11 Plus Exams Forum

My apologies if this is a silly question or has been answered elsewhere already.
Must candidates gain a minimum 121 in each section or simply an average 121 across the exam - would a high score in maths and NVR negate a result of less than 121 in English?

I am currently DIY prepping my youngest for the Bucks 11 plus 2020, having been fortunate enough to get his two older sibs through the exam via DIY.
He is very strong mathematically ( year 5 GL assessment progress maths test score was 135) and has shown strong aptitude for NVR but is less able at VR/English as he is not an avid reader like his sibs.

I should point out that if he qualified, but his verbal score in the actual exam was low enough to be a concern, I would of course reconsider if grammar school was the right environment for him to thrive and be happy .

Must candidates gain a minimum 121 in each section

No - only the overall score counts.

It's not the average, by the way, because the individual scores are weighted so that VR is worth 50%.

Hi Etienne,
Apologies for the inaccurate way that I phrased my query ( oops ), I am aware that the verbal section carries 50% weighting.

Thanks so much for your reply, that does put my mind at ease somewhat. As ever the forum is the font of all knowledge!

It can be confusing. Some regions like Kent do require a pass in each of the sections of the test, mega scores in two of the three and a one point below required score in the third can mean that a candidate with a far lower overall score but a pass in each module will be deemed selective.

Not directly relevant to your question, but regarding your comment on your son’s lower English ability; it’s something I do see mentioned a lot, and that too had concerned me with our daughter who recently qualified. She was exceptionally strong at Maths & NVR in CATS, Midyis & GL but had such an aversion to reading, we were sure the 50% VR weighting, would let her down. However, her VR on cats were always in the 130s and although we didn’t enrol her in any tuition, as we were leaning towards independent by that point, she had very high scores in all 3. If their reasoning ability is strong, then that is promising. A child can be an avid reader, yet relatively poor at ‘reasoning’, and that can make a big difference in the tests. Some of her class bookworms didn’t pass, so although it is good for developing wider vocabulary etc, it’s not the be all and end all.