11 Plus Exams Forum

I have a summer born boy- still only young but we are looking at what secondary schools would be available to him when the time comes. I’m interested to hear from parents with summer born children who have been able to get into QE or DAO and tips to start from an early age. He seems to be a smart boy so far but his concentration span at this age is like a small goldfish and will hopefully improve with time.
Are summer born children really at a disadvantage? I am summer born, I passed the eleven plus a long long time ago but I was much more studious than my siblings.

Do the DAO and QE exams take into account age?

QE does, according to the Information for Parents booklet on its website.

https://www.qebarnet.co.uk/admissions-i ... n-parents/

Ah yes thank you, I missed this bit when I read it a while back.

DAO is also age standardised.

If I remember correctly, until only a couple of years ago, DAO used to sum the round 1 (age) standardised score and round 2 raw scores to give total scores for ranking candidates and this always left me feeling very uneasy. They now standardise the round 2 scores but it would be interesting to know if these are age standardised.

The previous poster has said DAO is also age standardised but I would really like to know more, I might relook at their website or email them. I just know a whole year difference can really affect the mark at the age they do the tests (I think, I have no proof!) - I notice maturity levels are so different in some of the young people I know now. Gives me hope anyway of they are standardised!

From DAO website:

Part I Results

Once the verbal reasoning papers have been marked these raw scores are converted to an “age-standardised score” based on the child’s age in completed months. This takes into account that some children are very young in the year group and is carried out by the test providers. The candidates are then ranked in order of their marks.

Children ranked below position 325 in the Verbal Reasoning Test will be deemed by the Governors not to be eligible for consideration for admission to the school under the academic criterion and will therefore not be invited to sit Part II of the Entrance Examinations.

Children ranked within the top 325 (325 candidates) in the Verbal Reasoning Test will be invited back to sit Part II of the Entrance tests. The results will be “age- standardised” and combined with the results from the verbal reasoning test to produce a total combined mark which will then be ranked accordingly. For further information please refer to our Admissions Arrangements.

Good to know that the 2nd round is also age standardised. When he does eventually take the tests, I hope things work out well for your summer born.

Appreciate it thank you very much.

DS2 was born on 31 Aug. You cannot get any more “summer born” than that!

He sat for SW Herts consortium, and QE admission tests. Both were standardised and he did well. He is thriving in QE sixth form now and in school rugby team as a prop. We have never felt age was a big factor. So better not to get distracted by it.

If anything, DS1 jokes his 11+ scores were a result of age standardisation only (DS2 scores were better than DS1’s).

All the best for all the summer born DC preparing for 11+.