Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to practice

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Fat pigeon
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Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:15 am

Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to practice

Post by Fat pigeon »

Hi folks I'm a newbie from the Essex-Redbridge forum :D

I wonder are there any experienced campaigners who can give a rough idea. I appreciate that all our dc's have different temperaments, especially on the big day. ( saying that I'll probably be a gibbering wreck :wink: )

My young relative took the 11+ a few years ago.
He used to get around 99% in the VR, & obtained low 90s in the real thing.
He used to get around 95% in the NVR & obtained high 80s in the real thing.

So, roughly a 7% drop in both.

What are your experiences?
The good guys always win in the end - Up, up & away...
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to prac

Post by mystery »

Ooh that's not an easy one to answer. Didn't get the raw scores after the real thing, and the marks obtained in practice sessions varied depending on the publisher and age range of the materials being used. Too many variables surely to get a feel for this? Even if children were practising the "real thing" at home (which they are not) some children's performance would improve under pressure and some children's would decline.
dez
Posts: 336
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:38 am

Re: Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to prac

Post by dez »

Our DD sat for the 2013 entry CSSE exam

For
- VR 93-100% in practice papaer and 98% in the real test.
- Eng 80-88% in practice past papers and 80% in real test.
- Maths 85-100% in practice past papers and 85% in the real test.
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to prac

Post by mystery »

Your practice papers are past papers so it makes it easier to do this kind of comparison particularly if you are doing the past papers close to the real thing. However, in most areas past papers are not available. People are working from a multiplicity of different workbooks so comparison is flawed.

So maybe this is a thread for the Essex forum as it might be more meaningful there?
KhadijahA-R
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:51 am

Re: Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to prac

Post by KhadijahA-R »

Ah, Pigeon, I worry about this at some level all the time.
I can almost convince myself that the practice papers that I give my ds are not up to scratch and he will have such a shock in the real test. I keep looking for harder and harder papers, making myself mad. I spend more time reading about the 11+ than my ds spends time practicing for it :oops:
In real life I would be too embarrassed to admit the amount of searches I have done on this forum, with "difficulty" as a search term...... :shock: :lol:
Children can be affected by pressure, external stresses and anxiety, and it is just as important to prepare them for the test environment as it is for the actual test content, hence why mocks are important.
Sadly, even the brightest child might not make it to the desired selective :(
wildwest
Posts: 305
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:27 am

Re: Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to prac

Post by wildwest »

I couldn't agree more. I have been religiously browsing this forum for the last 5 months, although we have not started any practice at home. I am so glad you said it, I feel so reassured that I am not developing OCD to this forum (as my dh suggests) :evil:
bravado
Posts: 468
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:28 am

Re: Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to prac

Post by bravado »

Mystery

It's the Essex - Redbridge OP's DC is taking, not Essex - I expect you already know this but they aren't the same exam or format.

With respect, I think it's a valid discussion topic for the general area and not necessarily region-specific because as you've highlighted in one of your replies, marks can go up, as well as down on the day, so it's certainly useful for people to know all possibilities. :D

BTW - do Redbridge have access to past papers? CSSE Essex candidates don't have access to past VR papers and Chelmsford Girls' haven't produced a past paper, as it's their first CEM exam.
DIY Mum
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Location: Not in a hole in the ground but in a land where once they dwelt-the Beormingas

Re: Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to prac

Post by DIY Mum »

I agree - I don't think Redbridge dp have access to past papers i.e. real exam papers as opposed to Nfer's commercially available ones.

CSSE do sell their own their past papers (apart from VR).

Fat pigeon: FWIW,

In the past I have personally known (and when I mean personally- it's the extended family :wink: ), 2 dc achieving 90%-100% in the available papers and not winning entry into WCHS /HB / QE.
But I also know 3 dc (all diyed) scoring around 85 % - 100 % in practice papers (during their peak) and between themselves, winning: WCHS, HB, Tiffins, Latymer and ICH. Indeed, my nephew went on to achieve 100% in his VR in the real ICH test too and he wasn't great initially. 8) So, it does depend on how they perform on the day too.
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to prac

Post by mystery »

The other thing that confounds this study is that a lot of people wrongly quote final percentages at you. E.g in kent the top standardised score in any single paper each year is generally 140. In your results you are given your actual standardised score ... 130 say. Some parents then go and find 130 as a percentage of 140 and think that is the percentage their child got right in the test. Wrong.

To find out the percentage your child got right - the raw score - you have to make a special enquiry.
DIY Mum
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Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 10:08 pm
Location: Not in a hole in the ground but in a land where once they dwelt-the Beormingas

Re: Drop in percentage/s obtained: Real 11+ compared to prac

Post by DIY Mum »

Don't know about Kent, but both Redbridge & CSSE do provide raw scores- at least they did then without any special requests.
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