Mock Exams - How Many and When Should You Start ?

[Araucana girl]

Especially if it the well known Essex tutoring company that then has mistakes in its mock papers

[yummycool]

we used a mock company - only to add a different dimension to the journey. The company I used were very friendly and we were able to negotiate their fee (which was reasonable and we were given back the papers with constructive points to work on).

Study/exam skills are essential areas to cover, as I know my dc was very grateful that we went over this in length.

We spaced out the mocks to about one every 4 months - by this we could see the progress being made. In the end it made a huge difference to us as parents as the unsurety can build up if when reading some forum posts!

[bromley mum]

I have always done papers under timed conditions with my DDs. In fact, I used to make them write out answers rather than marking it on the Bond books but not give any extra time to do this. This meant when they came to doing the practise papers their, speed was developed. I don't think mocks by companies or tutors are necessary. The only thing I would recommend is to do the practise test if the school offers it (for exams the Kent practise test).

[Daogroupie]

Mikedellfarm, Which exams will you be taking? Will you be taking CSSE? I am a great believer in mocks. You see students improve at such an amazing rate which simply does not happen in a one on one. I have been quite staggered at the improvements made when children can learn from each other. But this is mocks where the paper is sat first and then the paper is marked in class so feedback is immediates. I believe exam technique is very important. Every year many very able students miss out because they do not plan their time properly. The very best mocks you can do are mocks that are exact copies of the exams that you are going to be taking. To have a trial run of the exam that you need to do well in in order to secure your first rank school can only be a good thing. I would also recommend the Sutton mocks which almost two thousand students take. You get a unique number and can see all the score of all the other students. This is really useful to see where you are in the cohort. Pm me for more info. DG.

[bravado]

I am a great believer in mocks. You see students improve at such an amazing rate which simply does not happen in a one on one. The very best mocks you can do are mocks that are exact copies of the exams that you are going to be taking. DG.

We certainly saw a huge upsurge in DD's time management and exam technique every time she did a mock and then, after we went over her papers, another improvement
The trouble with trying to do exact copies, is that it's not possible for us Essex bods, as CSSE never release past VR papers. So... aside from whatever's gleaned from candidates after the test, we're a little bit in the dark.

I know nothing about the Sutton mock tests, do you mind if I ask if they follow the CSSE format in terms of the exams taken (ie English, Maths and VR) and the duration? Are they multiple choice or standard format throughout, or a mix/combination?

[aang]

The very best mocks you can do are mocks that are exact copies of the exams that you are going to be taking.

As bravado has already mentioned, it is not possible to do exact copies for Essex. The VR paper is never released, and the change in format means the 2011 and 2012 Maths paper and 2010, 2011, 2012 English papers are the most relevant to do.

My personal opinion is that a full set of three papers should only be attempted when the child is almost ready. The papers are hard enough as they are and a child may be deflated when they find out their scores are low.. Given that there are only two proper papers (2011 and 2012), I would be judicious in using these - do one full paper maybe three months before the test, and the other one, one month before the test. The standardised scores for the maths and english papers can be found on these forums so you can estimate how well your child is doing. You can practise individual papers more than three months before the test to familiarise with the type of test and get used to time management and exam technique..

It is useful to practise three papers one after another similar to the actual exam, so that pupils can see how they can maintain their concentration levels, especially if they face a difficult set of questions or find one whole paper difficult. Try to practise the test similar to when they may be sitting the actual test, so if it is a morning sitting, wake the child up at whatever time you would on the actual day! Whether or not you need to pay an external company as opposed to giving the papers yourself is debatable.

There are many VR papers which are available, but the CSSE tests 12 out of 21 possible types and it is "random" which types are tested. It is easy to be overly optimisitic about VR practice scores compared to actual test results and the posts here often remark on a significant drop in VR scores.

The various Sutton tests do not replicate the time, format nor weighting of the CSSE test in Essex and may actually confuse students. For example, in CSSE exam there is no written English component at all. In CSSE 50% of the score comes from the VR paper which is higher than most other places. Best to concentrate on the CSSE exam (or whichever exam that your child will be sitting) as every exam is quite different.

[ahap]

My DD did mocks to build stamina and speed. After a few she was able to complete the VR in time which was the main hurdle.
She did all 3 at one go with a short interval between Maths & VR just like on that day.
For the mocks, she did CSSE papers for Maths & English and GL for VR.
Do more than 3 and start from July. Perhaps every other Saturday or whichever day suits you.

[Daogroupie]

Aang what was the change in format for the CSSE exams? I have been using the past papers for years as they are excellent preparation for Herts and Barnet exams and I have to say that I had not noticed any chance in format. Please enlighten me. Thanks DG

[Manana]

Aang what was the change in format for the CSSE exams? I have been using the past papers for years as they are excellent preparation for Herts and Barnet exams and I have to say that I had not noticed any chance in format. Please enlighten me. Thanks DG

The difference in format between the 2009 and 2010 CSSE English papers is quite marked. Less vocab, eg 'find the word in the passage meaning the same as....' and comprehension and more spelling/punctation, grammar and questions on literary devices.

[moved]

The papers are much closer to the Bond books now. I'm not convinced that they will stay this way.

A long time ago there were sections for spelling, grammar, etc.

The exam, although hard, had become predictable. I assume that the teachers writing them are trying to avoid this in the future.

Given children are going to be studying technical English in primary school, these sections should become easier.

Perhaps, the teachers will then find something new to challenge the candidates!

(Sorry, future parents, long day at work!)