11+ tests age weighted

[fuctifino]

What exactly does it mean when it states that tests are age weighted?

[GrimmauldPlace]

This site explains it quite well.

[fuctifino]

Thank you for that.
Not a simple answer from reading that link!

[GrimmauldPlace]

No it seems all quite complicated!

[amidawish]

in a nutshell it is that the age of the child in months is taken into account and the score is adjusted according to a formula.
so summer born children do not have to do as well as autumn born children to get the same adjusted score.

[ErgonomicallyUnsound]

so summer born children do not have to do as well as autumn born children to get the same adjusted score.

Not strictly true, this. In Kent to get the top score for example, in every paper (there are 3) there is no age differentiation at all. The score required to scrape a pass there is an adjustment, but its shockingly small considering 11 months age gap, IMO. Way smaller than it was before they changed the test a few years ago.

[namechangedtoday15]

so summer born children do not have to do as well as autumn born children to get the same adjusted score

This is a popular misconception. Its actually quite a complex process and its not as simple as suggesting summer born children don't need to score as highly. FWIW, the headteacher of our local selective school said adjustments amount to a certain number of marks, which equate to between 0.5% and 0.8%.

[OfstedAintEverything]

I've been looking into this (DD is ten): All they do in true age-adjustment is consider the children in 12 seperate bands depending on their birth month.

So there are no marks "taken from" the older kids, nor "given to" the young ones.
They check the raw test marks for eg all the October born kids, and give them a range of scores. 30% (eg) will get a pass mark.
Then -COMPLETELY SEPERATELY- they check the raw test marks for all the July born kids, and give them a range of scores. 30% of them will get a pass mark.

So the same raw mark can give different age-adjusted scores. BUT in theory, if all the July kids are super-bright and actually score HIGHER than their older October counterparts, that too is adjusted so you'll still only get 30% of the July kids passing.

It's all a bit arbitary but does remove the advantage that being 11 months older would otherwise have.... Kind of....