New Maths Exam for SWHerts Consortium

[HertsMum03]

Hello everyone,

My sons tutor told me that SWHerts are abandoning GL for the maths exam this year but could not tell me the alternative format (i.e. if they would be adopting CEM). I couldn't find anything on their website so is there going to be a change and, if so, does anyone know when will they give us more info.

Looking forward to your replies. Thanks in advance

[Hera]

That is a worrying rumour. I have heard nothing to that effect and have just checked the SWHC website and the sample paper is the same as it has been for years. Did your tutor say where they had heard this and are they linked to one of the consortium schools?

[HertsMum03]

I think she works as a teacher and has connections to the Consortium but I couldn't ask any more.

On this website there is a notice saying the the SW Herts Consortium are updating their website and that suggest that the exams may change but surely they should give parents some notice as the exam is in September!

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

It is worrying as I've been focusing on accuracy for my DS but the CEM exam requires speed too. Its also quite jarring for DS when he's expecting one type of exam and gets another.

[Daogroupie]

I expected this after the first year of CEM, which was a trial, as from a cost point of view it makes much more sense to do one CEM exam using the HBS English VR and Numerical reasoning format rather than two separate exams.

However they cannot do it this year as they are sharing a CEM paper with DAO and some SW Herts candidates will be sitting the CEM paper at DAO not at SW Herts.

They will have to wait until next year if they want to do a merged paper.

They have to have a separate Maths paper as the DAO candidates will only be sitting the Maths paper as they will have sat the CEM at DAO on September 1st.

DG

[HertsMum03]

Thanks DAOgroupie, that's a relief.

Just a side question but would it be possible to take the DAO results for Maths in a similar way to what will be done with the DAO CEM VR results? If that's the case I guess they might still be able to change (although it seems logistically unnecessary).

In either case I guess its all hypothetical so I'll just keep an eye on the website.

[thisisnuts]

DG, if some SW Herts candidates are sitting the VR paper at DAO, and maths later at SW Herts, does it make any difference if the maths paper is GL or CEM? As long as it's not a "merged" paper, the logistics are the same.

HertsMum03, DAO use the CEM VR as a cutoff to reduce the number of long-form Maths and English papers they have to mark (after making all students sit the longer papers!). They write their own long-form papers - no CEM maths, so nothing for SW Herts to share.

[Daogroupie]

CEM do not have a Maths only CEM paper so that is why it would make sense for SW Herts to use the HBS CEM paper which is Maths and English VR

However it is too late for that this year as they have already signed to use the same English VR CEM paper as DAO.

It is possible that they have purchased a CEM Maths only paper from CEM in which case they need to change the sample paper so as to be in line with their published admissions criteria.

As already mentioned DAO write and mark their own Maths paper which would not be available to other schools.

Applications to sit the test close tomorrow Friday 16th June. The FAQs state that the Maths paper is Standard format so I do not think they have changed to a CEM Numerical Reasoning paper.

OP, As you are the student of your tutor you should be able to ask as many questions as you like as you are paying for their expertise in the SW Herts exam.

Please ask them where they got this information from as there is no indication anywhere on the website that anything has changed. DG

[thisisnuts]

On this website there is a notice saying the the SW Herts Consortium are updating their website and that suggest that the exams may change but surely they should give parents some notice as the exam is in September!

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

PS.

The link above is dated 18th May.

The Consortium website no longer says that it is still being updated.

[HertsMum03]

Thanks Daogroupie for the clarification. I'm so confused by the whole thing and I will push my tutor to get more.

Just as an add on, good luck to all those preparing for September!