Marking of different sections of CEM please

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

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Stressed?Moi?
Posts: 1844
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:28 am

Marking of different sections of CEM please

Post by Stressed?Moi? »

I'm new to this section of the forum, so bear with me please. My ds is sitting the CEM exam in September, which has been introduced in our area for the first time. As such, we don't know a lot about it. Prior to this it has been VR only, which I had become very familiar with. Can anyone tell me please, how each section is marked. By this I mean, are all the sections Maths, English, VR and non-VR marked the same. The reason I ask is that he is very much stronger in one area than others. Does it mean that if he doesn't "pass"/messes up one aspect that he will fail the whole exam, or is it averaged out over all sections. Many thanks.
purplerabbit
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Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:20 pm

Re: Marking of different sections of CEM please

Post by purplerabbit »

Hello,

Assuming that is will be the same as last year the verbal reasoning element counts for 50 per cent of the final score, maths makes up 30 per cent of the final score and non verbal makes up 20 per cent of the final score.

This means that it is possible to do badly in one area and still pass the 11 plus overall.

Best of luck.
Marylou
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Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Re: Marking of different sections of CEM please

Post by Marylou »

My DD didn't do particularly well on the English/VR section but thankfully more than made up for it on the Maths and NVR and consequently managed to reach the qualification score.
Marylou
Stressed?Moi?
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Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:28 am

Re: Marking of different sections of CEM please

Post by Stressed?Moi? »

Marylou wrote:My DD didn't do particularly well on the English/VR section but thankfully more than made up for it on the Maths and NVR and consequently managed to reach the qualification score.
Wow, she must have done really well in maths and nvr; good for her. I've really cheered up since posting this question after yet another 60% on the latest comprehension work I set him. Bless him, he does try, but he just doesn't do recognising the subtle clues found int he passages !!
kenyancowgirl
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Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Re: Marking of different sections of CEM please

Post by kenyancowgirl »

Ds1 sat CEM Warks, 2 years ago and Ds2 sat it in Sept just gone. For Ds1, Maths, VR and NVR were given equal weighting but for ds2 this changed to being a 50% weighting of VR and a 50% weighting of NVR and Maths combined. This is because they decided that the way it was for ds1, it gave too much "help' to mathematically minded kids as NVR is correlated with high maths ability. My point is - expect the unexpected with CEM - they can change it and do change it at the drop of a hat. But you can be stronger in one area and still get in but you do have to do well in all areas, iyswim!! Also, CEM tends to be harder so scores do tend to be lower, so you won't be able to compare this years scores, with last years for example, where the test provider has changed.
Stressed?Moi?
Posts: 1844
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:28 am

Re: Marking of different sections of CEM please

Post by Stressed?Moi? »

kenyancowgirl wrote:Ds1 sat CEM Warks, 2 years ago and Ds2 sat it in Sept just gone. For Ds1, Maths, VR and NVR were given equal weighting but for ds2 this changed to being a 50% weighting of VR and a 50% weighting of NVR and Maths combined. This is because they decided that the way it was for ds1, it gave too much "help' to mathematically minded kids as NVR is correlated with high maths ability. My point is - expect the unexpected with CEM - they can change it and do change it at the drop of a hat. But you can be stronger in one area and still get in but you do have to do well in all areas, iyswim!! Also, CEM tends to be harder so scores do tend to be lower, so you won't be able to compare this years scores, with last years for example, where the test provider has changed.
Righty ho kenyancowgirl, that makes sense; I do follow their logic. I guess that if he finds it tough then others will too. With our VR-only set up, at least you were able to judge how they were doing, ie, 75% meant one grammar school, whereas 85%+ meant another. I may be wrong but I think with our new set-up (Gloucestershire) schools just do ranking now as well instead of the pass marks in previous years. All too much for me!!
kenyancowgirl
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Re: Marking of different sections of CEM please

Post by kenyancowgirl »

I'm not entirely sure about Glos...Certainly Warks is not like Kent/Bucks where it is a pass mark and everyone who passes gets a place, with the top passes getting the superselectives. We only have a few GS's in the county and certainly, we could only really access one of them (without an, to me, unacceptable journey.)

Warks does not have a pass mark - it gives every child their score and ranks them against everyone else. The schools then set a qualifying score (AQS) - you have to have achieved at least that, and be in the PAN equivalent rankings, to get a place. Below the AQS there is a minimum score to be allowed on the waiting list for any places. Sounds like Glos may well be going that way too?
Stressed?Moi?
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Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:28 am

Re: Marking of different sections of CEM please

Post by Stressed?Moi? »

If I've got it right, then it does sound like it. It is what it is I guess. Roll on results day at the end of October; will be glad to get this malarkey over with.
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