Advice for 2016

Eleven Plus (11+) in Bexley and Bromley

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

dwisdom
Posts: 142
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:17 am

Advice for 2016

Post by dwisdom »

Hi,

While I am still around - I though I would share some advice for next year's takers:

1) get yourself a decent tutor. Don't just go for any PGCE/primary school Teacher - most of them have no idea regarding 11 Plus. Go for someone who has track record - ask people on this forum or at your child's school. Half the battle is knowing what to cover - bond books particular English/NV and VR miss the mark for Bexley
2) Read, read read and read even more. While Bexley is CEM you need to read and have a good vocab
3) Do lots of tests particular mock exams.....however watch out for Bond and CGP as these are too hard. Letts is great and very accurate. We were lucky that our local centre run mocks throughout the holidays. I can't stress how valuable this was. My child said everyone around her were struggling for time during the Maths section.
4) Do the kent 11+for practice but don't get lul into a false sense of security as it is easier

Above all remember - you only have to get max 55-60% to pass.

Other parents please post your thoughts before you disapper......

(sent by Mobile)
salsa
Posts: 2686
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:59 am

Re: Advice for 2016

Post by salsa »

dwisdom wrote:Hi,

While I am still around - I though I would share some advice for next year's takers:

1) get yourself a decent tutor. Don't just go for any PGCE/primary school Teacher - most of them have no idea regarding 11 Plus. Go for someone who has track record - ask people on this forum or at your child's school. Half the battle is knowing what to cover - bond books particular English/NV and VR miss the mark for Bexley
2) Read, read read and read even more. While Bexley is CEM you need to read and have a good vocab
3) Do lots of tests particular mock exams.....however watch out for Bond and CGP as these are too hard. Letts is great and very accurate. We were lucky that our local centre run mocks throughout the holidays. I can't stress how valuable this was. My child said everyone around her were struggling for time during the Maths section.
4) Do the kent 11+for practice but don't get lul into a false sense of security as it is easier

Above all remember - you only have to get max 55-60% to pass.

Other parents please post your thoughts before you disapper......

(sent by Mobile)
Thank you so much. Very informative.
What type of books would you recommend?
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2130
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: Advice for 2016

Post by PettswoodFiona »

1) research admissions and don't feel aggrieved if you find you pass but don't qualify on e.g distance
2) a child who wants to do the test is key
3) familiarisation, natural ability in vocab and conscientious attitude were what we used and only had a tutor (not a very good one!) for two months - each child is different in the support they need or encouragement to learn themselves.
4) have a fall-back position so you and DC are not stressing about it being the be all and end all
5) see it as a journey together with your child (yes I work full time in a demanding job!) - we found the summer before eleven plus the best summer ever and I was expecting it to be more hard work but we planned ourselves regular rewards like bike rides and outings that we wouldn't have done if it weren't for the 11+ so it was actually quite amazing.
6) yes to mock exams even if just for technique, juggling papers on a desk, being on an exam hall etc.
7) start thinking about a new hobby as once the journey is over you will be wondering what to do with all that time...
boardfleet
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 9:50 am

Re: Advice for 2016

Post by boardfleet »

Having lurked on here for the last year, and got a top 180 result for ds yesterday (249) - I felt I wanted to come on and say that - there is no need to have a tutor.

ds and I worked through all the sample material we could find - there are reams of CEM style books out there.

he did about 3 papers per week over the summer, and also did a 30 minute chunk once a week during year 5. So not that onerous.

My top tip - keep calm and don't make this into some massive deal. he didn't even know the results were out yesterday until I told him he was in
dwisdom
Posts: 142
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:17 am

Re: Advice for 2016

Post by dwisdom »

we also had a friend who passed without a tutor in our school....but to be honest most kids are that bright ....just look at the pass rate. Also I found that someone telling my kid what to do - works much better than me telling them. Finally knowing where to start, motivation - having a coach is well worth the money.

The trick is though find a good tutor - they all get booked up so quickly.
seppfifa
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 3:07 pm

Re: Advice for 2016

Post by seppfifa »

Hi Dwisdom,

Can you please recommend me some tutors/tuition centres.....
I want someone who has a strong track record.

Thanks
We try to keep the forum as safe as possible - we don't allow tutors or tutoring organisations (other than school/PTA and non-commercial organisations) to be openly recommended, because it attracts posts with fake recommendations ('dodgy' advertising solely designed to solicit business on the internet).
It is also not unknown for unscrupulous competitors to 'plant' negative posts, seeking to denigrate the opposition!

Genuine recommendations from forum members by PM only (private message) are permitted - but be aware of the possibility that someone who appears to be a 'helpful parent' offering advice may not be all they seem! There could be an ulterior motive.

Always treat recommendations from unknown persons with great caution.
However, we have many long standing members - check carefully the date of joining and number of posts) - who make a very valuable contribution to the forum. If you receive a private recommendation from one of them, it could be worth considering.

Please let us know if you think anyone is abusing the system by soliciting for business or 'spamming'.
It's easy to report a possible problem - just click on the red exclamation mark that appears with every post and PM: Image

Moderator



Note:
  • • Institutional Course details can be found here

    • Intensive Holiday Courses can be found here
Kind regards

ForumAdmin
parent2013
Posts: 452
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:13 am

Re: Advice for 2016

Post by parent2013 »

Google up and you will find easily.

The need for tutor depends on couple of parameters - Individual child, parent's expectation (read as desperation), if parents happy to risk or don't want to risk, location of your house i.e. catchment or OOC.

Go for word of mouth, success stats and your gut instinct. It is your exam for your own child. Do research.
ronkevso
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 3:23 pm

Re: Advice for 2016

Post by ronkevso »

My dc went to group tuition on Saturdays and I did work with him six days a week everyday after school.

My advice would be regular, varied practice . We used a range of books- FPTP, Bond, Bond CEM,CGP. We used a lot of online material such as Bond Online, QuestionMix and ElevenPlus Exams Apps.

My dc found it all fun and was working hard to see his score improve every time, it was more like a competition.

We did monthly mocks towards the end and even went ooc to do a real 11+ paper for practice.

To motivate my son I took him to grammar school open days from year 4.

Work hard and enjoy working together towards a shared goal.

I think working hard and keeping up the motivation is the key.
salsa
Posts: 2686
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:59 am

Re: Advice for 2016

Post by salsa »

Well done ronkevso. This is great effort and I am glad he found it fun! With this amount of effort it is not surprising he got such good results.
dwisdom
Posts: 142
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:17 am

Re: Advice for 2016

Post by dwisdom »

I have sent private message regarding tutor we used...a good tutor is really an excellent investment
Post Reply
11 Plus Mocks - Practise the real exam experience - Book Now