Help, advice and sound words for the 11plus

Eleven Plus (11+) in South West Hertfordshire

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Sahmad
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:04 pm

Help, advice and sound words for the 11plus

Post by Sahmad »

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum and have decided to get some advice and comfort from you all regarding the 11plus.

My daughter is currently in Year 5 and we live approx 800 m from WGGS. I started Kip McGrath tuition with my daughter last September and before that we were doing practce at home using the bond books. My daughter has progressed well and is stronger in VR than in maths. I thought everything was going ok, until she sat a mock exam not a Kip McGrath, through the 11plus exams and she acheived a low score in Maths and an average score in VR.

I am extremely worried now and keep blaming myself for perhaps not starting tutoring earlier. She is one of the youngest in her year and I feel that she is perhaps a year behind and that if she had another year she would do well. The teacher at school and at Kip seem to think she is doing well.

She was tested at school and was given a 9-10 paper I believe and she did exceptinally well but I fail to understand how she did so awful in her latest mock exam. She is no.3 out of a class of 30 in her ability for multiplication and I am at a loss to understand why she did not get a good result. Obviously I accept nerves may have come into it.

I have accepted that it is very hard/virtually impossible to get into WGGS, my other choices are Rickmansworth and Queens, however at this moment in time I don't feel that is acheiveable either.

As much as Bushey Academy is an up and coming schol, the aceademic results are poor in my opinon.

We have suscribed to Bond online and she fares at 60/70% however i do not want to be complacent.

I would welcome some sound advice on the following and any other tips about the issues I have raised:

Has anyone else's child sat the mock exam at Congress House via elevenplus exams and if so how did their child find it? Is is that the papers are hard?

Has anyone's older child a recent test i.e last year in the South West Herts area? Any tips?

Do you think its advisable to get a tutor for 121 tuition, Kip will finish in July?

What are the best papers to practice for SW Herts, where can I obtain GL NFER papers for Maths and what's close to Moray House for VR?

Chances of getting into Queens/Rickmansworth?

Sorry it all sounds very long winded but this whole issue is causng a lot of upset and stress in the house and between my husband and myself and of course between our daughter.
scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: Help, Advice and Sound Words for the 11plus

Post by scary mum »

I don't know your area, or when the exams are, but I would imagine they are a way off yet. Forgive me, but your post comes across as slightly panic-stricken. Do you think that your DD has sensed this and it has stressed her? Many of the commercial papers are available from the shop here:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/shop/Hertfordshire/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And there is a lot of information here:

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/school ... re-11-plus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good luck (you might be better asking for this to be moved to the correct geographical section)
scary mum
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: Help, Advice and Sound Words for the 11plus

Post by yoyo123 »

Moving this to Herts section
yoyo
moderator
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: Help, Advice and Sound Words for the 11plus

Post by Daogroupie »

Lots of students get into these schools every year. You need to do more mocks and to use relevant material. Forget Bond. For VR you need to be doing Athey, Bright Sparks and Walsh and Maths CGP, GL and First past the post. DG
Hera
Posts: 856
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:50 pm

Re: Help, Advice and Sound Words for the 11plus

Post by Hera »

Hi Sahmad

Don't panic you still have time to work on any problem areas. Children can have an off day for a specific mock. My DD did a mock at Congress House and found it slightly more challenging than another one she had done, but I felt the organisation and the feedback was very good. If you go through the areas she got wrong and then do another one there later in the year that may really help.

I do know some kids that were in my son's year who went to the institution you mention and didn't have a great outcome, but that could have been for lots of different reasons. Do you have time over the summer to work with your DD on the areas she is finding hard. There was a good thread with lots of advise from when my DS went through it which may help.

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 18&t=24928" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Sahmad
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:04 pm

Re: Help, Advice and Sound Words for the 11plus

Post by Sahmad »

Thank you to all for your feedback.

Yes I am probably passing on my stress to my DD and as a promise to myself have decided not to as of today.

She did the test at Congress house and I don't fault the organisation in any way, in fact it was very professional and quick! Exam done at 2pm marks received by 8pm, that's service.

The feedback was comprehensive and I'll work with her through those areas.

Deep down I do accept that no matter what you do how well you think your child is performing it all depends on the day.
mum
Posts: 145
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:49 am

Re: Help, Advice and Sound Words for the 11plus

Post by mum »

Hi,
The VR Bright Sparks or the FPTP VR books (from this site shop) valid for CEM type tests? Is it worth buying them and go through them for CEM type VR tests?
Thanks
mum
silverysea
Posts: 1105
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:32 pm

Re: Help, Advice and Sound Words for the 11plus

Post by silverysea »

Don't give up or give in to worry, just keep identifying weak areas and then calmly work at them. Whatever happens at the exams, she will get an academic boost which will help her future.

Is it possie to take another congress house mock? We did several and the improvement was marked, even ups and downs helped deal with the real one.
Chopsbubbly
Posts: 32
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 10:21 pm

Re: Help, Advice and Sound Words for the 11plus

Post by Chopsbubbly »

Hiya

I had the same worry! My son
Is preparing for the SW tests, more so for queens and watford grammar. Aswell as sitting for mill hill and QE! He sat the mocks at congress house in May and flopped! He only got 50%. Much lower than papers he has been doing at home.i.e the GL papers, tests1-8. He then sat the Mill Hill county first round and felt it was much easier so he definately found it harder, I guess to prepare them as best as possible.. But my son had a panic! I will get him to do mocks again but may not tell him the true score if he does bad so as not to knock confidence too much! We are now moving to Athey papers although he still does bond in the week, age 11-12.

Hope that helps x
Sahmad
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:04 pm

Re: Help, Advice and Sound Words for the 11plus

Post by Sahmad »

Hi

Thanks, it's comforting to hear that the congress papers are difficult. I guess all that we can do is just practice practice and more practice. The rest depends on the day. Have you tried the bond online that's good for £5 a month and there's access to a lot of papers.

Good luck with your son, this forum is so comforting as everyone in the playground at our school just dismisses any talk of the 11plus yet we're all secretly worried and doing our bits for our children.
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