For Patricia
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Road Runner
- Posts: 410
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Mel x
Hi Patricia
Do you think I should already encourage my daughter to only answer on the actual answer sheets on the IPS papers. She will be doing the Bucks test so will use multiple choice papers. Whilst going though the IPS technique book and some of the additional questions she has been marking both at times. I can understand this as there is space for answers on the actual papers. Trouble is I think because of this she doesn't always do the process of illimination(look at the answers as she goes) which I know can save time particulary on the code questions. I know timing is not essentuial right now and also I realise in the actual NFER papers there will be no answer spaces so perhaps I'm worrying about nothing?. I had been thinking of crossing through all the answer spaces on the sheets, what do you think?
Mel
Do you think I should already encourage my daughter to only answer on the actual answer sheets on the IPS papers. She will be doing the Bucks test so will use multiple choice papers. Whilst going though the IPS technique book and some of the additional questions she has been marking both at times. I can understand this as there is space for answers on the actual papers. Trouble is I think because of this she doesn't always do the process of illimination(look at the answers as she goes) which I know can save time particulary on the code questions. I know timing is not essentuial right now and also I realise in the actual NFER papers there will be no answer spaces so perhaps I'm worrying about nothing?. I had been thinking of crossing through all the answer spaces on the sheets, what do you think?
Mel
Dear Mel
From the word go I insist my children only mark the answer on the answer sheet. They MUST make notes as they go along but as soon as they arrive at the answer, they do not write it on the question booklet , only line off the answer sheet.
Type I
45 + 37 = 7 x 8 + ?
child would write on top of 45 + 37....82
on top of 7 x 8 ...56
work out answer as 26 but as 26 is the last step would NOT write it down, just mark off the answer sheet.
Yes there are a number of questions where you can eliminate from answer sheet eg Type A, just go through the letters one by one.
Type C my children MUST NOT check after every letter [most of the time you need at least 3/4 letters to arrive at the correct answer, if they constantly check after every letter they are WASTING precious time. It takes approx 1/2 seconds to check, wasted 3/6 seconds checking on each question over a section of 7 questions have just WASTED 21/42 seconds! [could have answered 2/3 easy questons in that time
So, yes start making your daughter answer correctly, in addition show her about the process of elimination. I believe it is best to get the technique correct from the word go....
Patricia
From the word go I insist my children only mark the answer on the answer sheet. They MUST make notes as they go along but as soon as they arrive at the answer, they do not write it on the question booklet , only line off the answer sheet.
Type I
45 + 37 = 7 x 8 + ?
child would write on top of 45 + 37....82
on top of 7 x 8 ...56
work out answer as 26 but as 26 is the last step would NOT write it down, just mark off the answer sheet.
Yes there are a number of questions where you can eliminate from answer sheet eg Type A, just go through the letters one by one.
Type C my children MUST NOT check after every letter [most of the time you need at least 3/4 letters to arrive at the correct answer, if they constantly check after every letter they are WASTING precious time. It takes approx 1/2 seconds to check, wasted 3/6 seconds checking on each question over a section of 7 questions have just WASTED 21/42 seconds! [could have answered 2/3 easy questons in that time
So, yes start making your daughter answer correctly, in addition show her about the process of elimination. I believe it is best to get the technique correct from the word go....
Patricia
Sorry for hijack, but it is still to do with the question sheet... I was interested in Patricia's tips for Type C, as I've just been helping my daughter with these. She finds them really tedious and I'm concerned that she spends too long on them. We started by checking the answer sheet after every letter but found as you did, Patricia, that you need at least the first few letters before you can start to eliminate answers. Would it be a good idea to check after - say - the first three or four letters? I suggested this when she was faced with a seven-letter code ("oh no - do I HAVE to do all those letters?"). Otherwise, do you have any other tips for speeding up these questions? I suggested not working out the pattern to the end of the word - if the pattern is obvious after the first few, then should you go straight on to the decoding?
Have just read this back, sorry if it sounds confusing but I'm sure you know what I mean.
Have just read this back, sorry if it sounds confusing but I'm sure you know what I mean.
