11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi whilst the 2020 familiarisation booklet gives idea of format of possible questions, is it Fair to say it cannot be taken as an indication of complexity of questions in real exam? E.g they could be less or more complex than these?

it does say at start of booklet it’s purpose just wondering what other people thought I.e. per those whose kids have previously done the real test?

And if a child struggles with these questions then is it likely the real test will be a significant challenge for them (recognising time pressure will impact in real test even is a child is capable of answering if given ample time?

Thanks

Yes the familiarisation booklet is more about what the question layout is like and how you mark your answer. The actual questions could be more complicated or less complicated but, tend to be seen by the children as harder in the real thing.

The 11+ is designed to pull out the top performing/potential children so it is not suitable for everyone in the same way that a Grammar school is certainly not suitable for every child. We know some children who are pretty miserable in a GS, not because of anything the school does or doesn't do but because they are at the bottom end all the time and feeling the pressure - in all of these case they would have sat in the middle to top of their local school, improved their confidence and probably performed better and been much happier.

If your child is struggling with the familiarisation booklet questions (rather than the format/style they are showing) then it may be worth considering if they would be better elsewhere. The time challenge in Birmingham/Warwickshire is very real - I suppose it is one way of sorting the very bright kids (and there are a lot of them) into those that are very bright and quick too.

Thank you very insightful. Exactly the reason why I didn’t put my dd through as she would not have got on well at a gs but ds is a different case.

I will talk through the booklet with him! And then it’s all down to what happens on the day! Best laid plans of mice and men.......