Need some help please

Eleven Plus (11+) in Surrey (Sutton, Kingston and Wandsworth)

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babs
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2014 2:41 pm

Need some help please

Post by babs »

Hi,

My DS has got through to Wallington but not Wilsons, however he is absolutely adamant that he felt he did really well in the Wilsons exam and feels his paper has not been marked correctly.
This has planted a seed in my head and feel I need to do something about this. The email from Wilsons clearly states that they do not remark but does anyone know if they make any exceptions to this rule?

Thanks
Ladymuck
Posts: 1240
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:04 pm

Re: Need some help please

Post by Ladymuck »

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Last edited by Ladymuck on Sat Mar 21, 2015 3:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Catlady
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2014 9:26 am

Re: Need some help please

Post by Catlady »

Hi Babs
- I would say do it, ask for a re-mark - follow your DS' instincts - you haven't got anything to lose.
babs
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2014 2:41 pm

Re: Need some help please

Post by babs »

Ladymuck wrote:Tricky.

Firstly do you have a spare space on your CAF? Can you "waste" a space on Wilson's?

Am I right in thinking that you have his mark? Any breakdown? How close to the passmark?

I can't see that a request to have the paper looked at again can do any harm. Mistakes do happen. That said it isn't uncommon to pass one school and not one of the others.
Hey Ladymuck,

Yes I can use one place on the CAF for Wilsons, but why? I don't understand what I will get from that, can you clarify please?
His mark was 460 out of 485, so not that close but he is so adamant about this, also one of the invigilators was his ex tutor and they did not get on and I ended up withdrawing my DS from his class, this tutor was the one who collected my DS's paper and possibly marked it...am I being really paranoid now?
ShrimpStation
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 12:30 pm

Re: Need some help please

Post by ShrimpStation »

I know two boys who passed WCGS but not Wilson's.

If you want to appeal, you have to put Wilson's on your CAF, as you can't appeal to a school to which you have not applied.
Nims
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2013 4:44 pm

Re: Need some help please

Post by Nims »

babs wrote:
Ladymuck wrote:Tricky.

Firstly do you have a spare space on your CAF? Can you "waste" a space on Wilson's?

Am I right in thinking that you have his mark? Any breakdown? How close to the passmark?

I can't see that a request to have the paper looked at again can do any harm. Mistakes do happen. That said it isn't uncommon to pass one school and not one of the others.
Hey Ladymuck,

Yes I can use one place on the CAF for Wilsons, but why? I don't understand what I will get from that, can you clarify please?
His mark was 460 out of 485, so not that close but he is so adamant about this, also one of the invigilators was his ex tutor and they did not get on and I ended up withdrawing my DS from his class, this tutor was the one who collected my DS's paper and possibly marked it...am I being really paranoid now?
Hi, this is impossible. Wilson's marking wouldn't be biased or based on an individual's tutor's whims and fancies. Also, I believe they conduct few rounds of papers evaluation hence chances of wrong evaluation are quite low. While I'm not aware if requesting for a recheck would help, there is no harm in doing so. Please ensure you put Wilson's as your choice in CAF. You might want to talk to Headmaster as well. He is quite friendly and approachable.
loopylou
Posts: 403
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:08 am

Re: Need some help please

Post by loopylou »

Your son may be right in his assessment but it doesn't actually matter how well he has done in any individual exam. The score he receives isn't the only factor - it is how well he did in direct comparison to all others taking the test. Even if he got 83% as a raw score for example, this would not help if everybody else was scoring in the low 90's.
It is also not uncommon to pass for one school but not the other. Historically, it has been more common to pass Wallington but not Wilsons than the other way round. It doesn't indicate a problem with marking. Marking is definitely not going to be influenced by one ex-tutor’s whims or views. The whole process is very conveyer belt but also very carefully monitored and checked

You would probably be granted an automatic remark if you go to appeal. To go to appeal you will have to list Wilsons on your form knowing that you will be declined a place there. Once you submit appeal forms next March, Wilsons will double check your son's paper but realistically, it is unlikely to change things at that point. Your appeal would be more likely to succeed if based on proving high academic ability and suitability for the school. Appeals normally take place in late spring or early summer so it is likely to be quite a long road even if successful and therefore it may be a good idea to get your son used to the idea of other schools. Nothing immediate can happen at this stage.
babs
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2014 2:41 pm

Re: Need some help please

Post by babs »

loopylou wrote:Your son may be right in his assessment but it doesn't actually matter how well he has done in any individual exam. The score he receives isn't the only factor - it is how well he did in direct comparison to all others taking the test. Even if he got 83% as a raw score for example, this would not help if everybody else was scoring in the low 90's.
It is also not uncommon to pass for one school but not the other. Historically, it has been more common to pass Wallington but not Wilsons than the other way round. It doesn't indicate a problem with marking. Marking is definitely not going to be influenced by one ex-tutor’s whims or views. The whole process is very conveyer belt but also very carefully monitored and checked

You would probably be granted an automatic remark if you go to appeal. To go to appeal you will have to list Wilsons on your form knowing that you will be declined a place there. Once you submit appeal forms next March, Wilsons will double check your son's paper but realistically, it is unlikely to change things at that point. Your appeal would be more likely to succeed if based on proving high academic ability and suitability for the school. Appeals normally take place in late spring or early summer so it is likely to be quite a long road even if successful and therefore it may be a good idea to get your son used to the idea of other schools. Nothing immediate can happen at this stage.
Thanks Loopylou,
What do you mean by "Your appeal would be more likely to succeed if based on proving high academic ability and suitability for the school", how would I do this?
loopylou
Posts: 403
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:08 am

Re: Need some help please

Post by loopylou »

You can start a thread in the Appeals section here where they will be able to give lots of pointers and advice.
It is possible to appeal for Wilsons and, if successful, your son would be given a place even if he hadn't reached the score required. It is fairly rare for appeals in London and Surrey grammar schools to succeed but some are won each year.
You would need to show the appeal panel that he is of the standard required (despite the 11+ mark) so would need other evidence to prove this eg CATS assessments. Since Wilsons will be full by the time you appeal, you would also need to convince them to accept an extra child by explaining why Wilsons is best suited to your son and explain why he would be better off at Wilsons overall.
htm123
Posts: 72
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 3:08 pm

Re: Need some help please

Post by htm123 »

OP I don't think a mistake in marking can be worth (26?) so many points! If it was say... one or two points off the mark probably you could have been in luck with re-marking but as you can see, the difference is quite big. Remember that the English paper was only about [Edited by moderator] using a list of instructions and that's where the boys think they did great when in reality small but costly mistakes were made. I'm saying this because after the exam on our way back home on the bus I overheard more than six versions of what the English task was about! (including DS but DS passed, however, not putting Wilson's on CAF as aiming for SGS). From what DS told us, there was also a very tricky task in Maths asking to interpret something (not allowed to give exact details here, sorry). Hope all you do for your DS goes well
Good luck!
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