13+ common entrance exams - where do we even start with revision?

[originalmavis]

DS is sitting these for next year, and he does need to unslacken his backside on his revision (or lack of).

Does anyone know where to start?

[Wilding]

Get the ISEB revision guides and exam practice question books - published by Galore Park, you can find them on Amazon. They're not comprehensive but should give you must of the information you need & are a good place to start.

[cakeisalwaystheanswer]

Don't but the ISEB science books, they are expensive and rubbish. Just buy the KS3 CGP Science revision books from WH Smiths, they are about £5 and have the whole syllabus.

[KingscoteStaff]

Is he at a prep school (who you are paying to prepare him!) or are you doing it yourself?

[originalmavis]

Hes at a Prep but it seems a bit relaxed!

[Bombaybunty]

My DS started as soon as he went back to school in September yr 8.

1st set of mocks were in in November, second set in March.

[originalmavis]

DS is year 7 now. He did the pre test and admission exams/interviews this time last year but still has the CE to sit!

[QueenJuggler]

Sounds this a crap Prep. I'd be on their case asking them to supply revision materials.

[QueenJuggler]

Sounds like, not sounds this.

[Gruach]

Why are you panicking becoming uneasy so early? Presumably you chose the school partly for its record of successfully getting children to their next school?

IME yr 7 is when the hard work kicks in - but if he's clever enough to have passed a pre-test and is taking CE rather than a scholarship exam it's unlikely that you have anything to worry about. They'll probably do nothing but CE papers all of next year until the exam.

[originalmavis]

He did get a scholarship offer... Maybe I'm being paranoid!

[KingscoteStaff]

They have probably got another term and a half of CE curriculum to get through. My DS started actually revising content during the summer term of Year 7.

You need to trust the prep to know what it's doing - that's why you picked it!

[Drinkstoomuchcoffee]

Nobody at a prep school fails common entrance for a school the prep has recommended. The school will prepare him just fine. Let him enjoy his childhood. We have far too many exams.

[surreygoldfish]

I agree - talk to the school. My DS did CE last year.... they continue to work through the syllabus in yr 7 with year 8 being lots of papers. I wouldn't panic yet....if he's sitting a scholarship paper early in year 8 the should really gear up to this is the Christmas term of year 8. My DS took it all in his stride.....

[QueenJuggler]

He has a scholarship offer? In which case, stop worrying!

[LIZS]

Most of y8 will be spent on revision and past papers. Give the boy a break!

[IndridCold]

Agree with PPs who suggest talking to the school to find out exactly what they are doing in class.

My DS spent his whole last year at prep working through past CE papers, increasing in difficulty as the year went on. They also worked through CE scholarship papers, and those drawn up by individual schools. DS once came home and said that his Latin teacher had given them the Eton KS Latin paper to do 'just for shits and giggles'!

We did no revision at home at all except for some maths papers during the Easter holiday (maths being a particular problem).

[Michaelahpurple]

Gosh. Our prep now in Jan year 8 still hasn't finished all subjects - i think they won't be done on everything until Easter Impressed by those who get done by the end of year 7

[Pepperpot69]

Same here, our prep still working through syllabus for science subjects at least!

[originalmavis]

Maybe I'm being bit premature...

After all the run up to the exams and the relief of getting offers, he seems to have taken his foot off the pedal and entered into the dreaded pre-teen 'can't be bovvered' stage.

I suppose it's also becsuse I could go through subjects with him and answer his questions and now some of its beyond me I just haven't got the time!

[34z67y90]

He's done one term of year 7 - so is one term into the CE syllabus for most subjects. Year 7 is the data dump year and year 8 is the consolidation and revision and exam technique year. Relax and let him enjoy it - year 8 is death by past paper and it all gets quite tedious. It is very unusual for a child to fail CE once they have a conditional offer. He's done the hard part.

[originalmavis]

He's our first... Can you tell?

[Ohwiseone]

I really wouldn't worry too much at this stage if he's already got a scholarship offer after pre tests. My ds is year 12 now so CE seems a lifetime away! We just let his prep organise all the revision as we trusted them to prepare him fully for the exams. Year 7 seemed a full on learning year and the moment he got into year 8 it was lots of past papers and 2 sets of mocks. He did well and got into his chosen senior with a scholarship and did his GCSE last summer (all A* and yes I'm super proud - sorry for boast)
Good luck to your ds, I'm sure his prep will give him that extra push if they recognise he's slacking a bit

[originalmavis]

He did do well to get the 2 offers, and we need to choose layer this year which one to sit. One is very good (with scholarship), the one bloody good with fabulous kudos/results.

I know its a great position to be in, but there isn't a plan B if he fails!

[flyingrainbow]

Hi hi michaelahpurple,

That's interesting of what you mentioned! But the prep has done such great job in the scholarship front last year...the teachers must know what they are doing, don't they?! Is yours going the CE or the Challenge route?

[Michaelahpurple]

Flying rainbow - it is all a bit mysterious when I hear that places like Fulham prep et al finish the CE syllabus by summer year 7 and they and Sussex house have their scholarship boys picked out and working on special stuff from to start of year 7. Last year the scholarship results were about as usual - 1 out of the 3 Eton candidates and something like 4/5 westminster but the year before there were about 12 between the two, admittedly a high water. My ds1 is in a scholarship set, which only split out in September (the year is split 50:50 which means by definition that most of them have to be doing it for the intellectual challenge only as there are over 30 of them) and the only complete past papers they've done in anything but maths were the November exams and one science pack this holiday (during it which it emerged they haven't touched electricity or magnetism and this week they are doing forming salts)

I don't know whether everyone else is frantically doing papers in their own time with tutors or if it will all work out in the end - not that my boy is on track to get one, but I don't want him to have a disastrous time of it

Some of it, particularly the French, seems madly ambitious for 12/13 year olds. I am already rather relieved that ds2 is not heading down this route