DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

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mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Post by mystery »

You are all practising for something similar to Kent now.

Kent has been testing via a morning of maths, non-verbal, verbal and English (comprehension plus spag / cloze) for a few years now. Both my children did it. Neither of them reported any surprises through having done all 8 GL papers in the four subjects plus some variety of spatial stuff as Patricia suggests.

And yes, Pack 2 is probably "enough" as it covers a wider variety of question types than Pack 1. Other books we found helpful were the Peter Williams Practise and Pass series (as Books 1 and 2 provide a gentle start to GL type questions and to timing yourself) and also we liked the books produced by GL assessment on how to do each question type in verbal and non-verbal.

The first year that Kent had engaged GL to do this new compact morning of tests (ours used to be two mornings) it went a bit wrong as the English was too easy (so a few silly mistakes could result in a fail) and the maths was too fast ( well under one minute for each question). They seem to have sorted that so Bucks should benefit from it - although I think your test packages the subjects differently and I am sure will have different questions (!!) it's basically all just different ways of mish-mashing the same old stuff that GL has been doing for years at age 11 and therefore is well tried and tested.

Definitely you still have plenty of time. I'd say that even if you just worked over the summer (but that could be stressful) you would be better prepared than most.

In Kent, raw pass marks on each subject are very roughly around 50% on VR and NVR and English and lower on maths. But in the first year significantly higher on English and significantly lower on the maths so a real mess up on what they were aiming at I suspect.

Yours might be aimed at a different standard as you're not needing a test which also differentiates well at the high end as you don't have the "superselectives" which Kent has. So maybe your papers will be overall easier with a higher raw score to pass. Don't know. Just guessing.
Earnest-Mum
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Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 8:30 pm

Re: DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Post by Earnest-Mum »

Can you please tell me, If I make my own practice papers..
How many questions each section should have and how to time them. Thanks
Aethel
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Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2015 6:24 pm

Re: DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Post by Aethel »

No-one is yet sure... but given that the overall timings aren’t likely to be *that* different from CEM, a reasonable approach would be to take for example, 3 or 4 ten-minute-tests (CGP do good books about this) and bolt them together. Eg one Maths, one NVR, one Cloze and one Verbal reasoning. Then see how child does. It’s a bit early yet for past papers though....

Where GL does seem to be different in some formats (someone correct me if this is wrong) is that it is a “run-through” exam, ie if it’s a 40 min exam, the children go straight through the sections as quickly and accurately as they can, and are expected to get to the end within the time available, but are permitted to skip sections or move on if they wish, ie they have more say over the pace. Please note I do not know for sure if Bucks GL will do this.... but it’s possible they will. Does anyone know for sure if this is the style of paper that GL are proposing?

This is in contrast to the CEM style, where the sections are rigid “this is an 8 minute section on Cloze”. No-one can go to the next section until the 8 mins are up, and they often put a large number of questions into the time for that section so it is very challenging to finish some Sections.

You can see how the two approaches benefit different children.
patricia
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Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 5:07 pm

Re: DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Post by patricia »

There will be timed sessions within each of the tests.
How will the tests be administered?

Pupils will be supervised by a teacher or invigilator. Each child will have a question booklet and a separate answer sheet for each test paper. The question booklet will contain all the necessary instructions about taking the test and all the test questions. The teacher or invigilator will use a supplied audio file to take the children through the initial example questions and to play the instructions about starting and finishing the test and to time all the sub-sections of the test
Instructions for each section together with explanation of example questions will be given on an audio file. Whether children will be allowed to go back to previous sections is unknown at the moment.

Kent (using GL ) have the stop and start situation.

The timing for each section within each test has not been published - so I would just divide each section up with a variable amount of questions and timings - with a total working time of 45 minutes per test.

Test 1

Comprehension/Spag/VR

Test 2

NVR/Spatial/Numeracy

Patricia
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Post by mystery »

The NVR in Kent is in dinky little sections, the spatial is a section of its own, the verbal is a section of its own.

First year in the Kent the maths timing was ridiculously fast per question which shook even the high scoring ones. But it didn't matter as the actual number that children needed to "pass" was still around the same. But it did mean that correct guesses could have more significantly affect the final result.

I supsect GL were pushed by the purchaser in the first year into doing a few things that GL might not otherwise have done but they weould have been wanting to provide the "bespoke" test that CEM was appearing to tout.

I'd emphasis in your test practice with children that there could be surprises on the day but just to keep cool as one does not have to get everything right to pass. So maybe do some practices where they are only allowed 45 second per maths question but you expect them not to have left any answer boxes blank. i.e. guess and move on if a question is too hard and make sure all boxes filled in before the test is over.

We had a familiarisation paper for Kent placed online a few months before the exam.
patricia
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Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 5:07 pm

Re: DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Post by patricia »

Original Post updated with new link.

CGP have produced tests specifically for Bucks (and Kent)

Patricia
Earnest-Mum
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Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 8:30 pm

Re: DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Post by Earnest-Mum »

Anyone please help me with NVR through your experience.
I'm doing GL assessment tests with my DS and We're both hopeless... :(
In all other subjects he gets over 90% but NVR merely 58% or less.
I've gone through how to do books with him. He was quite good at CEM style but GL are giving really tough time. Also he struggles visualising images in folding and dots stuff. Nets of cubes are a headache as well. Please help me out..
I'm starting to panic now....
Any suggestions or helpful hints appreciated.
Many thanks.
TheHurdle
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:30 pm

Re: DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Post by TheHurdle »

I may need to start new topic but I was wondering if anyone knows if Algebra is in the test or anything like that? My DD did a mock test with a tutor and swears she had or saw algebra? She has not been taught this yet and its not on the curriculum for this year.

Is there anything I need to look out for?

We will be doing it DIY too with some formal exam technique over summer and some mocks...

also - :D if anyone reads my post - whilst I have your attention is there a specific area of this forum with parents helping each other out in DIY? Im finding it hard to navigate this site and find a sort of core group of current people who support each other through this time, thank you :)
Guest55
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Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Post by Guest55 »

Maths only goes up to the end of Year 5 so NO algebra.
TheHurdle
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:30 pm

Re: DIY Bucks Transfer Test 2019 Entry

Post by TheHurdle »

Some people are saying there is algebra though Head?

Apparently its not black and white on what Maths might be in the test...

In the past its this very issue that has been complained about because obviously if child has not been taught how to do something in class - without extra tutoring how can they pass the test. My husband has now explained algebra to dd - only took a few moments, and he can work through maths side of things with her.
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