Pass mark for Warwickshire?

[Rugbymum]

Does anyone know what mark is required in order to pass next month's 11plus?

[jacquie]

It will depend on the scores the children get. Each year the pass mark is different. For example, if there are 100 [places and 100 children get 95% or over, then , 95% will be the pass mark.

[Charlotte67]

Equally, if there are 100 places and 100 children score over 40% then 40 will be the pass mark.

However, the passmark (for automatic entry) is usually set slighly higher - in the above example it might be ?45? to allow for assessment of "boarderline" children and headteacher appeals. There is also standardisation to deal with.

Last year my DD scored 83% on paper 1 and 89% on paper 2. She ranked 37th in Rugby. I don't know anyone else's scores but I do know of children who left out (literally) pages of questions and still scraped a pass. I am not telling you this to show off, just to try to set your mind at rest - contrary to the many rumours out there, your child will not need to be working at 90% + to 'pass'.

As you know, this year is the first usung the new format so it is impossible to say at what level your child needs to be working. Just keep plugging away & try not to worry too much (!) In our experience, timing & confidence are the most important things on the day.

Good luck,

Charlotte

[Bad Dad]

Very interesting points, Charlotte. I agree, it is easy to feel your child is doomed if they get much less than 90% from some things you read on here. But I seem to remember you did know the marks of one other child who got exactly the same raw scores as your child but the other child was a fair few places lower down the list owing to being older (although also comfortably passed). In fact, I have just found the relevant post:

Have 'phoned for raw scores and have got some very interesting information.

This will amuse LBSWM - Ed & DD got EXACTLY the same score in each paper!!!! We toyed with the idea that they give out the same info to each parent nosey enough to ask, but dismissed it.

Ed's birthday early Sept. DD's late June. Scores were: Paper 1 66/80 - paper 2 71/80.

Standardised scores & positions were:

Ed - paper 1 - 110 paper 2 - 120 = 230 = 80/739
DD - 118 - 125 = 243 = 37/739

This made me think that the margin between success and failure was extremely tight. After all, it looks like 2 children with the same marks were 43 places apart in the rankings purely through a couple of marks added on by standardisation.

What you say about children leaving out swathes of questions and still passing is comforting. But then again, that is presumably just anecdotal evidence provided by the children themselves. I'm not sure I'd trust my son to give a very accurate account of what he did and didn't answer in a test! And as far as I remember from my school days, it was very common for people to claim they had totally messed up in the immediate aftermath of taking an exam but then when the results came through they had done brilliantly.

With the less predictable format of the test this year, I am hoping there will be a broader spread of marks and a few silly mistakes won't do too much harm. I expect it will still be pretty competitive though!

[Ed's mum]

That was my son, Bad Dad.
I would have to seek the letter out now (definitely mentioned in another post, probably on the Warks thread). Yes, my son and Charlotte's daughter had the same raw score but were at different places on the list. My son more like 80th/90th off the top of my head.
You can tell I didn't read to the bottom of your post - got all excited when you referred to my son!! I see you have quoted what was posted some months ago!!

[magwich2]

If it is any help DD (june birthday) got raw scores of 77 out of 80 and 73 out of 80. These standardised as 141 and 129 and placed her joint 6th. From what she told me after the exam I expected about these raw scores. I have no idea how the standardising worked but her june birthday seems to have made a big difference

[Ed's mum]

Same Magwich?? Slightly different user name? Jsut checking if it's still the original Magwich...

[magwich2]

Yes indeed - the very same magwich!!
Its just that I am so hopeless at computing that I could not manage to log in so had to start again!
My conspiracy theorist side thought I had been nobbled but I think it is me!!

[jacquie]

It will depend on the scores the children get. Each year the pass mark is different. For example, if there are 100 [places and 100 children get 95% or over, then , 95% will be the pass mark.

And 95% was the 'pass' mark, if I remember correctly, in 2006. One of my pupils attained 97% and was 25th! Which means there must have been a fair few with 100% , I'll wager
Last year was much lower. I'll be interested to see the effects of the new system. I applaud the maths and literacy content- far fairer and the preparation is useful to the children, whatever the result of their exam.
In my experience, and I have been preparing children for the Rugby exam for 15 years now, the girls have had, in general, apart from last year, to get over 90% to pass and the boys over 80%, the latter sometimes dropping to 75% .

[Charlotte67]

Jacquie,

Out of interest, how do you find out the scores of those you have tutored? To be meaningful these must be the raw scores, which are not given out as a matter of course. Do your parents all 'phone to ask for the scores & then pass them on to you?

Charlotte