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Hi
Could any tell me what mark my daughter who has a late April birthday might need to pass the Bucks 11+, please?
Also, her tutor said the test papers at school often seem to be harder than the real thing! Do others agree?
Many thanks
Julie
Could any tell me what mark my daughter who has a late April birthday might need to pass the Bucks 11+, please?
Also, her tutor said the test papers at school often seem to be harder than the real thing! Do others agree?
Many thanks
Julie
Dear Julie
The very approximate mark is 86%, although I prefer my students to be in the 90% range, to take into account standardisation and the ability of the current cohort.
There are 3 practice tests, Test A is slightly easier, with Tests 1 and 2 being of a similar ability to the real test. The practice tests are definitely not harder than the real thing. The reported Vocabulary is often of a higher level. Hence my harping on about the importance of words...
Patricia
The very approximate mark is 86%, although I prefer my students to be in the 90% range, to take into account standardisation and the ability of the current cohort.
There are 3 practice tests, Test A is slightly easier, with Tests 1 and 2 being of a similar ability to the real test. The practice tests are definitely not harder than the real thing. The reported Vocabulary is often of a higher level. Hence my harping on about the importance of words...
Patricia
Thank you Patricia. I shall be very glad when the whole thing is over!!
My daughter's (private) school has been very good with the prep, but at home my daughter has really had enough of our practice (we haven't done that much!) and is showing minor signs of stress. Think I need to really back off at home. Any tips on making practice fun in these last stages, please?!
Thanks,
Julie
My daughter's (private) school has been very good with the prep, but at home my daughter has really had enough of our practice (we haven't done that much!) and is showing minor signs of stress. Think I need to really back off at home. Any tips on making practice fun in these last stages, please?!
Thanks,
Julie
Dear Julie
If your daughter is getting help from school and a tutor, then I can understand why she may be fed up with working at home too.
Perhaps, leave the VR to the school and tutor, you can concentrate on perhaps reading together, this way she is still learning for her tests but in a more relaxed manner.
Patricia
If your daughter is getting help from school and a tutor, then I can understand why she may be fed up with working at home too.
Perhaps, leave the VR to the school and tutor, you can concentrate on perhaps reading together, this way she is still learning for her tests but in a more relaxed manner.
Patricia
hi Julie,
I too am preparing my youngest daughter for Bucks 11 plus this year. Last year my oldest daughter sat the exams and she is an October birthday. I requested her raw score from County (for a fee!) which were as follows.
Test 1: 129 Raw score 74/80 (age 10yrs 11 months)
Test 2: 123 Raw score 70/80 (age 11 years).
Obviously this result was from last year (2007) and as Patricia says cohort and capability may vary a bit from year to year, hope this info is helpful.
hi Patricia,
Your stickers idea is working well still! DD has completed BS 7/8- 71/80 on both) and is making less errors on the questions types where they can achieve full marks (although the odd one). We are focusing on vocab mostly though, which has helped. She has a tendency to panick when I say 5 mins left and makes most of her errors then. I'm not sure how to get round this as last year they were not allowed to have a watch.
I too am preparing my youngest daughter for Bucks 11 plus this year. Last year my oldest daughter sat the exams and she is an October birthday. I requested her raw score from County (for a fee!) which were as follows.
Test 1: 129 Raw score 74/80 (age 10yrs 11 months)
Test 2: 123 Raw score 70/80 (age 11 years).
Obviously this result was from last year (2007) and as Patricia says cohort and capability may vary a bit from year to year, hope this info is helpful.
hi Patricia,
Your stickers idea is working well still! DD has completed BS 7/8- 71/80 on both) and is making less errors on the questions types where they can achieve full marks (although the odd one). We are focusing on vocab mostly though, which has helped. She has a tendency to panick when I say 5 mins left and makes most of her errors then. I'm not sure how to get round this as last year they were not allowed to have a watch.
Dear Willow
Glad the stickers are working. Watches: I do tell all my parents to get their a child an analogue watch as some children will not be able to see the school clock [if there is one] The teachers invigilating will give timings, but this slightly varies per school. In general its at 25 mins then with 5 or 2 miutes left. Whatever is given for the practice tests, will probably the ones used for the real tests.
Are the children in your school normally allowed a watch? Is it just watches with alarms on that are banned?
At 2 minutes, if the child has not finished a quick guess on the ones that are left, but guessing in a straight line, not all over the place. The child can then proceed with the next question, rubbing out as they go along. The Zs [and any other unsure questions] that have been left until last, should already have been guessed, so at least there is a mark.
Patricia
Glad the stickers are working. Watches: I do tell all my parents to get their a child an analogue watch as some children will not be able to see the school clock [if there is one] The teachers invigilating will give timings, but this slightly varies per school. In general its at 25 mins then with 5 or 2 miutes left. Whatever is given for the practice tests, will probably the ones used for the real tests.
Are the children in your school normally allowed a watch? Is it just watches with alarms on that are banned?
