Difficulty of practice materials

Sally-Anne · Post by **Sally-Anne** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:23 pm

Hi All

I have been mulling over the question of the difficulty of test papers in the last few days, as the test dates for Bucks come nearer.

Having used all of these materials, some of them twice, I would say that the approximate difficulty ranking for Bucks practice materials is (from easiest to most difficult):

1 Tutors CD1
2 Tutors full papers, Nos 1 - 10
3 IPS full papers
4 Tutors short papers, Level 3
5 IPS daily papers
6 Tutors full papers, Nos 11 & 12
7 Learning Labs
8 NFER - shop bought > practice papers
9 NFER: actual test
10 Bright Sparks
11 Walsh
12 Tutors Short Papers, Level 4. (Mental health warning attached

)

I would be interested to hear any comments about how your DS/DD found the various materials against this ranking.

Sally-Anne

Second time round · Post by **Second time round** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:35 pm

I tend to agree with your ordering (although we haven't used Learning Labs) with some overlap occuring between publishers- but how do you know where the NFER actual test fits in, and where would you put the NFER practice tests?

Rose

Sally-Anne · Post by **Sally-Anne** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:43 pm

Hi Rose

I have just edited my post to try to cover the ambiguity. Shop-bought papers are probably a little easier than the real test. Practice papers are probably a tad harder than shop bought. So,:

1 Shop bought
2 Practice papers
3 Real thing

It is a tough call once you get up to the actual test standard!

Sally-Anne

Second time round · Post by **Second time round** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:53 pm

Hi Sally-Anne

I just wonder how you know where to rank the actual test - I have never seen one- and just have a sample of one (DD1) saying she found the actual tests much easier than the practice ones!

Rose

Post by **patricia** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:07 pm

Dear Sally-Anne

A very astute list, well done. I would personally group Nfer real test and Bright Sparks together.

Dear Second time round

Nfer, in school Practice papers 1 and 2 are harder than shop bought Nfer. They [the school practice tests1 and 2] are supposed to be of the same difficutly as the real test. However in my experience the real test has brought to light a slightly more complex vocab. Many children say one paper is easier than the other, but this in the main boils down to what the child actually prefers in terms of types of questions.

Patricia

Sally-Anne · Post by **Sally-Anne** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:15 pm

Hi Rose

I have been there before with DS1!

He is a boy, so we will have different experiences of this all.

S-A

Second time round · Post by **Second time round** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:27 pm

Hi Sally-Anne

OK, so you are using your sample of one to place the actual NFER test, whereas my sample of one would put it before the practice tests as (I assume) she must have scored higher in the real ones than the practice ones from the scores she achieved!

Fingers crossed for our DC2s!!

Rose

Sally-Anne · Post by **Sally-Anne** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:26 pm

No Rose, I am asking for your opinion!

Second time round · Post by **Second time round** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:43 am

I think I have given it - it is just based on too small an amount of data, I think, to be valid!

Rose

Gilly · Post by **Gilly** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:49 am

Hi Sally-Anne,

You mentioned three categories for NFER

1. Shop bought
2. Practice papers
3. Real thing

I can understand the 1 and 3. What are you referring to when you say 'Practice Papers'. I also noticed in one of Patricia's reply the use of '.. Nfer, in school Practice papers 1 and 2 are harder than shop bought Nfer...'.

What is that you are all referring to. Am I missing something here?

Gilly