Dear Marylou
Check after the first 3/4. The rule does NOT have to follow a pattern, must NOT assume. Yes they find it tedious, Have to say to themselves, ' I know these code will take me a long time, but it does not matter, because I KNOW I will score 100% marks.'
I do NOT believe in the 30 second per question approach, some take as little as 5 seconds, others up to 45 seconds [C] and of course Z can take 2-4 minutes. Dont forget Zs are always left till last.
Patricia
Check after the first 3/4. The rule does NOT have to follow a pattern, must NOT assume. Yes they find it tedious, Have to say to themselves, ' I know these code will take me a long time, but it does not matter, because I KNOW I will score 100% marks.'
I do NOT believe in the 30 second per question approach, some take as little as 5 seconds, others up to 45 seconds [C] and of course Z can take 2-4 minutes. Dont forget Zs are always left till last.
Patricia
Thanks very much for that, Patricia. Henceforth we won't assume there is a pattern for Type Cs. She has already noted that some question types can be done much more quickly - in her case, number patterns and synonyms/antonyms go fairly rapidly and this has indeed helped her confidence when dealing with the more tedious and challenging questions. However, we haven't got on to the Zs yet...as in the test, I'm leaving them till last 
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Road Runner
- Posts: 410
- Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:32 pm
Mel x
Thanks Patricia
I will indeed tell my dd to only mark the answer sheets from now on.
Marylou
I assume your dd is doing the bucks test?
My dd seemed to do fine with the codes when we did them in the technique book papers as there were only a few in the paper but when she did 12 in the additional questions she took ages, over half an hour. She did get 99% right missing one because she marked the wrong answer on the sheet although showed the correct one in her workings out. I think it was a case of her being strained from doing that many at once. She said she ahd a headache afterwards. Because of that I am not going to test her with that many again I shall only give her a few at a time.
I think they would only ever get six at the most in the real test?
Like your dd she gets the number q's and the word q's done very quickly. She has attempted teh Z's in the tech book but we too left them till the end.
How is your daughter doing in general. Mine is scoring very well but I can see that we haveto practise vocab as the few she has got wrong have been becaue for words that she doesn't recognise.
By all means PM me if you prefer.
Mel
I will indeed tell my dd to only mark the answer sheets from now on.
Marylou
I assume your dd is doing the bucks test?
My dd seemed to do fine with the codes when we did them in the technique book papers as there were only a few in the paper but when she did 12 in the additional questions she took ages, over half an hour. She did get 99% right missing one because she marked the wrong answer on the sheet although showed the correct one in her workings out. I think it was a case of her being strained from doing that many at once. She said she ahd a headache afterwards. Because of that I am not going to test her with that many again I shall only give her a few at a time.
I think they would only ever get six at the most in the real test?
Like your dd she gets the number q's and the word q's done very quickly. She has attempted teh Z's in the tech book but we too left them till the end.
How is your daughter doing in general. Mine is scoring very well but I can see that we haveto practise vocab as the few she has got wrong have been becaue for words that she doesn't recognise.
By all means PM me if you prefer.
Mel
Hi, Mel
Yes, my dd is doing the Bucks test. So far I have been looking at individual question types and we are working through them gradually, practising each type from the IPS papers. Once she has learned the technique I'll let her start working through whole practice papers so that we can work out where we need to focus our attention. I've also got the Tutors software for her to practise on later as I understand that this helps with improving speed. We also need to do some more work on vocab - her general level seems to be quite reasonable but she too occasionally comes across an unknown word.
I think you are right to say that there are only six questions of each type in the test, apart from Zs of which I think there are two in each paper.
My dd is lucky in that several members of the family are able to help her with her preparation - she gets me most of the time
but her dad is good at showing her how to do the maths-type questions (eg type K) and her big sis did the test a few years ago and can help with anything, but is particularly good at codes. She really wants her sister to join her at her school so will happily sit down and share her own expertise which is based on first-hand experience An added benefit, I find, is that a change of face/voice helps to keep dd2 interested!
Good luck, anyway.
