New to this and confused!

[leammum]

Hi, hope someone can help. I'm new to forums generally so bear with! I'm starting to tutor my son for the 11+ for King Edward VI in Stratford upon Avon. Late, I know. I know that there will be two 45 min papers covering verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning (Durham CEM 11+). But I am unsure what sample papers/practice materials to download so that we're practising the right things. Can someone advise me what to download on this site, any helpful books, websites etc, that are appropriate for these particular tests?

Thanks in advance ....

[Bad Dad]

There are some ideas on this thread: http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 37&t=24471" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[leammum]

Thanks for this - I'll check this thread out later. Thanks for your help.

[JPH1]

Hello and welcome!

I would try the Bond Assessment Papers these are very good especially the Non Verbal Reasoning books. They also cover Maths and Verbal Reasoning plus you can get some 10 minute papers, which test time and accuracy. I know of a number of children that have used these books prior to the 11 plus and have passed and they are very good for extra school work as well.

Try http://www.assessmentpapers.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I think they have some on line assessments now as well.

All the best and good luck

Cheers.

[leammum]

Thanks, that is really helpful. And I'm relieved too as it's Bond that I've bought in the end. They do seem very good.

[Bad Dad]

In my experience, there a couple of issues to bear in mind with Bond:
1. The Verbal Reasoning is not very representative of CEM, and is more geared towards the traditional NFER-style 11+ still used in the majority of other areas such as Kent and Bucks.
2. The Bond English comprehensions are in long answer form, where as the CEM comprehension will almost certainly be multiple choice.

Having said that, a bit of everything probably helps. In non-CEM areas, working on endless questions in the same format maybe pays off. But for CEM, people say it is better to introduce as much variety as possible and not let children get too comfortable with any particular set of books. In the exam, they are likely to be confronted with a style of question they have not seen before and it could help if they are used to applying their ability and knowledge to new scenarios. Expect the unexpected!

[leammum]

Again, that's really helpful. I've made up some of my own cloze tests and got other stuff too, so I'll try and introduce other formats apart from Bond.

Got a course at Explore Learning too - he's joining half way through the 11+ course, so will only have time to do NVR and Maths. Does anyone have any experience of Explore Learning? I've heard conflicting reports...