2011 exam paper

[UmSusu]

Like many of you, I have not been getting much sleep and have to find ways to occupy myself that will not wake the entire household. I woke up at 4am this morning and started to look again at November's paper (Yes Reeyah, I was doing what I told you about!). I know there was a big hoo-ha about posting the content in January but that boat has now sailed and as the information is already out, I have a few questions:

Paper 1 seems to add up to only approx. 38 minutes with only one section on NVR (20 questions) - was there another section on nvr as was the case in previous years (the timings suggest that there would have been room for that)?

If not, this would mean that the nvr part of the total score will be based only on c.20 questions. Therefore, each question will impact more heavily on the overall percentage for that subject. It would be a similar case with the maths.

Also iIn the 2010 exam there was an unexpected move to split the two papers with the english/vr in paper 1 giving a particular score and the maths/nvr in paper 2 to give a combined score for that paper. Only 2 sets of standardised scores were given out (opposed to the 3 sets for previous years). I had guessed that this might be a more long term plan. This year they mixed all the sections up again - it could just have been to ensure that the large amount of english was split up throughout the paper so that those who are weaker at it are not faced with 45 minutes of it. Nobody knows.

I know that it is all supposition, but the questions I am asking are: is it likely that they revert back to the 3 score system? Perhaps, the 2 scores are here to stay (it would make more sense) and they will just collect the scores from each section to give a standardised split between english/vr and maths/nvr as last year. Or, if they are sticking to 2 scores, they might just standardise each paper irrespective of subject content?

I know that none of you can actually answer this, but I thought I would try to give you all something to worry about, just in case you have started to relax and not think too much about things!

[reeyah]

Goodness UmSusu! Luckily I am very dopey when it comes to numbers, and so didn't understand a word of that !!

Interesting analysis though!!

[um]

The 2 scores are here to stay (Literacy/MathsNVR).

I believe this because we have been told that the current Year 5 pupils will sit their exam on 8 September and receive scores by 15 October, along with the 'last scores in' for the past 2 years.

This indicates that the scoring system must therefore remain the same this year as it was last year.

[MSD]

I am secretly hoping they will revert back to the 3 score system used in exams prior to 2010. My DS is useless at English but pretty good in Maths and NVR. Personally I feel the 2 score system unfairly favours the children with good English skills. I would like to see equal weightage given to English, Maths and NVR instead of the current 50% to English and rest to Maths and NVR.

It's anybody's guess as to marking scheme they will use for this year's exam. It could be any three of these:

a. 33.3% to all the elements
b. 50% to English, 25% to Maths and 25% to NVR
C. Or as you suggested UmSusu the two papers will be standardised irrespective of the subject content. And I guess this will be the easiest of the options for administrators

[UmSusu]

Based on um's sharp skills of observations, I would concur that there are likely to be only 2 sets of scores. This means either option b or c is likely (although I also believe DS would stand a better chance with a 3 score system, I can understand why they changed it).

Again, 20 nvr questions just doesn't sound right but I doubt any of the kids would be able to recall that now.

[anxious_mother]

As far as I remember DS said they did have NVR in Paper 2 as well . I shall confirm this once he is back from school.

[um]

MSD: "Personally I feel the 2 score system unfairly favours the children with good English skills".

Yes, MSD you are absolutely right on that one.
And despite the fact that my children were actually stronger at Maths at age 10, too, I agree with the system, as good English skills are in the long run, more important.

Last year Warks kept the 1/3 each for Maths, NVR, English system. They may still have kept it this year. Feedback from ds2 was not clear enough to know, definitively, whether that is the case.

[mike1880]

I disagree. Our daughter is extemely strong in English but turned out to be unexpectedly atrocious at NVR (comfortably in the bottom half in the Warks exam) but if you scale up her 2-paper total in the B'ham exam by 50% it's identical to her score in the Warks exam, where NVR makes a disproportionately large contribution to final score and English disproportionately small (her English score in Warks and paper 1 score in B'ham were just about identical, by the way).

At the time I thought the 2-paper scoring system would make a significant difference but I no longer think so.

Mike

[MSD]

Would that mean Birmingham is still giving equal weightage to all the elements but have just changed the way they produce the total standardised mark?

[UmSusu]

My DS sat several mock exams that seem to have been roughly based on the KE format (yes I know, they are not a replica etc etc), which was largely due to my own anxieties about his coping methods in formal exams and his nervous and thus fluctuating performance. So I have a whole set of results collated about how well he did /did not do in the mocks I prepared and those he sat elsewhere. Being the sad person I am, I sit down every so often and work out his best mark in each area, his worst and mode, median, etc and apply this to the marks given for each subject to see if I can second-guess the outcome. This is what made me raise the above questions.

Anyway, guess what? I am none the wiser. If he gets the lowest marks he achieved accross the board, he will get nothing (surprise, surprise). If he gets the middle set of marks, he might get Aston/BV. But if he gets the highest set, he is off to CH (hooray! ). Last night I tried applying this to the 3 options suggested. He came off better with the 3 score option. There was not much in it with the other 2. Don't ask me how I can work this all out as it is based on reading countless old posts about scores and is partially fantasy.

Why am I telling you all this? I am not sure. Maybe a cry for help? Yes, Reeyah, I will have to get a job - and a life, but after next week. Am I the only one obsessing about such bizarre things?