Too fast and inaccurate!

[ginx]

My dd does papers too quickly and makes silly mistakes, in all subjects. I can make her do the Bond 10 minute papers slowly and get them correct, but I cannot make her spend 50 minutes on papers. She always gets about 50%.

Any tips how to make her work for 50 minutes? Should I just sit with her? I am sure she would get more right if she spent longer, but she just won't! She promises me that in the real exam she will.

In the 11+, are there more questions than can realistically be done in the time?

[anotherworriedmum]

I share your pain!

We break the paper into 1/4s and try to encourage our DS to do one 1/4 every 10 minutes; hopefully that still gives another 10 minutes for checking at the end. Might that work for you?

[yummycool]

we too are having similar issues. DD rushes and when finishes goes back over her work and then changes her answer to an incorrect one usually!!

[ginx]

Thanks, anotherworriedmum and yummycool. Good to know it's not just us.

We broke English down to just comprehension (a serious problem area) which improved answers, but still only 14/25 correct, which is not good enough to pass. Comprehension is her worst area though. That was a GL Assessment paper 3.

I think DD just wants to get it over and done with because she doesn't enjoy practising. I'd be quite happy to quit but feel we can't, having come this far, and she wants to do it.

How often are you mums getting your DC's to practice? This hot weather doesn't help, my dd either wants to play outside or is too hot and tired to do anything!

I also don't know the best time of day to practice - I would imagine morning, but my dd would rather postpone it till afternoon (probably hoping I will forget!)

Any tips?

[scary mum]

Thanks, anotherworriedmum and yummycool. Good to know it's not just us.

We broke English down to just comprehension (a serious problem area) which improved answers, but still only 14/25 correct, which is not good enough to pass. Comprehension is her worst area though. That was a GL Assessment paper 3.

I think DD just wants to get it over and done with because she doesn't enjoy practising. I'd be quite happy to quit but feel we can't, having come this far, and she wants to do it.

How often are you mums getting your DC's to practice? This hot weather doesn't help, my dd either wants to play outside or is too hot and tired to do anything!

I also don't know the best time of day to practice - I would imagine morning, but my dd would rather postpone it till afternoon (probably hoping I will forget!)

Maybe she's rushing to get out & play with her friends? I would say whatever time works best for her, so if her mind is on the sunshine & playing out in the morning, do it later - get her to suggest what time is best and stick to it, with an agreement that she won't rush through it?

Any tips?

[ginx]

Thanks, scary mum. I love your name by the way. It could have been mine!

I will have to do some serious negotiating. It's hot again, dd's been out all day, I will now get her to suggest a time to suit her.

Thanks for the advice.

Are other children happy to do practice papers in the summer holidays when it is warm, and they want to be out playing?

[Reading Mum]

Not mine. She is at holiday club all day so it is a big ask for her to do anything when she gets back. I had to negotiate half a paper today as mutiny seemed to be brewing, but the deal was that she'd do the other half tomorrow so that is better than nothing which was her starting point.

[anotherworriedmum]

Hi
We are having a week off cause he is at camp. However, when he is back we will be on a paper every other day. I prefer to do them first thing, in fact sometimes even before breakfast as that is when is most compliant. I hate leaving them to the end of the day cause he and I are very grumpy!

[laretta]

Hello all
We had similar problems last year. For us it was definitely best first thing in the morning (after breakfast) with the rest of the day to look forward to. Also have you thought about incentivising for accuracy to try and get her to slow down. i.e. for every question she gets right she could receive a sweet, but for every question she gets wrong, she loses a sweet, therefore 50% = no sweets as she would have lost as many as she has won. If her accuracy starts to improve you can raise the bar and make it more difficult. It would not have to be sweets, it could be minutes of a film at the cinema - once she has accrued 100 minutes she could have earned herself a trip to the cinema. I know that many will view it as bribery, but you are not paying her to do papers, but rewarding her for accuracy (and effort). My dd had the same problem with her NVR she would shoot through the papers and simply not give her brain enough time to see the pattern.
Best of luck
Laretta

[ginx]

Hi Laretta

Thanks for the tips, I'll try some bribing. A little unfair on everybody else, although I suppose they could all do some extra schoolwork!

Next problem; do we take papers on holiday for a fortnight? I'm becoming very unpopular because I think we should, as we have started work so close to the eleven plus. As DD has little chance of passing, is it worth it? Maybe I should just ask her ...???