Bucks and Bexley Familiarisation

[mystery]

Also, meant to say Patricia that I found it amusing when you pointed out that the bucks familiarisation is the same as bexley one which is there for all to read on the bexley website. I think the bucks grammars might have been hoping that the familiarisation papers were unique to them and not for public release.

Maybe it's the same with your prep tests - maybe they are not as informative about the real test or as needing of secrecy as people currently think.

There is stuff in the bexley practice papers that is also in the familiarisation so this might suggest that the bexley practice paper is the same as the bucks prep? Do you think in bucks it will change from year to year? I had thought that the fam and prep test would remain the same from year to year and the real test will be quite surprising and variable in its content from year to year.

Where did you read that the prep test is the same standard as the real test in bucks?

[patricia]

Also, meant to say Patricia that I found it amusing when you pointed out that the bucks familiarisation is the same as bexley one which is there for all to read on the bexley website. I think the bucks grammars might have been hoping that the familiarisation papers were unique to them and not for public release.

The Familiarisation paper for both Bexley and Bucks are on their respective websites for all to see. The wonders of the internet. Years ago we would never have known.

Patricia

[mystery]

Ah - so that was your secret! When I asked on here a while back I was told the bucks one would not and could not be on a website! Maybe your prep test will appear on there soon! Which website is it the bucks stuff is on - is it on the bucks cc one although it is the grammars that have commissioned the test from c e m?

[patricia]

The preparation paper will never be released. The familiarisation probably was not available when you originally asked. Bucks CC are coordinating on behalf of the grammar schools.

Bucks

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/education/sch ... hp36j8b-QI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bexley

http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16040" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Patricia

[mystery]

Thanks Patricia.

I have now read the bucks link for the first time and read the bexley link with new eyes thanks to you.

I can see several reasons to be concerned if, as you rightly fear, the bucks prep test turns out to contain the same question types as the online bexley practice test.

Also I have clicked, if the bexley council blurb is correct, that the bexley practice paper contains the same question types as the real bexley tests.

Has anyone looked at the n v r to see what correspondence there is to gl nvr question types?

Also, from the bucks website it would appear that there are 1000 bucks children who have just finished year 6 who have seen the bucks test for sept 2013 unless it required some adjustment afterwards. Apart from the question this begs re security of the test, it does not appear to be a valid method of testing whether the new test is in some way better than the old test, which I thought was the main purpose of the bucks exercise.

I was also left wondering about the claim in the bucks f a q that the prep test would leave children very familiar with the types of question to be found in the real test. If they are not given answers on the day and some time to think through how to arrive at the correct answers, how does it do this?

If the nvr questions tally with gl types it gives the child who is properly prepared in gl types an advantage. And in bexley it gives children a chance to practise only those question types, if the statement that the practice paper contains the question types in the real test is correct.

I am finding this more and more puzzling.

Also you would appear in bucks to have some out of county children who will be allowed to sit the bucks test at an unpublished later date if they register by 13 September this year. If they do a different paper it will not be tested like the other one, and if they do the same paper this seems open to abuse.

[patricia]

Also, from the bucks website it would appear that there are 1000 bucks children who have just finished year 6 who have seen the bucks test for sept 2013 unless it required some adjustment afterwards. Apart from the question this begs re security of the test

They sat the test in March. They did not sit the test that will be used in September. They sat a test that used the same content ie comprehension/cloze/vocab/maths/nvr etc etc.- not the same questions.

If the nvr questions tally with gl types it gives the child who is properly prepared in gl types an advantage.

Just because it shows types similar to GL it does not mean they will be included. It is really just saying expect to see the NVR type of question. Expect to see Numerical Reasoning questions. Expect to see Comprehension Questions. Expect to see Antonyms/Synonyms etc etc

On the whole I think it is a good idea to change to a test covering the 3 elements. But for Bucks and CEM to say the test cannot be tutored for is absolute folly. Children need to be well versed in Comprehension/cloze/vocab/numeracy and NVR end of...

Patricia

[mystery]

Yes I agree. I am not sure it is folly though - more like misrepresentation of the truth. The bexley online info is a little misleading as the familiarisation stuff makes it clear in the cem written notes that the question types may not be in the test, but the bexley drafted preamble to the practice paper makes it sound as though the question types in the practice paper will definitely be in the test. As you say, question types can mean more than one thing.

I am really not sure why the bucks prep test needs to be so secret.