Do we need to ramp it up?

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

11 Plus Mocks - Practise the real exam experience - Book Now
mm23292
Posts: 446
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:57 am

Re: Do we need to ramp it up?

Post by mm23292 »

I agree with a lot of these ‘anti-hysteria’ comments. The current test is certainly nothing like the test of ten plus years ago. It was once a fairly predictable set of 80 VR questions, of which there were 3 separate attempts on different days, and the highest score was taken. There seemed very little stress around the whole process, and my averagely bright nephew, passed on one of the attempts with barely any preparation. Then they brought it down to two attempts..probably because the tutoring was being ramped up, and OOC applications were increasing year on year. The situation we have today is frankly quite silly. Tourism is rife, and in our small local area, there are at least ten 11plus tutor businesses being advertised. Some of our child’s class mates, are doing an hour or more a day in preparation, on top of their class work, tutor sessions, homework etc. For a 9 year old this is ridiculous. Our dc is considered exceptionally bright; in theory a GC suitable child. But we don’t want a part in this, and are considering not putting her in for the test. We are not the only parents who feel this way either. There are many very bright children we know, who have either not even bothered with the test, or have passed it and taken up independent places instead.
Aethel
Posts: 1190
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2015 6:24 pm

Re: Do we need to ramp it up?

Post by Aethel »

We didn’t want to make it all about the 11 plus or bust.

My bright and voraciously-reading DD1 passed. She is in GS and loves it.
My equally bright but very dyslexic DD2 did not. She’s now in the top sets of her non-selective school, is equally happy and doing very well.
Both of them I DIY’d because of their differing needs and our family situation: so many of their classmates were tutored, often with excessive pressure on the need to “get to the best school”. We just didn’t want to be on that bandwagon.

My DD genuinely does know GS pupils who were highly prepped, passed, now struggle to keep up, and probably would have been better off with my DD2 in the non selective wee it not for their parent’s need to say “I have a child at GS”.

We all know the system is a mockery of genuine selection by innate ability.
So it’s a question of how you prefer to make your path through it, accepting it is not fair.

We put it clearly to our DC that the GS option merely increases your choice and it’s worth a try but not something to sacrifice everything for, and that the school that suits you is best, because you are so much more as a person than just the school you attend.
hermanmunster
Posts: 12815
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Do we need to ramp it up?

Post by hermanmunster »

mm23292 wrote:I agree with a lot of these ‘anti-hysteria’ comments. The current test is certainly nothing like the test of ten plus years ago. It was once a fairly predictable set of 80 VR questions, of which there were 3 separate attempts on different days, and the highest score was taken. .
Is that correct mm23292 ? which county was this ?
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Do we need to ramp it up?

Post by Etienne »

Bucks used to have three separate tests on different days - well-spread out, so if the child was below par on one day, there was time to recover.
The final score was the average of the best two results.
Then they brought it down to two attempts..probably because the tutoring was being ramped up, and OOC applications were increasing year on year.
I share the concern about tutoring and OOC applications, but I think the reason given at the time was the government's requirement that results should be made available before parents completed their CAF form in late October. The testing process was compressed and moved forward to early September.
Etienne
mm23292
Posts: 446
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:57 am

Re: Do we need to ramp it up?

Post by mm23292 »

Etienne wrote:Bucks used to have three separate tests on different days - well-spread out, so if the child was below par on one day, there was time to recover.
The final score was the average of the best two results.
Then they brought it down to two attempts..probably because the tutoring was being ramped up, and OOC applications were increasing year on year.
I share the concern about tutoring and OOC applications, but I think the reason given at the time was the government's requirement that results should be made available before parents completed their CAF form in late October. The testing process was compressed and moved forward to early September.
Thank you Etienne! Yes, that makes sense. My nephew had scores ranging from 125 to 109, so he literally scraped through with an average of his two better scores to get a 121, and it clearly shows that placing every chance on one day alone, can greatly alter a child's chances. Unsurprisingly, his lowest score was the first test, and his highest on the last.
I vaguely recall the discussions around changing formats and CAF, and although I presume any change introduced, had some transient impact on raw score correlations, I imagine the greatest change in terms of percentages required to qualify, are those seen in more recent years, when they changed to the new multi-paper formats. When my nephew sat the test back in the early 2000s, he was averaging 65/80, and the aim was 80% plus. When my eldest sat the test a few years later, the number of applicants had soared, and it was 90% plus. Now with the new format, there seems to be far less known, but I doubt it is as high as 90%..Or perhaps I am wrong?!
Post Reply