Is it enough to pass?

[monsoon]

Hi All,

We are working through the papers (IPS, Tutors, Susan's and Walsh) and getting about 71, 72 over 80 questions... Would this be enough to pass??
I know in exam condition, they could perform differently...
I am just thinking of giving a break and for August and start again in September? (I need a break as well as my child
Or Am I feeling over confident??

Thanks
Monsoon.

[andyb]

I think you need to aim for 85% to be reasonably certain of a 121 pass which is 68/80 (I think there's a sticky on the page?) so you should be OK having a break over the summer. Younger children could probably go little lower as there is a small age weighting. In any event a break is a good thing to stop boredom setting in for both of you . Expect the scores to fall off slightly when you start up again in September but you can use the incentive that they've scored highly before so you know they can do it again.

[muvvalac]

my son getting consistently atleast or above 85% since beginning of his year 5, he has been preparing with the help of one-one tutor and my self for last 8 months. but still i dont see any difference, he is still getting 85% to 92% in bond, GL , Susan papers.

Should I start worrying for him ?

[yoyo123]

my son getting consistently atleast or above 85% since beginning of his year 5, he has been preparing with the help of one-one tutor and my self for last 8 months. but still i dont see any difference, he is still getting 85% to 92% in bond, GL , Susan papers.

Should I start worrying for him ?

no, that is a reasonable average

have a look at teh ones he gets wrong, is it the same type of question each time? are they consistent errors? are they "silly" mistakes? like not reading all the question? If so get your tutor to work on those areas.

[muvvalac]

my son getting consistently atleast or above 85% since beginning of his year 5, he has been preparing with the help of one-one tutor and my self for last 8 months. but still i dont see any difference, he is still getting 85% to 92% in bond, GL , Susan papers.

Should I start worrying for him ?

no, that is a reasonable average

have a look at teh ones he gets wrong, is it the same type of question each time? are they consistent errors? are they "silly" mistakes? like not reading all the question? If so get your tutor to work on those areas.

thanks, 5% inaccurate answers lead to the questions that are linked to vocabulary. and vocabulary is unlimited and it is not something that you can learn in a day or years. any ideas ?

dont tell me to read books and look for words in dictionary/theasaurus . any other ideas ?

[chicko-mum]

This is a good site for building vocab in a fun way. It's been mentioned often before:
http://www.freerice.com/index.php?&t=48 ... Vocabulary

Reading books with interesting vocab will also help (I know you said not to say so) but every new word learnt counts and a few weeks CAN make a difference. Discuss the books with DS so you are sure the vocab is understood and sinking in. My DD often gleans the meaning of a word from the paragraph/context but she can get it a bit wrong or not get the all the nuances of the word - a dictionary and thesaurus are useful tools and help with this if she remembers to use them.

[muvvalac]

This is a good site for building vocab in a fun way. It's been mentioned often before:
http://www.freerice.com/index.php?&t=48 ... Vocabulary

Reading books with interesting vocab will also help (I know you said not to say so) but every new word learnt counts and a few weeks CAN make a difference. Discuss the books with DS so you are sure the vocab is understood and sinking in. My DD often gleans the meaning of a word from the paragraph/context but she can get it a bit wrong or not get the all the nuances of the word - a dictionary and thesaurus are useful tools and help with this if she remembers to use them.

Thanks and it looks like a good one to try for my DD. what level do you think a 11+ child should be at while doing english vocabulary on this website.

[chicko-mum]

I know that the difficulty of the vocab builds as you get the answers right. If you get one wrong the level drops a bit, these questions are repeated a while later - fab for 11+ practice
I've never noticed the actual number levels at the bottom before!

[ian35mm]

I think you'll find that 68/80 isn't quite enough some years!

And with my students, I am worrying about those who only are achieving 85% and I am telling the parents that they are marginal at best.

Last year, those achieving 85% with me did not pass. and those achieving 73/74 with me were coming out at about 125.

Just my opinion of course, but one based on ten years experience and 20 students taking the test last year and 17 of those passing.

[monsoon]

Hi all,
Thanks for all your replies. I think it is very border line.. but feels like going nowhere as the results is around 72/80 (most of the times!!). May be a break will freshen her up.
May be just 2 weeks break rather than the whole of Aug

For vocabulary, we go though the papers and write down the ones we don’t know then we make the flash cards. Once in a week, I go through the flash cards.. We have accumulated so many words now. We also have a son who is 9, so they play together so it helps both of them. Our youngest son one is getting so much knowledge already 