Birmingham & Walsall exam content for 2014 & 2015

[WISE]

Hi,

Anyone has any details of Birmingham and Walsall exam contents and test structure for Sept 2014 and September 2015 (last couple of years) tests?

The stickie here only shows details of up to the 2013 test (2014 entry). What happened after that?

Is the test structure and contents still the same or changed any significantly?

Please anyone who's dc did tests in 2014 and 2015 can you contribute and help other newbies a little.

Would really appreciate, thanks.

[KenR]

We didn't receive sufficient feedback for the Sept 2014 test(Sept 2014) to be able to publish any sensible content feedback.

We have received some feedback for the Sept 2015 which I will collate and publish during the 1st week of Sept. We can't publish details early than this because the KE Foundation/Consortium are still holding further tests up until the end of Aug for children whose parents have moved into the region. The Consortium requested that we don't publish feedback until after that date.

[WISE]

Thanks KenR

I'm really surprised and even shocked to learn that some people will be able to take the test so late using the same papers! Are not these late sitters getting advantage of one full years extra time and preparation? What an unfair policy! Just unbelievable.

Who exactly qualifies for this late test? And aren't all places for 2016 entry already allocated long time ago? Is there any formal policy about this?

Btw, I sent you a pm and would appreciate any response.

Thanks.

[Guest55]

WISE - it happens in many places - what if your family had to move when your child was in Year 6?

The child may already have a GS place but needs to sit another test in a new area. Yes, places are allocated but people can appeal and there are special arrangements for Service families.

[UmSusu]

They would have to have a genuine reason to sit the test at a later date - the KE Foundation are very strict about missing the normal registration / test date. Parents would also have to provide evidence of a move into the LEA etc.

They might have had more time to prepare in theory but it they would be compared with their own age for standardisation and I can't see parents deliberately choosing this route of entry.

[KenR]

Thanks KenR

I'm really surprised and even shocked to learn that some people will be able to take the test so late using the same papers! Are not these late sitters getting advantage of one full years extra time and preparation? What an unfair policy! Just unbelievable.

Who exactly qualifies for this late test? And aren't all places for 2016 entry already allocated long time ago? Is there any formal policy about this?

Btw, I sent you a pm and would appreciate any response.

Thanks.

Actually they are at a disadvantage because:-
(a) they are older so will lose out on Age Standardisation
(b) If they get a high score they don't get a guaranteed place - just a slot high on the waiting list
(c) the late tests are only for bone-fide parents/children moving into the region, so the child will have had to cope with a disruptive education during this time.

They need to use the same test otherwise you cant compare scores

Don't think it's unfair at all - existing scores of children who sat the test earlier are not adjusted and no child will lose a place that's been offered.

[DIY Mum]

Correct me if I'm wrong ( my last dc who sat the test was in 2013) but the style of exam hasn't changed much ? Content would change but exam format - other than the fact that dc write answers on a separate sheet - it's still the same as before??

[workingmom]

First and foremost, I would like to thank everybody who has contributed to the content thread, as I know it has helped me immensely to understand what format and what time constraint are expected.

When reading, I found below and had a question , would be nice if somebody can help -

Story about the Olympics - whether we should have fun school events like tug of war and what we should have in future Olympics.
"Hang-man" style clues where you had to guess the missing letters. Started out easily and got progressively harder.
(One child guessed 20 - 25 - but didn't finish the last 3 or 4.)

Are these missing letters presented to the kids as part of being in a story extract or are these missing letters words which need to be guessed using a definition.
The reason why I ask, my daughter is good at getting the context of a story, not sure if definition will have the same result.

[KenR]

For info the content sticky has been updated with the feedback from the Sept 2015 exam