11 Plus Exams Forum

Dear all,

Just wondering if anyone has tried these VR papers? And how do they compare with IPS/Bright sparks...........

Thanks.

not sure about these papers either. My daughter is finding them very challenging. I didn't use them last year when preparing my older daughter for the Bucks 11 plus as they were very new. She did try one and in her opinion they are harder than Bright sparks. My younger one whose preparing for this years exam has done two so far (the red book) and hasn't done very well. I think we may leave these are they are damaging her confidence.

Any other opinions on this would be helpful, maybe Patricia (as a very experienced tutor) might comment on difficulty in comparison to the real exam. They are not recommended in her list of DIY material I notice, hence I was quite dubious of using them originally.

Hi Patricia,

What is your view on VR papers on Learning Lab Series - by M Guyon?

Thanks.

We have used them and I agree the red books are challenging. However although he scored slightly lower than Bright Sparks he learnt some good new vocabulary. Like scald/scold - he opted for the scold for a similar word to burn and now knows it means reprimand. He found the vocab hard but learnt quite a few new words. The format is the same as NFER so I still think they are good practice. However you are right that Patricia would be a much better judge of their usefulness!

Oops - missed this thread earlier ...

Patricia and I were discussing these papers recently, as I had given one of the "green book" tests to DS2.

I felt that the layout is probably a little large compared to the NFER format, so they are probably best used before September. The standard seems OK - some challenging vocab.

I would tend to use them like the Walsh papers - useful added extras if your DC is going to need more practice materials than those on Patricia's list. As I said though, probably in August, rather than September.

I think that Patricia agreed with me - we wandered off on to another topic part way through the discussion, but undoubtedly she will be along shortly to verify that (or otherwise!)

Sally-Anne

Dear Emma

Yes, in short, I tend to agree with Sally-Anne.

Patricia

Thanks, to all of you.

What about:

The Tutors Verbal Reasoning 5 x 15 Minutes Tests - Multiple Choice - Level 4 Pack 4

Are these better?

We have already worked through the list from Patricia - and need extra practice of full papers until Oct 26..............rather than repeat - please can you suggest any other papers?

Thanks.

so the green are easier than the red? and we're looking at somewhere around Bright Sparks level, but easier than Walsh??
many thanks to whoever might be able to answer.

Hi Milla

Yes, the green are easier than the red, and IMHO they are around the level of Bright Sparks. Walsh are definitely harder, and in my view are probably a step too far for most children taking NFER 11+ papers.

Sally-Anne

Walsh are the hardest of the 21 types, full tests.

I would never use them as tests, but often use them during session time as the real tests will at the end of each section throw up the more difficult questions.

I use Madeleine Guyon in the same way.

Patricia