Warwickshire 11+ courses

DarkEnergy · Post by **DarkEnergy** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 1:20 pm

I have spent hours studying the 11+ and new Durham CEM 11+ to get my daughter through it next year. I was wondering if there are any Durham CEM specialist courses out there? I know Durham refuse to release materials apart from the familiarisation paper, but surely someone is working on this?

Could be a lucrative opportunity for someone out there?

Rugbymum · Post by **Rugbymum** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 2:21 pm

I do not know of any in Warks...with CEM exams, the format is supposed to change each year so it would be difficult to predict what will be covered. However if you look in the Birmingham section of this forum - as one of the grammars there (KEGS?) uses CEM and tutors there have a good idea of how best to prepare your child.

Optimist · Post by **Optimist** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 8:30 pm

Hi there

Best thing is to trawl the internet and try bits of everything. CEM is Verbal Reasoning (VR), Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) and Numerical Reasoning (NR). In short, it is something you can teach your DC, yourself.

I am presently trawling the internet for materials, and using them on a friend's Year 5 DS. Friend's DS will sit the Warks 11+ in November 2010.

VR is heavily dependent on a wide vocabulary - both in knowing the words, and what theyactually mean - especially homonyms. It also will include a cloze exercise - there are many on the internet to look at. Alternatively, copy paste a paragraph from say Times Online, or First News, and remove key words, such as prepositions. Ask your DC to complete them. There will be questions on synonyms and antonyms, again, vocab is important. Comprehension will be multi-choice, so Try the Eng Bond Books and the Comprehension Bond Books. ABOVE ALL, DEVELOP THE VOCAB!!!

NVR, is exactly what it is. Use the Bond Books, and the two CD's on the Eleven-plus forum.

NR - This covers arithmetic and problem-solving. For these, best to get your son to used the KS2 publications in Arithmetic and Problem-Solving, by Schofield & Sims. They are ideal preparation.

DarkEnergy · Post by **DarkEnergy** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 10:11 pm

Optimist, you are a star.

Thank you for the valuable info, it will be used. So far I have be going through NVR papers with daughter with great success. I had picked up the info on the need for vocab and am working on that as well. I will check out the bond materials as so far I have only used nfer past papers.

Anyway, one year to go and plenty of time!