How is everyone doing?

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monsoon
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:43 pm

How is everyone doing?

Post by monsoon »

Hi All,

How are you doing/coping? We got one week to go before the 1st Exam.
We are still going through the Vocabs. Looking at the papers we've done.. and making sure we understand why the mistake was made.
I wish I kept all the answer sheet for the papers we done..

Good luck to every one..
I am feeling the pressure now.. but my DS is OK.. at least not showing it to me..

Monsoon
mummytroubles
Posts: 35
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 7:43 pm
Location: England

Re: How is everyone doing?

Post by mummytroubles »

I'm at exactly the same place with DD as I was with my DS a few years back - hovering between 69 and 72 out of 80. DD is still making silly mistakes - will work her way carefully through a problem and then suddenly randomly decide 4 x 8 is 34 for no very good reason. If the question is tough, she gets it, if it's average, she does something off the wall!

For those of you going thru this for the first time I would say that IMHO many children do lift their game on the day. We are nervous wrecks but if they're ready then they seem to realise it's the real thing and perform. My DS drove me crazy with his poor vocabulary no matter how many times we went thru the word sheet I'd lovingly compiled. I don't what happened on the day but he came out with a good score and believe me, I thought he was going to make a handful of careless mistakes and just miss a pass by a couple of marks.

Hope this helps the nerves. :)

MT
burnzeazi
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:30 am

Re: How is everyone doing?

Post by burnzeazi »

First two weeks of term were a struggle as the homework has increased (private school). Trying to fit in the last minute vocab cramming was impossible!

Thankfully the homework has now stopped but that his convinced DS that so too should the last minute vocab cramming!

Averaging 67-70 (Jan born) but trying to be optimistic that the silly errors will not be made on the day. Looking forward to Oct 6 when I can finally start having a life (at least until Nov 26).

Good luck to one and all!
monsoon
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:43 pm

Re: How is everyone doing?

Post by monsoon »

[quote="mummytroubles"]I'm at exactly the same place with DD ... will work her way carefully through a problem and then suddenly randomly decide 4 x 8 is 34 for no very good reason. If the question is tough, she gets it, if it's average, she does something off the wall!

Mine is exactly the same.. Always gets the hard questions right.. also when she makes a silly mistake, she has the attitude 'I know it anyway!!!'.. Makes me so frustrated.. Can't show as only few days left now..

Thanks for the comfort.. I keep telling her.. silly mistake make her pass or fail.. she is again 70-72.
(Regardless of Walsh or IPS or NFER).. She seem to stuck with that marks.. As she is a summer baby.. if she does get 70 in her exams.. she should be OK...

Thanks
Monsson
monsoon
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:43 pm

Re: How is everyone doing?

Post by monsoon »

burnzeazi wrote:First two weeks of term were a struggle as the homework has increased (private school). Trying to fit in the last minute vocab cramming was impossible!

Thankfully the homework has now stopped but that his convinced DS that so too should the last minute vocab cramming!

Averaging 67-70 (Jan born) but trying to be optimistic that the silly errors will not be made on the day. Looking forward to Oct 6 when I can finally start having a life (at least until Nov 26).

Good luck to one and all!

We will have a party :)
pmmum
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2010 6:36 pm

Re: How is everyone doing?

Post by pmmum »

Does anyone have any advice? My DD has been doing really well in test exams at home and at her tutors scoring between 71 and 79 (for an Aug birthday) even on Walsh papers and finishing about 5 mins early, but she seems to have gone to pieces in the last 2 familiarisation papers at school and has either not finished and had to guess the last sections or has just made silly mistakes and her scores have gone down to 67 and 65 - but there does not seem to be one particular section where she is losing marks. This has really knocked her confidence and I am getting worried about her now . Does anyone have any advice - should I keep trying to work with her in the evenings or just let her rest now and hope that she will perform on the day? Thank you
Tree
Posts: 536
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2009 7:19 pm
Location: bucks

Re: How is everyone doing?

Post by Tree »

Hi Pmmum

She sounds like she has been doing great at home do you think she got nervous? I think all you can do is try to boost her confidence again get her to do some of the easier papers again at home mark generously make sure she passes fine and generally boost her up having said that although it is close 67 would probably pass with august born.

