GL Assessment Packs

[sweethome]

My friend has given me GL Assessment (Letts) Variety Packs 1-4. I knew she bought them a couple of years ago. Is it worth buying the latest ones from Waterstones or other bookshops? I don't know whether the contents are the same or changed.
Another question is: do I need to buy the Single Topic Packs?
Many thanks.

[frangipani]

Packs 1-4 have been the same for the past 10 years that I've been using them, ie exactly the same papers. But I think they used to be called nfer or nelson something springs to mind. Now called GL assessment.
They also now have the additional packs 5-8 which are newer and in my opinion slightly more difficult.
The single topic packs contain the same papers, the maths pack 1 will have papers 1-4 pack 2 has papers 5-8.

[neurotic kent mum]

Do make sure you do GL Pack 2 nearer the exam. The Maths papers were different and my ds found these more difficult.

[DaddyOh]

Hi

Just to reiterate what others have said, the new maths papers are more difficult but very worth doing. The same year they released these new papers (2011 exam takers) they made the maths papers in the actual exam significantly harder too. The raw marks required to get 420 in the maths paper dropped from around 85% (where it had been for a good few years) to around 75% that year.

Clearly that shouldn't change the standardised scores however if the children are not expecting the harder question types you run a greater risk of them being thrown and panicking during the exam.

For the other papers (verbal and non-verbal) raw marks remained in the same mid to high 70's for 420 as they had been in previous years and the new papers appear much the same as the old ones.


DaddyOh

[yoyo123]

you won't need the English papers in the Variety packs

[sweethome]

Thanks everyone, for your replies. I will definitely buy the 5-8 packs for my daughter to practise.