Marylou
Yes, my dd is doing the Bucks test. So far I have been looking at individual question types and we are working through them gradually, practising each type from the IPS papers. Once she has learned the technique I'll let her start working through whole practice papers so that we can work out where we need to focus our attention. I've also got the Tutors software for her to practise on later as I understand that this helps with improving speed. We also need to do some more work on vocab - her general level seems to be quite reasonable but she too occasionally comes across an unknown word.
I think you are right to say that there are only six questions of each type in the test, apart from Zs of which I think there are two in each paper.
My dd is lucky in that several members of the family are able to help her with her preparation - she gets me most of the time
but her dad is good at showing her how to do the maths-type questions (eg type K) and her big sis did the test a few years ago and can help with anything, but is particularly good at codes. She really wants her sister to join her at her school so will happily sit down and share her own expertise which is based on first-hand experience An added benefit, I find, is that a change of face/voice helps to keep dd2 interested!Good luck, anyway.
Marylou
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Road Runner
- Posts: 410
- Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:32 pm
Mel x
Hi Marylou
That sounds likea good idea and I'm sure makes it more interesting.
It's lovely your older daughter is so encouraging. My son is too. He is currently at JHG in year 8 and still has lots of homework and gets home late so I can't really rope him in. But just last Saturday he treated dd to a film at the cinema, he said he is "very proud of how well she is doing so far". He even let her pick 'Enchanted' a very girlie film although he did say it wasn't too bad considering!
He is a very good Brother and tells her that she is doing better then he did at this stage. Bless him we didn't start his tuition until alot later and niether did I have the benfit of this website until very late in the day, yet he did pass and but never says any of this to her. I am sure hi sencouragement will help her.
Well perhaps you and I can keep each other company via here whilst going through all this.
I'm sure we will have loads more questions before we're done.
Mel
That sounds likea good idea and I'm sure makes it more interesting.
It's lovely your older daughter is so encouraging. My son is too. He is currently at JHG in year 8 and still has lots of homework and gets home late so I can't really rope him in. But just last Saturday he treated dd to a film at the cinema, he said he is "very proud of how well she is doing so far". He even let her pick 'Enchanted' a very girlie film although he did say it wasn't too bad considering!
He is a very good Brother and tells her that she is doing better then he did at this stage. Bless him we didn't start his tuition until alot later and niether did I have the benfit of this website until very late in the day, yet he did pass and but never says any of this to her. I am sure hi sencouragement will help her.
Well perhaps you and I can keep each other company via here whilst going through all this.
I'm sure we will have loads more questions before we're done.
Mel
Hi Mel,
Yes, sounds like a good idea - let's be 11-plus buddies!
Your ds sounds very sweet. My dd1 is in year 10 but doesn't seem to have as much homework as I would expect from a GS - possibly even less than she had in KS3, but I think it's because they get through a lot of work in class and are probably easing off for a bit before the real GCSE pressure starts. That's my theory, anyway - it's parents' evening next week so I'll be able to find out if she is pulling her weight!
We likewise only had a short time to prepare dd1 for the test but she managed it without too much difficulty. I used the IPS materials for her, too, but we didn't complete many practice tests due to lack of time. It was good that we did some preparation though, as she found it difficult to finish the tests to begin with.
BTW - my kids loved Enchanted too - even my son who thought the action bit at the end was really cool!
Marylou
Yes, sounds like a good idea - let's be 11-plus buddies!
Your ds sounds very sweet. My dd1 is in year 10 but doesn't seem to have as much homework as I would expect from a GS - possibly even less than she had in KS3, but I think it's because they get through a lot of work in class and are probably easing off for a bit before the real GCSE pressure starts. That's my theory, anyway - it's parents' evening next week so I'll be able to find out if she is pulling her weight!
We likewise only had a short time to prepare dd1 for the test but she managed it without too much difficulty. I used the IPS materials for her, too, but we didn't complete many practice tests due to lack of time. It was good that we did some preparation though, as she found it difficult to finish the tests to begin with.
BTW - my kids loved Enchanted too - even my son who thought the action bit at the end was really cool!
Marylou