All the best to her
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: How is everyone doing?

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi pmmum, and welcome!

Children do go in to "burnout" at this stage in the preparation, so you need to be very cautious indeed.

Her confidence has been knocked and you need to rebuild it. Find an easier paper than Walsh if you have one spare, or download a full 50 minute paper from our e-bookshop. None of them will be as difficult as Walsh. Ask her to do that at the weekend and see what happens - mark it when she is not around. If the result is below 75 or so, be "economical with the truth", if you know what I mean. Don't let her see the answer sheet, just circle a few questions on the question sheet and go through them with her.

If it is higher than 75, praise her to the skies and encourage her to open up with you on why it was so different to sitting the familiarisation papers.

If you think that she won't be willing to do a last practice paper, just work on the latter instead. Talking and reassurance are probably more important than anything. Maybe her friends are winding up the pressure? Maybe she is worrying about being separated from a good friend at school by the result of the 11+? Perhaps it is just the fear of failure and the alternative on offer?

Also take a look at Patricia's "Sticky" thread on her rules for the tests - there is some helpful last minute advice there.

Finally, take her out for a treat this weekend to reward her for all the work she has put in to preparing for the tests, and keep reassuring her with the phrase that someone once posted on here for me (many years ago now when I was in my darkest hour): "Cream will always rise to the top". It is absolutely true - a bright child will succeed almost anywhere, and I have seen many examples of it.

Fingers crossed for her!

Sally-Anne
duffymoon
Posts: 99
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:37 am

Re: How is everyone doing?

Post by duffymoon »

pmmum wrote:Does anyone have any advice? My DD has been doing really well in test exams at home and at her tutors scoring between 71 and 79 (for an Aug birthday) even on Walsh papers and finishing about 5 mins early, but she seems to have gone to pieces in the last 2 familiarisation papers at school and has either not finished and had to guess the last sections or has just made silly mistakes and her scores have gone down to 67 and 65 - but there does not seem to be one particular section where she is losing marks. This has really knocked her confidence and I am getting worried about her now . Does anyone have any advice - should I keep trying to work with her in the evenings or just let her rest now and hope that she will perform on the day? Thank you
Our son was similar to this when he took the 11+ a couple of years ago. He was getting good scores at home but when he sat the familiarisation papers at school he didn't finish papers 1 and 2. Like you, this worried us. However, he went on to pass the real thing and is flying at his GS. We got him to redo an 'easy' paper at the weekend to boost his confidence. Also, nerves may have played a part, so hopefully sitting the familiarisation papers under proper test conditions will get some of those nerves out of the way for the real thing and she will do the business on the day. All the best.
monsoon
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:43 pm

Re: How is everyone doing?

Post by monsoon »

pmmum wrote:Does anyone have any advice? My DD has been doing really well in test exams at home and at her tutors scoring between 71 and 79 (for an Aug birthday) even on Walsh papers and finishing about 5 mins early, but she seems to have gone to pieces in the last 2 familiarisation papers at school and has either not finished and had to guess the last sections or has just made silly mistakes and her scores have gone down to 67 and 65 - but there does not seem to be one particular section where she is losing marks. This has really knocked her confidence and I am getting worried about her now . Does anyone have any advice - should I keep trying to work with her in the evenings or just let her rest now and hope that she will perform on the day? Thank you
--------------------------------------------------

Exact thing happend to my friend's son last year. I remeber that conversation very well last year. This is what they've done. (He used to score 74-76, but in test 1 and test 2 he was down to 60ish!!). They went through the test 1 and test 2 again. There wasn't any thing he doesn't know or cannot handle it in those 2 papers. They made sure that there will not be a paper he will be able to handle. Gave the test 1 and test 2 again after few days at school.. (His teacher was very helpful indeed ). He is passed with flying colours. I think it is nervous and pressure is building up.

Mine so far getting 70-72.. and has been never nervous at all (actually in any thing)..(It has worried me some times because I thought DS was not serious about it).. But suddenly I can see the fear and pressure.. asking what if I don't pass.. I keep telling him what my friend told their son.. There won't be a paper that will be too difficult for you... That seem to boost his confidence... But certinly I can see the pressure...

Just keep him encouraged... give him the easy papers.... & good luck..

Monsoon
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