Realistic scores to pass AGSB in catchment

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greengrass
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2012 7:54 pm

Realistic scores to pass AGSB in catchment

Post by greengrass »

We live within catchment (about 2miles) from AGSB, so I am fairly confident that if my son gets 334 score or above, he has a very high chance to get a place. However I would like to know what must he be scoring in order to get the 334 score. While I understand that all they get is a percentile adjusted score and it totally depends upon the performance of that particular cohort, still how much actual scores should be getting now or near the exam so that he gets 334 or above?
I have been told by some tutors or parents that he should be getting at least 85% or above actual score in all the 3 papers. Can anyone whose son has got into AGSB from within catchment please provide a rough guidance on this aspect?
85% seems quite a lot especially for NVR at the moment (as per his current performance in timed tests) :shock: .Thanks!
ariadne
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2019 12:36 pm

Re: Realistic scores to pass AGSB in catchment

Post by ariadne »

Looking at our son's results from the real paper on the day, he scored slightly under 85% in raw marks, but smashed the pass mark by a significant margin (though we are OOC so still didn't get a place - would have needed to get 390+). That said, every year is scaled differently and past years might well have had easier papers that needed higher raw marks.

So while I think 85% may be a useful target to work towards for motivation reasons I also think it may not be necessary and risks putting him off. Perhaps dial back the pressure of timing tests for a couple of months and just get used to the format of the NVR which really is very peculiar and so very unlike the school work they are used to. Working on the exam skills of pacing himself could be saved until August...

Have you got the full pack of familiarisation materials, not just the free downloads? Our son felt it was helpful to have a lot of examples.
Mandy21
Posts: 302
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:27 pm

Re: Realistic scores to pass AGSB in catchment

Post by Mandy21 »

Its a couple of years since my son did it, but the pass mark was 334 out of a possible 423, so roughly 80%. We're also in catchment.

Each of the 3 papers is given a mark - so each paper carries a score of 141. Those 3 scores are then added up to give a score out of 423. The results letter we got gave the scores in each of the 3 papers, and then the total which was just the 3 scores added up. Its as straightforward as that.

There isn't (as far as I'm aware) a requirement to get a certain amount in each paper, provided the total score of the 3 papers is at least 334 (if that makes sense). My son's scores were better in the VR and NVR than Maths - so he wasn't consistent in each paper but his total score was more than the 334 so he passed.
ariadne
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2019 12:36 pm

Re: Realistic scores to pass AGSB in catchment

Post by ariadne »

Mandy, it sounds as though things have changed. Our son's result (Sept 2018 for Sept 2019 entry) came through with both the raw marks out of 40 for NVR, 80 for VR and 50 for Maths, then the standardised scores out of 141. The percentages for the raw score aren't the same as the percentages for the standardised.

For example, our son scored pretty much identical percentages across his three raw marks, but his standardised Maths score is five or six percentage points higher than NVR or VR, presumably because the Maths paper was harder this year than usual.

Because you just don't know what the cohort will be like and what the papers will be like, it's really terribly difficult to say anything meaningful about what percentages you need to be scoring in practice papers. If you fear that your son will be on the borderline, it could be worth concentrating on his creative writing skills - children scoring just below the overall pass mark will have their creative writing papers reviewed to see if they are of a suitable academic standard. This is something his current class teacher will have an opinion on (is he already writing at a higher standard?) and could offer ideas for improvement.
greengrass
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2012 7:54 pm

Re: Realistic scores to pass AGSB in catchment

Post by greengrass »

Thanks all for your replies.
Creative writing has been removed from this year!
His raw scores at the moment are slightly unpredictable with NVR being the biggest fear where he gets anything from 65 to 85%, more on the lower end though. Maths raw score is more or less consistent averaging around 85% and VR around 80-85%. I am not very sure how much his chances are with this kind of practice scores however his tutor is ok with him. He is also sitting for a mock exam organised by a well known name and I am expecting a large number of children will be sitting it too. We shall then get a fair idea of where he stands at the moment.
ariadne
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2019 12:36 pm

Re: Realistic scores to pass AGSB in catchment

Post by ariadne »

Sorry, I didn't realise creative writing had been removed - I think that's probably fairer as it has to be judged qualitatively.

I expect the mock exam is the same company we used. It was more to give DS an idea of what a formal exam looked like and so he could practise his pacing, as the content wasn't quite the same as he would be getting. Still, he found it very useful preparation, and we found the basic results report informative. I hope it's useful for your child too.
Mandy21
Posts: 302
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:27 pm

Re: Realistic scores to pass AGSB in catchment

Post by Mandy21 »

ariadne wrote:Mandy, it sounds as though things have changed. Our son's result (Sept 2018 for Sept 2019 entry) came through with both the raw marks out of 40 for NVR, 80 for VR and 50 for Maths, then the standardised scores out of 141. The percentages for the raw score aren't the same as the percentages for the standardised.

For example, our son scored pretty much identical percentages across his three raw marks, but his standardised Maths score is five or six percentage points higher than NVR or VR, presumably because the Maths paper was harder this year than usual.
No it sounds as though its the same, save that you now get the raw score as well as the standardised score - we just got the standardised score. I think Maths has always been more heavily weighted by the school - I know we bumped into our school's headteacher the day after the exam and the question was "how do you think you did on the Maths paper?" rather than the VR / NVR.
ariadne
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2019 12:36 pm

Re: Realistic scores to pass AGSB in catchment

Post by ariadne »

Yes, I see what you mean. I found it helpful to see the raw v standardised, to see that e.g. the Maths paper was "harder" than the VR, or whatever.
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