kent maths paper this year
Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators
kent maths paper this year
What was it like? Someone on another thread has suggested that the "style" of the maths paper in Kent changed this year.
Does anyone know if it was different in some way? If it was, how did it compare with the types of question in the NFER sample maths papers?
Is it ever possible to get hold of a real Kent 11+ question paper?
Does anyone know if it was different in some way? If it was, how did it compare with the types of question in the NFER sample maths papers?
Is it ever possible to get hold of a real Kent 11+ question paper?
-
- Posts: 851
- Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:55 pm
- Location: Bexley
Perplexed - I don't recall my son saying anything about the maths paper other than that it was OK. And, having practiced NFER papers and done the Bexley test (set by NFER) I think he would have told me if it wasn't what he was expecting. He did say there were some algebra questions which he just left. I don't know why, when LEAs discourage preparation for tests, they allow algebra questions which those who haven't been tutored won't be able to do as algebra isn't on the KS2 syllabus.
-
- Posts: 851
- Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:55 pm
- Location: Bexley
But surely it doesn't make any difference how hard or easy the paper was? My understanding is that children are being measured against their peers, not being asked to achieve a fixed number of correct answers. So if the paper was harder than usual (and it sounds as if it might have been) then a child would have had to get fewer questions right to score 115 or 120 etc, etc than in a year when the paper might have been easier. But then I only have a very tenous grasp on how standardisation works!
Quite right Bexley Mum 2, they find the average of each subject, and they are marked against their peers, so as you say it shouldn't matter..... but it does seem to have caught quite a few out.... Maths seems tobe the one that a lot of kids failed on... in our school especially... Luckily my dd subject she preferes and is best at is maths so I am sure it gave her the edge.
-
- Posts: 851
- Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:55 pm
- Location: Bexley
Curious isn't it? I wonder if it's an indication of more children being coached with a focus on NVR and VR so that they do relatively better in those subjects? I know I've always tended to think - maths and english, they do those at school, we'll concentrate on the reasoning. But I'd love to know how it all works!
The problem with the maths is that it is quite knowledge based in parts.
The children take the test right at he beginning of year 6 (even in Kent they have only done 3 months) so may not have come across teh work yet. It was true a while back that the test included work not done in KS2 at all. Certainly among my pupils the maths has been the lowest score
The children take the test right at he beginning of year 6 (even in Kent they have only done 3 months) so may not have come across teh work yet. It was true a while back that the test included work not done in KS2 at all. Certainly among my pupils the maths has been the lowest score
-
- Posts: 129
- Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2007 9:39 pm
So how does all this fit together? The distribution of maths scores must still be a normal distribution with the top 25% passing. So logically it should not make any difference whether the maths paper is extra hard or not, or whether children have covered all the material at school or not.
Or are the parents of those children who were well tutored in maths to cover the 11+ syllabus, (and are also good at maths), and got high scores not taking part in this forum, and are not at the schools that people on this forum use?
Or are the parents of those children who were well tutored in maths to cover the 11+ syllabus, (and are also good at maths), and got high scores not taking part in this forum, and are not at the schools that people on this forum use?
-
- Posts: 851
- Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:55 pm
- Location: Bexley