how much improvement can be made between now and the exam

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chelmsford dad
Posts: 92
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:04 pm

how much improvement can be made between now and the exam

Post by chelmsford dad »

i started doing some past papers in last few weeks and now we are doing 3-4 a week and hes averaging i would say around 72% all in.
for his first choice school i think we would need 80%+ unless it was a particularly low scoring year.
we havent gone all that strong until now as i would like him to get in on natural ability with some training rather than really forcing him over the line so to speak.
i just wonder how much more he is likely to improve in the 5 weeks left ? in theory by going through the 28% that is wrong i guess he should.
these have all been very strictly timed and i would say he is getting a higher percentage of the actual questions he is doing so therefore at the moment speed is harming his scores rather than lack of knowledge so im hoping his speed will naturally improve.
the whole process is very worrying not just about getting in a particular school but if you are being too hard on them expectation wise :(
essex-mum18
Posts: 218
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2007 12:09 am

Re: how much improvement can be made between now and the exa

Post by essex-mum18 »

chelmsford dad wrote:i started doing some past papers in last few weeks and now we are doing 3-4 a week and hes averaging i would say around 72% all in.
for his first choice school i think we would need 80%+ unless it was a particularly low scoring year.
we havent gone all that strong until now as i would like him to get in on natural ability with some training rather than really forcing him over the line so to speak.
i just wonder how much more he is likely to improve in the 5 weeks left ? in theory by going through the 28% that is wrong i guess he should.
these have all been very strictly timed and i would say he is getting a higher percentage of the actual questions he is doing so therefore at the moment speed is harming his scores rather than lack of knowledge so im hoping his speed will naturally improve.
the whole process is very worrying not just about getting in a particular school but if you are being too hard on them expectation wise :(
Morning, Chelmsford dad

I believe it will be the Chelmsford boy GS you son will take the exam according to your poster name. There are 3 papers ( Maths, English and VR), VR is the paper which counts for 50% of the total scores, the other 2 is 25% each. IMO, the speed and accuracy of the VR paper is rather crucial.

With the speed, I assume you are talking the VR paper. I think it will improve if he can work out which types of questions that take most time doing. Do not put too much time on just one question because each question carry equal mark.

My advise will be doing a moch exam, just like the real exam with 3 papers and a break in between as the exam date approaches. My son did
that and it had been an invaluable experience for him to have a taste of what the real thing is like ( hard at that time but he's glad he had that experience.). That said, each child is different and doing the mock under strict timing can be an eye opening/ daunting :shock: experience.

I know it can be a worrying time for most parents as the exam date is not far away. Lots of encouragements and supports are particularly needed at this stage. Good luck for the exam in Nov.
chelmsford dad
Posts: 92
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:04 pm

thanks

Post by chelmsford dad »

got 2 mocks planned so hopefully that will help , he doesnt seem to struggle time wise with the english papers more so with vr and especially the maths papers , though the marks are not that different it just seems the maths ones take him more time for some reason and he either doesnt quite get to the last ones or makes silly errors on ones he should really get , i guess thats 10-11 year olds though :D
essex-mum18
Posts: 218
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2007 12:09 am

Post by essex-mum18 »

My son used to do the same, careless mistakes which he could eaisly gained marks on. I advised him to underline the key words and read the questions more carefully. I think you are right, boys at 10, 11!!Even though my DS is in y8 now at Chelmsford GS, he still makes careless mistakes in his Maths homework sometimes :x :x
chelmsford dad
Posts: 92
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:04 pm

re grammar school

Post by chelmsford dad »

im assuming he at kegs then , does he enjoy it there? obviously thats where we trying for though maybe only an outside chance , im more thinking id either like him to get in comfortably or be at the top end of a comp rather than scrape in and then struggle there but my wife thinks that doesnt matter once they are in there and that the 11+ score is not always a good guide to future performance there.
what would your view be on that?
Tolstoy
Posts: 2755
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:25 pm

Post by Tolstoy »

My DS1 took the test for Gloucester last year. The scores he was getting in the tests I gave him in the run up were much lower than those I was led to believe would be expected for him to get the school he wanted.

