General maths/ 11+ question

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fatbananas
Posts: 1411
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:03 pm

General maths/ 11+ question

Post by fatbananas »

Hello,

slowly increasing my knowledge around all that is entailed in the 11+ process :shock: :lol: . I've read that the maths the DC get tested on includes all of the year 6 curriculum, even though they haven't, in theory, learned it yet. So I was wondering by which time had all the experienced parents on here ensured that their DC had covered the year 6 curriculum? Sometime in year 5? middle? End? Any other time?

Many thanks.
Seize the day ... before it seizes you.
no_ball

Re: General maths/ 11+ question

Post by no_ball »

I self-tutored my DS and he sat the CEM exams in Brum. We completed algebra by end of autumn half term just in time for his first exam in Oct in his year 6. I went a little bit over the top (or so I thought at the time) with the algebra, but what was taught seemed to come up in his exams in Oct and Nov. I would aim to complete teaching 2-3 weeks before first exam and then use practice questions to ensure what has been taught has sunk in. I mention algebra here as I personally thought it to be the more complex topic to teach a 10year old.
fatbananas
Posts: 1411
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:03 pm

Re: General maths/ 11+ question

Post by fatbananas »

I guess that makes sense and the subject (esp. one like Algebra) would be fresher in the mind. Wonder if I'd feel confident enough to leave it til right at the end though?!
Seize the day ... before it seizes you.
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: General maths/ 11+ question

Post by mystery »

It's swings and roundabouts really - you could try earlier but you might find that it might be quicker and easier when the child is older - particularly with something abstract like algebra. Maybe you can sort out the topics you need to cover into things you think you a younger child could progress with, and ones that might be better left towards the end e.g. algebra.
Villagedad
Posts: 526
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:22 pm
Location: Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells

Re: General maths/ 11+ question

Post by Villagedad »

I was under the impression in Kent they only include maths subjects that the child will have covered during year 5 and the few weeks of year 6 they will have been taught at the time of the exam..?

That may exclude algebra..?

Some information in relation to Kent would be appreciated

Thanks
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: General maths/ 11+ question

Post by yoyo123 »

I am tutoring a boy in yr 5 atm, and he says they have done algebra already. According to children/parents feedback there was more of an emphasis on problem solving in the maths paper than in the nfer practice papers
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: General maths/ 11+ question

Post by mystery »

Yes, I'm sure it all depends which school your child is in, and which maths group they are in. There's no way that the Kent exam can cover what children have done up to the second week of year 6 as no two schools will cover things the same way. I guess that in some schools they will have covered the whole of the syllabus up to NC level 5 by the end of year 5 with the top groups, and in others they won't have done.

Possible types of questions are still the ones in the NFER specimen papers, but yes it does sound from parental feedback that the proportions of questions of the different types changed when the exam moved to September so that there is more emphasis on problem solving type questions than ones requiring knowledge of the finer points of the syllabus.

Don't forget you can still get about half the answers wrong and pass, and about quarter wrong and have high enough marks for Judd ...... so being versatile and accurate with the bits of the syllabus you do know could make up for not having had complete "syllabus coverage" at school.

I don't know how much specific info you really can get on Kent. It's only if someone who administers the tests in school has mentally noted all the questions (or photocopied a paper - and don't think this is allowed) that you would be able to get any more info - or from a parent who has been to Maidstone to view their child's marked paper. Other than that you rely on what children say when they come out of the exam - not the best move. I don't think many of the ones that passed realise they got so many wrong so children's exam feedback is not a good source of information.
scarlett
Posts: 3664
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:22 am

Re: General maths/ 11+ question

Post by scarlett »

I'm not sure how you would definitely know what comes up on the day either...unless your child elaborates in great detail ,mine just grunted. DS did learn algebra but said there wasn't much on that but has told me recently he hasn't learnt any new topics in Maths this year so presumably he did learn all of year 6 maths for the 11 plus.

Apart from algebra, I always thought that much of the maths topics were just an extension of what they may have learnt in previous years ? For example fractions, decimals, percentages...so if they have a good basic knowledge, perhaps it's not too difficult taking that next step into year 6 work early ?
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: General maths/ 11+ question

Post by mystery »

I'm sure once you've reached a certain NC level it's just more of the same in more depth right the way up to GCSE.
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: General maths/ 11+ question

Post by yoyo123 »

I'm not sure how you would definitely know what comes up on the day either...unless your child elaborates in great detail ,mine just grunted
:lol: :lol:
sounds about right for y6 boys!

No-one really knows what will crop up and as Mystery and others very few people see the papers and children are notoriously unreliable when it comes to feedback.
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