PASS MARK ?

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Dob

PASS MARK ?

Post by Dob »

I understand that the pass mark changes each year but I can't find anywhere a band within which it moves.
We are completing practice papers but can't find anywhere what the pass mark might be ? Is 75% good, poor borderline.
Anybody got a clue ?
henri
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2004 2:50 pm

Post by henri »

there are other threads with same query - I was told consensus is that 80 per cent is fairly safe - but it does depend on age of child - i.e the standardising tables adjust requirements to be fair to younger children in the cohort.
Guest

Post by Guest »

It depends where you live and which area's 11+ you are taking. In Essex there is no account taken of age at all, even on the verbal reasoning. I questioned this in the past and was told that the Consortium had researched and found that age made no different. I think NFER might think differently but there you go.

Also, it depends whether the school/s you are applying for have catchment areas because sometimes, if you live in the catchment area, then the "pass mark" is lower than if you don't.
This applies, for example to the Southend and Westcliff Grammar schools, where the mark needed to acquire a place from outside catchment is considerably higher than from within.
henri
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2004 2:50 pm

Post by henri »

interested in that research re age making no difference? Inclined to think there is some sense in that - after all they have all been at school and in the "education system" same number of years - and SATs, GCSEs, A levels etc are not age adjusted? There would be an outcry if they were!!
guest

Post by guest »

I think the theory is, that some schools stagger thier intake over three terms, so, for example, the younger children, at the start of Year 1 would
only have had one term at school, whilst the elder ones would have had three.
And I can vouch that (or maybe a coincidence) my younger child (born June) has certainly had to catch up with his peers and work very hard to do so.
Guest

Post by Guest »

My understanding from reading about standardisation on the nfer website is that the children are 'competing' against others born in the same month. Statistically the older children do achieve a higher raw score and therefore a lower standardised score. However, if the August born children in a particular year averaged a higher raw score, equal to that of say those born in October they would be awarded the same standardised score. Its all extremely confusing and all the mystery surrounding it doesn't help. Surely these days when everything is supposed to be open to scrutiny and accountable we should be informed of the procedure as part of the admissions process instead of having to resort to message boards! I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent and have already had two children go through the 11+ but have only this year with the help of the internet and forums such as this found out as much as I know now. [/b]
Guest

Post by Guest »

Completely agree henri

Just hope my child isn't penalised for being born in october

Shame they don't take into consideration she was 6 weeks premature and didn't even talk until she was 4.

But no, that doesn't count

It's pathetic
Guest

Post by Guest »

The thing with grammar schools is that they compare against others of the same age, so if you are born in July and very bright, you will be compared against the others born in July. In the same way, if you are born in October, you will be compared to others in October. If you had to give a life history of a child, then clearly most parents could find something in their past that would be used to give their child the advantage. I expect they have to draw the line somewhere.

Don't be too bitter about it - we all have to cope with this system that really isn't very good. Grammar schools are offering us the chance to get our children into schools that are as good as private schools. My beef is with the prep school kids who are being coached to get into the state grammars. I feel that if you choose the private route, you should stick to the private route and leave the state places for the children of parents who cannot afford to go independent.
Footymad
Posts: 149
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 1:17 pm
Location: nr yorks

Post by Footymad »

Couldn't agree more.
Footymad.
Caroline

Post by Caroline »

The comments by Guest re: Prep schools and coaching are really ill-informed. We had a choice between a very poor state primary (on the edge of special measures) and finding the money for a prep school. We have struggled to do that for our two children. The only coaching our son had for the 11+ from his school was minimal - maybe 6 hours, and really only confused him, as we were teaching him a different way. I wish they hadn't bothered.

Our son didn't pass, and we now have to choose between selling our (very modest) house to find more school fees or sending him to a poor secondary school where we're told he will be bullied for having been at a prep school.

No, the system isn't fair, but to assume that prep school kids pass because the all schools give them loads of coaching is just totally wrong. All this time we have been paying taxes that have been subsidising other children's education. We don't complain about it, so I don't see why we should be criticised for wanting a place at a grammar school if our children can get in.
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