Advice re marking.

Eleven Plus (11+) in Essex

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MacPac
Posts: 95
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:05 pm

Advice re marking.

Post by MacPac »

Hello.

My DS2 sat a mock recently with a tutoring company many people ask opinions on. He didn't do as well as we were expecting and I was puzzled by this because even taking nerves into account it was low. I received his papers today and I'm shocked by the marking. He lost 12 marks across the papers which are right and have been marked incorrect for petty reasons. A couple of examples are; hol_one. My DS put 't' and it's been marked wrong because they were looking for d but t creates two words. In the section where you have to find a word in the comprehension passage that means the same as a given word he's been marked wrong even though the word is right but he's not put a capital letter at the beginning. An example from the maths paper is 'how many students have no sister?' DS2 has put 19 which is correct but because he didn't write 19 pupils they've marked it incorrect. I understand that units of measurement etc are vital but is pupils necessary?

My question is how strict are the CSSE when marking? Would he get these questions wrong in a CSSE paper?

Hope everyone is managing to stay calm and sane on this final stretch.

MacPac.
Manana
Posts: 710
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 3:22 pm

Re: Advice re marking.

Post by Manana »

MacPac wrote:Hello.

My DS2 sat a mock recently with a tutoring company many people ask opinions on. He didn't do as well as we were expecting and I was puzzled by this because even taking nerves into account it was low. I received his papers today and I'm shocked by the marking. He lost 12 marks across the papers which are right and have been marked incorrect for petty reasons. A couple of examples are; hol_one. My DS put 't' and it's been marked wrong because they were looking for d but t creates two words. In the section where you have to find a word in the comprehension passage that means the same as a given word he's been marked wrong even though the word is right but he's not put a capital letter at the beginning. An example from the maths paper is 'how many students have no sister?' DS2 has put 19 which is correct but because he didn't write 19 pupils they've marked it incorrect. I understand that units of measurement etc are vital but is pupils necessary?

My question is how strict are the CSSE when marking? Would he get these questions wrong in a CSSE paper?

Hope everyone is managing to stay calm and sane on this final stretch.

MacPac.

Wow-that sounds ridiculously harsh marking! As a teacher, I wouldn't have marked any of those wrong! Can you PM the name of the tutoring company-I'm intrigued!
MacPac
Posts: 95
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:05 pm

Re: Advice re marking.

Post by MacPac »

Thank you for the reassurance. I'll PM you the company.
hermanmunster
Posts: 12817
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Advice re marking.

Post by hermanmunster »

hol_one I'm not sure that T does create 2 words? Can see that D does. Might just be having a brain blip - busy morning so far!
MacPac
Posts: 95
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:05 pm

Re: Advice re marking.

Post by MacPac »

Holt is the den of an otter.
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: Advice re marking.

Post by yoyo123 »

I can see that d would be the more obvious answer, the question was ambiguous, however.
Flossie2
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:48 am

Re: Advice re marking.

Post by Flossie2 »

That does seem very harsh and if anyone has any experience it would be good to know if this level of marking is what should be expected. Have you spoken to the company about it?
MacPac
Posts: 95
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:05 pm

Re: Advice re marking.

Post by MacPac »

I think if the CSSE were that strict very few children would pass! I haven't spoken to the company. We're going to email them a list of our complaints. They are currently offering six 3 hour tutoring sessions for parents who choose not to send their children back to school until after the 11+! Very irresponsible in my opinion. If a child needs to be kept off school to be intensively tutored to pass then they're not right for grammar school.
Flossie2
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:48 am

Re: Advice re marking.

Post by Flossie2 »

I'm quite shocked that any company/educationalist would consider suggesting that a child might be kept off of school until after the 11+. Maybe I've misinterpreted or I'm naive?
optimisticmom
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2011 12:09 pm

Re: Advice re marking.

Post by optimisticmom »

MacPac wrote:I think if the CSSE were that strict very few children would pass! I haven't spoken to the company. We're going to email them a list of our complaints. They are currently offering six 3 hour tutoring sessions for parents who choose not to send their children back to school until after the 11+! Very irresponsible in my opinion. If a child needs to be kept off school to be intensively tutored to pass then they're not right for grammar school.

We had this same discussion in 2010 and my dd , bless her cotton socks who is now going to year 10 at CCHS was taken out of school for a few days prior to the exam alongside 3 of her mates. We decided not to use any of the tutors we used during the holidays/weekends and we moms did the last few days of focussed learning before the exams ourselves. I dare say all four of them got in and they are flourishing as well.

A lot of moms on this forum were saying the same thing way back then about parents being irresponsible etc and my response was that you do what you've got to do as a parent to get your dc where you feel they've got to get to!

I would take my ds out of school to remove him from the negative environment where his fellow mates have told him he has no chance of getting in, telling him he is stupid for having to do all this hard work, where one of his teachers have passed a negative comment which only serves to put doubt in his mind.

In those days at home, prior to the exam, I will put him in a positive environment, he will be surrounded by like minded dcs who believe it is achievable and told they will make it if they keep up the good work! Fortunately for us, our school is pro eleven plus and they have a lady who comes into the school to do a few sessions with those taking the exam so they are in favour of what we have called "offsite learning" in the run up to the exam.

I say to all parents out there, you only get one shot at this exam and if a last minute heavy duty session is what you feel your child needs, then go for it!! If you do and your dc succeeds, you'll have no regrets and if you do and he doesn't succeed, you'll know you did what you felt you needed to do. Only you as a parent know what last minute fine tuning or focussed learning your own dc needs and no one else...

So peeps here's me wishing you all out there the very best! may the Good Lord above crown all your efforts with great news in March 2015....teeheehee!

Optimisticmom
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