Study plan for summer

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AustinR
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:55 am

Study plan for summer

Post by AustinR »

What is everyone planing to do over the summer holiday and could anyone offer a sort of plan/ how much ?

I was cleaning our bookshelf yesterday and have noted we still have so many bond assessment papers to get through it filled me with a sense of despair :oops: ( we're still working on bond 9-10 which I know is pretty a pretty low level). We have csse and CEM to prep for but I was thinking of saving actual exam papers for later.

If we focus on doing a paper and going through errors that's one hour gone already. Two papers bond papers daily would have my dd hiding from me. :lol: Then we still have to factor in teaching new concepts. Squeezing reading in and managing violin practice. It is 5.30pm before we can even sit down but even time sitting down takes 5 mins!! How is everyone else managing / am I the only one with a fiery child?
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Study plan for summer

Post by mystery »

I have two fiery children, and I'm fiery. What year group is your child, and when are the tests?
AustinR
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:55 am

Re: Study plan for summer

Post by AustinR »

Hi mystery thanks for the reply!

My daughter is in year 5 at the moment and will be sitting the exams in September. :shock: Even though we started at the start of the year it still feels like we're running put of time.
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Study plan for summer

Post by mystery »

I'd cut the guilt over Bond and move on to "actual exam papers" - whatever you mean by that. If you have some real ones, I think you could sell copies of them for a fortune!
AustinR
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:55 am

Re: Study plan for summer

Post by AustinR »

In our area past papers can be bought from the consortium that sets the exams. They are tricker so I wasn't sure if i should make a start. Now if I had this years paper ... :twisted: :lol:
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Study plan for summer

Post by mystery »

Oh I would make a start if you have past papers. That's fantastic! Maybe take the stress off by sitting with child for the trickier questions and asking them how they would tackle it - not to do it, but how they would tackle it. Then at another point they can go and do it. No need to sit at a table either. Tutor I knew used to recommend sitting in bed with hot chocolate. Well OK, this time of year, sitting somewhere cool with a cocktail might be better.
ahap
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Location: Ēastseaxe

Re: Study plan for summer

Post by ahap »

Wow! You have already got your answer. My typing is quite slow, actually it is my English, but I'll send it anyway. :D

For CSSE

It is time to do past papers that you have or download the ones from the CSSE website.

If your DD is getting high marks in the 9-10 books then it is time to do 10-11 in Maths & English. It will be better if you do 11-12 as well if you have time. Don't worry if you are unable to finish or do the 11-12. Get straight to past papers while doing bond 10-11. (DD did 10-11 in both Maths & English and then past papers and it helped her to do well in the tests)
VR- I hope you are doing the GL assesement 21 type of papers for CSSE.

Send her to a few mocks or if you are DIYing do it similar to it. 3 hours and a 20 min break between Maths & VR with a cookie and juice. Strict timing should be maintained.
I am telling you this because others will be doing this especially those who go to Prep + tutor centres so that you won't be at a disadvantage and I feel it will help your DD IMHO but it also depends on your DD and its up to you but you need speed and stamina for VR and this is how you can build it up I feel. Good luck.
Last edited by ahap on Sat Oct 05, 2013 5:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
'What we have learned is like a handful of earth; What we have yet to learn is like the whole world.' Auvaiyaar.
bravado
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Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:28 am

Re: Study plan for summer

Post by bravado »

I can only speak from the standpoint of a DIY mum and CSSE exams: - leave the Bond VR papers as they're not appropriate for CSSE at this stage. By all means, use the English and the Comprehension books as a top-up, or for variety - we did. Bond Maths are very useful and their 10 minute tests are an absolute boon nearer the exam date. About 5 weeks before the test day, DD was working on the 12 - 13 Bond Maths and the "More Fifth Papers".

By this time last year, we had already started our home-cooked mocks every Sunday. You'll obviously run out of CSSE papers but we tried a mix and match of various publishers so that DD didn't get too used to any particular format. It was very important to develop her timing and exam technique skills - these sort the men from the boys on the day. Have a look at the thread I started on the Essex board - tips, tricks etc. I'm afraid it's stamina, stamina, stamina all the way.

As far as VR's concerned, you only have one CSSE familiarisation paper and it's the same one they've been churning out for years and years :lol: We'd started working on Daughtrey's "Bright Sparks" and the Walsh 3-book series by this time last year. You can also try the IPS Daily Practice Books in VR and Maths - DD was doing those to keep her skills up to scratch - they mix up question-types so that DC's get a variation, rather than the same question types banded together.

DD2 put up her own timetable for Summer holidays :shock: -Have a chat with your DD and see if you can gauge what sort of thing she envisages in terms of work and then perhaps you can come to a workable compromise that suits everyone, including siblings :wink: There's no doubt she will need to do something but there's nothing worse than having to look at a sullen face for the entire 6 weeks :lol: We were lucky that DD2 wanted it very badly and we had no moans tbh but I have no illusions - she's unusual.

One thing's for sure, one really does need to think about stepping it up a pace...or even three, about now, especially if going for CRGS, CoCHS, or any of the others' out-of-catchment places.
bravado
Posts: 468
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:28 am

Re: Study plan for summer

Post by bravado »

I saw your post on the Herts board about your DD's Sutton mocks and "chin-up" Sutton mocks aren't really that appropriate in terms of content and format, if you're a CSSE candidate :wink: They can be useful so that your child can see what it feels like be in the hall with other candidates they don't know. Don't worry too much about where you child came in the cohort taking the exam, after all, she won't be doing that type of exam on the day and won't necessarily have prepared for it in the way that the others will have, or need to. The marks are pretty irrelevant - it's the areas she struggled on, that tell you useful more information, in terms of where work still has to be done. Was it timing? Do you get the papers back so that you can see which bits caused problems for her? Without the papers, the actual marks are pretty meaningless, especially fore those who won't be doing the Sutton format on the big day .

You mention still having some concepts to cover - may I ask what area you mean ie VR, Maths, English?

VR

If you still have VR concepts then it may be a good idea to get those sorted as a priority - after all, VR counts for 50% of the result so it can act as a cushion against weaknesses in English and Maths on the day. The sooner your DD is confident in all question-types, the better, then she can focus on speeding up and exam technique. Do you have access to a really good "How to do VR" type book? In terms of CSSE VR, I'd avoid the Daughtry and Bond technique guides, they aren't appropriate, especially with the clock now ticking and you'll end up wasting valuable preparation time. The IPs and GL Assessment ones are very highly recommended - we personally preferred the GL Assessment one.

Maths & English
Do you still have KS2 Maths topics to cover? There's a wealth of invaluable sources out there on the internet - have a look on my DIY thread on the Essex board :D The English can be a harder nut to crack - again, I have listed some useful sites on the DIY help thread but focussing on your DD' spelling and punctuation will really help with the CSSE exam, where those two sections have historically allowed an able candidate to go for about 23 marks :D
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Study plan for summer

Post by mystery »

Which test provider sets the CSSE exams?

I can second the GL Assessment "VR explained" book being very good - clearly it needs to be done alongside the question types in the GL assessment papers because that is what it is explaining. Do these match up though with the CSSE question types? I don't think it would take long to do the book and the GL assessment papers. You could maybe photcopy the papers, and cut them up into the different question types, and do them in the order of the "VR explained" book. Then do the whole papers again for speed and accuracy at a later date.

People get a bit too excited on here about wading through hundreds of different books I think. If you've got some clarity about what the exam is you are halfway there. Lucky you! They are changing the Kent test for 2014 and so I haven't a clue what we face now ... I just know it's not going to be the GL assessment stuff which I bought as that is what they have used for years!
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