KE Exam Info
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KE Exam Info
Dear All,
Having been through the 11+ process both in Nov 05 and 06 I thought I would pass on some info that you may or may not find helpful. When my eldest child took the test in Nov 05 my knowledge was very sparse. All I knew was that paper 1 contained proof reading and that the comprehension questions were on paper 2.
Before embarking on the 11+ it may be useful to look at the figures.
In Nov 2005, 3502 children sat the test for approx 600 KE foundation Grammar school places. There are around 13000 ten year olds in Birmingham therefore it is easy to see why competition is fierce.
Previous postings by KE Mum relating to the Nov 2005 paper are accurate however the 2006 paper was slightly different with the Maths (data Handling) on the second paper has gone being replaced by more of "the made up words questions" which I think is a passage where you have to replace a jumble of letters(not an anagram)with the most appropriate word from a choice of 3 or 4. My eldest child said these where hard and was glad he had not sat the 2006 paper.
Also the NVR section had changed. In 2005 there were normal type NVR questions plus the Bug questions. In 2006 there were only the bug type questions.
So it appears that the more straightforward parts of the 2005 paper "the Data Handling and normal type NVR questions had been replaced with more challenging content.
Obviously I am only providing info that I have extracted from my children but it also seems that the proof reading in 2006 contained fewer errors to find than in 2005 . Again I think it is easier to find alot of mistakes than well spaced ones.
Clearly they make it as challanging as possible because questions that lots of children can do does not help them differentiate.
I am led to believe that there where only about 70 synonyms on paper 1 in 2006 not the 81 as in 2005.
So looking at the papers you need to be not only capable at Maths but also very capable at English.
So before you embark on the 11+ talk to your childs school. Don't say will they pass the 11+ because the teachers are very unlikley to be drawn on that question, ask about their English ability, their reading age is particulary relevent as this is often measured in a similar way to some elements of the 11+.
Other things to consider
Does your child read out of choice?.
Does your child listen to audio books?
Does your child trawl the internet looking for walkthroughs explaining how to complete the latest level on their computer game.?
Does your child use words that suprise you (excluding unsuitables of course) and when you ask can tell you how they know them?
Does you child have vast collections of trading cards containing all sorts of unusual words.
What I am trying to say they don't need to be reading Dickens!
Talk to your child see what they think and be realistic about your childs ability. At the end of the day it depends how they do on the day and a unstressed child is likely to do a lot better than a stressed one.
Wishing everyone success
Having been through the 11+ process both in Nov 05 and 06 I thought I would pass on some info that you may or may not find helpful. When my eldest child took the test in Nov 05 my knowledge was very sparse. All I knew was that paper 1 contained proof reading and that the comprehension questions were on paper 2.
Before embarking on the 11+ it may be useful to look at the figures.
In Nov 2005, 3502 children sat the test for approx 600 KE foundation Grammar school places. There are around 13000 ten year olds in Birmingham therefore it is easy to see why competition is fierce.
Previous postings by KE Mum relating to the Nov 2005 paper are accurate however the 2006 paper was slightly different with the Maths (data Handling) on the second paper has gone being replaced by more of "the made up words questions" which I think is a passage where you have to replace a jumble of letters(not an anagram)with the most appropriate word from a choice of 3 or 4. My eldest child said these where hard and was glad he had not sat the 2006 paper.
Also the NVR section had changed. In 2005 there were normal type NVR questions plus the Bug questions. In 2006 there were only the bug type questions.
So it appears that the more straightforward parts of the 2005 paper "the Data Handling and normal type NVR questions had been replaced with more challenging content.
Obviously I am only providing info that I have extracted from my children but it also seems that the proof reading in 2006 contained fewer errors to find than in 2005 . Again I think it is easier to find alot of mistakes than well spaced ones.
Clearly they make it as challanging as possible because questions that lots of children can do does not help them differentiate.
I am led to believe that there where only about 70 synonyms on paper 1 in 2006 not the 81 as in 2005.
So looking at the papers you need to be not only capable at Maths but also very capable at English.
So before you embark on the 11+ talk to your childs school. Don't say will they pass the 11+ because the teachers are very unlikley to be drawn on that question, ask about their English ability, their reading age is particulary relevent as this is often measured in a similar way to some elements of the 11+.
Other things to consider
Does your child read out of choice?.
Does your child listen to audio books?
Does your child trawl the internet looking for walkthroughs explaining how to complete the latest level on their computer game.?
Does your child use words that suprise you (excluding unsuitables of course) and when you ask can tell you how they know them?
Does you child have vast collections of trading cards containing all sorts of unusual words.
What I am trying to say they don't need to be reading Dickens!
Talk to your child see what they think and be realistic about your childs ability. At the end of the day it depends how they do on the day and a unstressed child is likely to do a lot better than a stressed one.
Wishing everyone success
