11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi all

My dd is due to sit the Nonsuch and Wally girls tests later this month. She has been tutored for a year now and is more than capable, however, I am at my wits end. She is rushing through practice papers and making silly mistakes. One of her "classics" is where she has to identify two answers out of the possibles but misreads the question and only circles one.
She sat a mock before the summer hols and got 85%NVB and 90%VB, however the test she sat were familiar questions so I can't really use this as a guide mark.
I have tried to explain that this is her one and only shot, if she does not get an offer from her chosen grammar's the only school that she will be offered is the one school that she does not want.
Should I now back off and let her take things at her own pace or should I turn things up a notch? I don't want to be over pushy but I realise that at 10 years old she really doesn't realise how important the next couple of weeks are.

Many thanks for reading!

It sounds to me as if she is really bright and really bored
I think it is very common for bright kids to work quickly and carelessly particularly when it doesn't matter in a practice situation and they would rather be doing something else. I think most of them behave rather differently in the real thing.
Have you tried making it competitive against you with a reward if she beats you so that it matters? It would of course mean you had to sit the paper too but it may help!
Good luck

Hi Surreymum

Thanks for your reply.
That is something that I haven't tried but I think I will give it a go. We have had a heart to heart this evening and I have explained that I am not angry with her just frustrated.
My other problem is that for some strange reason her school has decided to have their yr6 residential trip from this coming Sunday till the following Wednesday, leaving only Thursday and Friday to cram for the Saturday Nonsuch test. Having just come back from the summer holidays where not much study was done (purely my fault) I feel that not enough time has been left this close to the exam.
I will certainly try that plan, hopefully that combined with the discussion we have had this evening will help matters. I just don't want her to look back on this in a couple of years time with the view that I was being over pushy.
I think I will just pour myself another glass of wine and chill!!!!

silverkaylah wrote:One of her "classics" is where she has to identify two answers out of the possibles but misreads the question and only circles one.

Sounds like you need to concentrate on the questions that will really be asked. I doubt this sort of question crops up so by practising them you are probably just confusing your DD.

Chill.

Regards
SVE