCSEs / A levels

Hi essex-mum18

Bucks gave up the system of allocating GS places according to scores some years ago - places are now allocated according to distance.

That means that a child who scores 121 (the pass mark) is considered to be as good as a child who scored 141 (the maximum). Also, a child who did not initially achieve 121, but was put through on Appeal - and that could be on a much lower score, depending on the circumstances - would still stand shoulder to shoulder with a 141.

If NFER and one of the largest GS counties think that score doesn't matter, I think your friend can take some reassurance from that!

Sally-Anne

As a GS teacher I can assure you that the VR score tells me very little - I look at the KS2 levels and marks -

High VR might mean a tutored child rather than a bright child - one of the brightest I have taught got in on appeal with 117 - 4 A grades at 'A' level and a star all the way through

In our area there are three papers - NVR, VR and maths. My stepdaughter failed the maths and did not therefore go to grammar school. She is doing her GCSEs this summer, and is on course to achieve A* in many subjects including maths, and As in most others.