I think possibly DC that have been tutored will get higher scores in the run up than those who haven't but when it comes to the actual test their scores will drop significantly, those who have not been tutored will possibly not drop to such a large extent or possibly do better than expected.

I have only the experience of one child to base this on but I have been reading a lot on this site which kind of backs up my theory. So I would advise not worrying too much if he doesn't ever hit the 80% just keep up the practice, try giving him the Tutors short papers, this is what I have done with my boys as it helps improve their time keeping without taking up too much of their free time. I do one a day during the week.

If your DS passes then I am sure he will cope fine in Grammar even if he just scrapes through because his lack of exessive tutoring means it is a true reflection of his ability. My DS1 is doing very well so despite his abismal practice scores he was obviously Grammar material and in the actual test ironically his score was far higher than any of his practice test results.
essex-mum18
Posts: 218
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2007 12:09 am

Re: re grammar school

Post by essex-mum18 »

chelmsford dad wrote:im assuming he at kegs then , does he enjoy it there? obviously thats where we trying for though maybe only an outside chance , im more thinking id either like him to get in comfortably or be at the top end of a comp rather than scrape in and then struggle there but my wife thinks that doesnt matter once they are in there and that the 11+ score is not always a good guide to future performance there.
what would your view be on that?
Indeed, he is at KEGS and he really enjoys the schooling. Undoubtedly, the boys there are very bright and most of them are doing well. Expectations are high but I really do feel the school try to give all rounded experiences to the children. My son is doing well academically which is reflected in his work and grades. The extra- cirrumlum activities are amazing and they provide lots of opportunities for the children to take part. A sense of community spirit is quite strong at Kegs, I feel.

You are right, each child is different. As parents, we always wonder if we have made the right choice for our DC secondary shool. It seems that your son is rather well prepared for the exam.

I agree that a good 11+ scores does not necessarily mean they will guarantee top grades in the future. The marks are so tight in the 11+ that the top scorer and the final scorer may not have a very big gap in the raw scores. I always think getting into a GS is only the beginning, no matter how bright the child is, his/ her attitude and determination play a very important part for the future performance.
Chelmsford mum
Posts: 2113
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:16 pm

Post by Chelmsford mum »

Hi Chelmsford Dad,
People might think we are a couple :wink:

Back to more serious matters.Last year according to someone I know who tutors in Essex the gap between the 19 th place and the 110 th place was under 5 marks. :shock: The marks when you get them are accompanied by marks after the decimal point. e.g 347 .62
Therefore as essex mum18 said really the difference is usually about 4 -5 questions in the VR and so the first in is not necessarily that much brighter than the last in.

I have two at the Girls' school. Essex mum18 and I were only yesterday commenting on the fact that neither school is a hothouse of pressure.If he gets in, he really will be nurtured well, valued and happy.

Good luck to you. :D
chelmsford dad
Posts: 92
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:04 pm

scoring

Post by chelmsford dad »

initailly we were told he might need 90% to get in but ive had a look at past scores reported on here and seen one year where a boy scraped in with 71% and another got in reasonably comfrotably with around 78% , this may have been in a difficult year though so might not be representative of the last few years.
what are your experiences of this? if you dont mind me asking of course
Chelmsford mum
Posts: 2113
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:16 pm

Post by Chelmsford mum »

Happy to answer this one.
I too was told this.I think it is sensible to aim for 90%+ in practice.This allows for a drop in scores on the day.
My eldest maintained her at home scores and was unaffected by nerves.My second was visibly more nervous and dropped 10 - 15 % in all papers.
She scraped in (as they say) with scores in the mid seventies.But getting back to the score issue, 10 girls shared her score except for what was after the decimal point.So essentially ten were separated by a fraction of one percent :shock: so every point is worth a lot.Really for example practise punctuation, because that is worth a few points in the English.

Incidentally and at the risk of sounding boastful which I am not , just wanting to offer reassurance, DD2 is more than holding her own there.I am not saying she is the brightest or a genius but just that the scores are so tight in their ranking, that being one of the last in does not serve as a predictor of future outcomes.
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