Sitting The Test - and numbers predicted

Milla · Post by **Milla** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 6:58 pm

Hi
Got our bumpf from Tommy's today. It said that around 260 applicants are expected. If other schools are issuing numbers like this, I thought we could add the scores together? So, have any other schools said what numbers they are expecting?
For anyone also sitting at Tommy's, and affected by the postal strike, I can say that the school is providing all materials, so no last minute panic nec with rubbers and pencils; no calculator watches allowed; parents to take away coats when we leave the children (to be left between half 8 and 9); children to be collected at noon. Sticker included to wear on the day, a few sample questions as familiarisation.

EmeraldE · Post by **EmeraldE** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 4:06 pm

HI Millia

I have a mate who has applied for her girl to take it at Denmark Rd and they have not issued numbers. I wonder if Tommies did because of the parking issue round there?

Milla · Post by **Milla** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:33 pm

are me and EE the ONLY ones to have heard ANYthing. At the risk of sounding like Delia cheering on Norwich, I feel I have to say C'mon Gloucestershire - we're looking like the least caring, least focused most hopeless county in the country? Where are the rest of you??

EmeraldE · Post by **EmeraldE** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:02 pm

LOL Milla
We are the only ones panicking babe!!
Perhaps we need a chill pill?

I am contemplating an anechoic chamber for a few hours to see if status normalicus resumes; I fear I may need several sessions

ciren mum · Post by **ciren mum** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:23 pm

Hello, I am ciren mum

I have been reading this forum for a while and thought I would join in.

My child is taking the exam at Pates and I am getting nervous.

ciren mum · Post by **ciren mum** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:35 pm

Hello again

I have a question about the test.

I have read that the two test papers are slightly different and that the answer sheets are different too. Could anybody clarify how the papers and answer sheets may differ from each other.

thanks.

hetty wainthrop · Post by **hetty wainthrop** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:13 pm

Hi Ciren mum- my daughter took the test last year and said that whilst the format of the question and answer papers were similar to the practice papers, the answer sheets were laid out slightly differently. The first paper she found much easier than the second paper, which was much more maths focused. All of the grammar schools we visited recommended the GL Assessment practice papers and those were the ones we stuck to in preparation. However, my daughter said that there were several types of question in the actual test that were NOT included in the GL practice papers! So my advice is to try as many different types of paper as possible to cover all areas.

capers123 · Post by **capers123** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:28 pm

hetty wainthrop wrote:However, my daughter said that there were several types of question in the actual test that were NOT included in the GL practice papers.

Hi,

That is indeed true.

I'm told that tutored children find the first test easier - the questions they find are the questions they've been coached to answer. They then come to the second paper (written specially each year with lots of different question types) and find it harder, as they've not come across those questions before.

Children who've been heavily/intensively tutored may find that because they've been so confident in their practice papers, the 'unknown' question types freak them out a bit.

Un-tutored, or lightly tutored children don't have an advantage as such, in that they'll probably get a lower score in the first paper - but find the second paper just as hard as the first, not harder. I've even heard untutored children say the second paper was easier.

As the final score is the sum of both papers, it tends to even out fairly well. Some schools used to insist on a minimum score on each of the two papers - poor performance in the second test knocked out many a child.

I often get to see the marked papers at appeal, and certainly children that we are sure have not been tutored (ie moved to Glos in the month before the exam, either from a non-11+ area or even abroad) seem to do quite well in the second test, whereas children that the parents say have been tutored for 2 years do often have a better 1st paper. I should point out that we show no prejudice towards a child if the parents say they've been tutored, as we don't know about the ones who say nothing... We often treat 'did your child finish the papers' as a bit of a filler question.

However, 'finding the first/second paper hard' is not an indicator of how well they've done - no more than smiling / crying after the test. Last year at Stroud, children showing the whole range of post-exam emotions, etc, passed - I was there watching them come out - some sobbers got through, some bouncy, confident ones didn't.

ciren mum · Post by **ciren mum** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:00 pm

Thanks to you both for the help regarding the test papers.

Does anybody know how many pupils are expected to take the test at Pates this year?

Pushkin · Post by **Pushkin** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:59 pm

Hello Capers123

Do you mean that the second paper contains questions from the 21 question types, rather than the 15 types in the NFER practice papers?

Or do you mean that there are question types in the second paper outside of the 21 types - that noone will have seen before?

Thanks