11 Plus Exams Forum

I've taken my daughter to a private tutor. She has been assessed and we have had to purchase 11 different books. I have to mark the books myself and make sure that all the questions are correct before we can move on to the next page. I don't mind doing this but feel that £25 an hour is excessive for something it would appear i am doing myself. Does anyone else share this view? Surely if we knew the books we had to buy we could coach the children ourselves?

So what exactly does your tutor do in the session with your daughter?

The marking makes sense to me (why waste time paying someone else to mark when you can do it yourself) but I don't understand why you have to correct the work. Perhaps you could expand further?

Surely if we knew the books we had to buy we could coach the children ourselves?

YES it can be done at home.

You can buy most, if not all, the books you need from this site, or a good bookshop.
Depending upon the area your child will be sitting the exam, you will need to check the links to the areas to see what others before you have used. Post for information on the area you are in, and alot of helpful posters will advise.

A poster named 'USA', did it from the USA and her son passed. Just goes to prove how helpful this site is, and that it can be done.

Good Luck!

BW

It definitely can be done yourself and exactly what are you getting for your £25ph?

Hi J

Yes ofcourse it is possible to coach yourself but it does depend on you and your daughter, your time etc. I did it and my son passed.

As for your current Tutor well the fact you had to but the books is outrageous! Your tutor should have all the equipment needed and infact I think should also do the marking so as to go over the stuff that was wrong. You are paying for the whole service and for £25 you should be getting it.

Out of interest what test will your daughter sit

Mel X

There is a huge range in what people pay for a tutor, what books are provided etc.
I would suggest you look in the 11plus tutors section where there is a really lengthy thread called 'how much for a tutor'. It may/may not help you put things into perspective

My two children sat the 11+ test in the Medway area in Kent. My wife and I both tutored them. My daughter sat the test in January 2004 and my son in January 2007. Both children scored over 570 when the pass mark was 508 and 519 respectively.

All you need to do is buy the NFER or Bond papers that are appropriate for your area, I'd also buy the Bond Math 10-11 books that has 25 tests in so you get lots of variety of questions.

Questions the children got wrong we spent time explaining why they got the answer wrong and how to get them right.

You need to invest time and have patience. Start tutoring a year before the test so they have time to improve and then they don't have to cram everything in during the last month.

Save your money from not paying a tutor for a big meal out if they pass or a big meal out (as consolation) if they fail.

J

What area are you tutoring for and why do you need a tutor rather than DIY?

Arguments for using a tutor include;
-less stress upon the family/family relationships
-less work for parents who may have a demanding day job and not enough time to devote to the process
-tutor knows exactly how the selection process works (previous posts would suggest this is not always the case)

Arguments against using a tutor;
-cheaper to DIY (tutor costs vary hugely from place to place and I don't think £25 is overley expensive for one to one - but I know others may disagree)
-some find it enriches their relationship with their child
-lots of info from this website (probably most if you are Bucks/Essex/Herts who have the most active forums
-you have control over the process

Thank you for the replies to my question, they seem very helpful. Just to expand a little further, my daughter is nine years of age and will be sitting the 11 plus exam. We live in the West Midlands, is there any one advise me on where to find out the information i require, i really am a complete novice at this? All i really want to do is do the tutoring myself but how do i know i am teaching the correct information to my daughter?

If you scroll down the forum front page you will find sections for the different areas of the country.
If you select the area that you live you will most probably find the information you need in the topic list. If not then post in that forum area and someone will most probably be able to help you.
It helps if you state the school or LEA that you are interested in.