At 2 minutes, if the child has not finished a quick guess on the ones that are left, but guessing in a straight line, not all over the place. The child can then proceed with the next question, rubbing out as they go along. The Zs [and any other unsure questions] that have been left until last, should already have been guessed, so at least there is a mark.
Patricia
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Mel x
Hi Julie
I too am preparing my dd for this years Bucks tests.
My dd enjoy playing word games. I made up lost of compound words on small cards.(I used old business cards) I mix some up say about eight laying them out like they appear in the test so 4 down one side and 4 the other and she has to pair them up. We also play a kind of rummy we each have seven cards and the rest are face down accept one which is left face up(this grows). First player picks a card from either face down or the one left up and then if possible lays down each compound word/s they have. Player then picks up more cards from the main pile to make up to 7. We play until we have used all of them up and the winner is the one with most words.
DD likes playing these and it really helps with the vocab. On other days I give her say three words to look up. She has to write each word on a sepearte card with the meaning on the back in one colour along with other words meaning the same and also in another colour she writes any opossites. This too definitely helps.
Willow my dd sometimes panics when I tell her the time but I do think it helsp as she also says it gives her a push sometimes. I am assuming the teacher will give timings as I thought that was part if the instructions to teachers?
Mel
I too am preparing my dd for this years Bucks tests.
My dd enjoy playing word games. I made up lost of compound words on small cards.(I used old business cards) I mix some up say about eight laying them out like they appear in the test so 4 down one side and 4 the other and she has to pair them up. We also play a kind of rummy we each have seven cards and the rest are face down accept one which is left face up(this grows). First player picks a card from either face down or the one left up and then if possible lays down each compound word/s they have. Player then picks up more cards from the main pile to make up to 7. We play until we have used all of them up and the winner is the one with most words.
DD likes playing these and it really helps with the vocab. On other days I give her say three words to look up. She has to write each word on a sepearte card with the meaning on the back in one colour along with other words meaning the same and also in another colour she writes any opossites. This too definitely helps.
Willow my dd sometimes panics when I tell her the time but I do think it helsp as she also says it gives her a push sometimes. I am assuming the teacher will give timings as I thought that was part if the instructions to teachers?
Mel
Dear Patricia
On the subject of watches, last year the children were not permitted to wear any type of watch and when I asked about timings I was told they hadn't decided what timings they were going to give, that was a couple of days prior to the test.
Thankyou for the advice on how to deal with those last few minutes. This evening DD did one of the tutors level 4 short papers. I quite like them as they have some of the more difficult question variations. She didn't manage to complete it in 15 mins but only got 4 wrong, some of them were quite challenging I thought!!!!
Hi Mel
Thanks for the reassurance on timing, its a relief to know its not just my DD that reacts that way!!!
On the subject of watches, last year the children were not permitted to wear any type of watch and when I asked about timings I was told they hadn't decided what timings they were going to give, that was a couple of days prior to the test.
Thankyou for the advice on how to deal with those last few minutes. This evening DD did one of the tutors level 4 short papers. I quite like them as they have some of the more difficult question variations. She didn't manage to complete it in 15 mins but only got 4 wrong, some of them were quite challenging I thought!!!!
Hi Mel
Thanks for the reassurance on timing, its a relief to know its not just my DD that reacts that way!!!
Unless this year's Headteacher's guide is different from previous years, invigilators are supposed to follow the directions in the Familiarisation pack sent out to schools. According to this, the invigilator is supposed to write up on a board the time that it will be 25, 45 and 50 minutes after the start time. The invigilator is also supposed to say (and this is scripted) after 25 minutes: 'You have had 25 minutes. You have 25 minutes left.' and then after 45 minutes: 'You have 5 minutes left.'
In terms of producing a fair test, it is important that the test is administered in the same fashion in all venues, and that the practice tests are administered in the same fashion as the actual tests. However, it would appear that a number of heads and invigilators are unable to read, and administer the test in any fashion that suits them. Warn your child that the indication that the test is beginning should be 'If you need another pencil at any time during the test, please put up your hand. Turn over. Begin.' In practice, this might be anything from 'Go' to 'Start' to 'Ok'. Also, warn your child (and this may seem really stupid, but it confused my DD in the panicked conditions of the 11+), that if the invigilator says 'you've had half your time' that means there's 25 mins left...
Rant over.
In terms of producing a fair test, it is important that the test is administered in the same fashion in all venues, and that the practice tests are administered in the same fashion as the actual tests. However, it would appear that a number of heads and invigilators are unable to read, and administer the test in any fashion that suits them. Warn your child that the indication that the test is beginning should be 'If you need another pencil at any time during the test, please put up your hand. Turn over. Begin.' In practice, this might be anything from 'Go' to 'Start' to 'Ok'. Also, warn your child (and this may seem really stupid, but it confused my DD in the panicked conditions of the 11+), that if the invigilator says 'you've had half your time' that means there's 25 mins left...
Rant over.