January Entrance Exams

We are at state but a lot of kids are doing independent 11+ exams as well as grammars. I think it's easier as we get no advice from school about which to apply to so we all seem to work it out ourselves with a slightly scattergun approach. Friends at Prep schools get more advice but then they compare where other people have been told to apply to and so it all gets a bit competitive and stressy. We all seem to be taking it slightly with a pinch of salt at the moment but I guess that may change when results come out...

Hmmm, some schools doing 11+ specify pencils. I suppose the point is to be neat and legible.

You are forgetting about method marks in maths, which some 11+ tests will award if the answer is wrong, so if the method isn’t clear then no method marks awarded, so marks can be gained if the answer is wrong.

Many don’t at 11+, but some schools do for some of the questions want to see methods. If the examiner can’t figure it out in a second or so they will mark it wrong.

Not so much the exams, but I would imagine that most children coming from prep schools have been better prepared for the interview aspect of the assessments than children at a state school, if you just take what the school would do, not what would go on at home or with tutors.

I’ve done it from both - definitely better doing it from the state school where hardly anyone else was doing them. The bitchiness from other parents and the dreadful gossip/competitiveness when we did it from a prep was awful and really added to the stress

pluses and minuses.
not sure one is better...

Out of interest a question for veterans: do you think it’s easier or harder to be doing these exams from a school where everyone’s doing them or no one?

We’re the latter (state primary, almost all going to variety of local comprehensives). It’s hard as my children complain and don’t see why they have to do exams when none of their friends are.

On the other hand, I imagine the atmosphere might get a bit fetid if everyone’s doing them. One friend said it was awful at her girl’s London prep as they’d all be comparing interview call ups etc. Quite a few did the London grammars with my son and I can’t say I found it a 100% supportive (the mother of a boy who’d got in wanted my son, who hadn’t, to come round to help them celebrate).

Has the kid finished or still in there ??

Not really- although today's probably least favourite but close. Good state option as well so trying not to think about it until we have any offers!

Well let us know . Do you have a strong preference for one school or another ?

Yup- and interview- fun!

Newyear is your child sitting an exam right now ? Good luck ! Don’t worry if they say it was hard , sometimes that’s when they’ve done best . I will be glad end of January to know where we stand .
Even if I don’t care too much about which school - I still find it very stressful .

We've started! I feel much better now it has- may not be saying that when have to pick DC up in an hour or so and hear how it went!

First exam in two days . Not doing anything special . He did say he had some things in Maths he didn’t get but you know what ...so be it !
What will be will be . I will be glad when it’s all over though . Sitting three exams .

Trinity - my ds still uses the pencils two of the leading west London independents handed out to children doing their entrance exams so obviously those schools don't have quite the same prejudices!

DS has an exam on 27th but for year 8 entry as he is currently in year 7 at a state comp I’m hoping to get him out of (long story). Tricky thing is the school can only give me a sample paper for year 7 and year 9 entry so we’re guessing at the standard! Have got him to practice with some year 8 papers I found for other schools and lots of 11+ NVR from the bond books, which he is nailing, but I still feel a bit lost!

I really wouldn’t worry about pen vs pencil for maths. The great thing about maths is that the answer is either right or wrong. So long as their writing is legible, nothing else matters.

I went through this last year and 2 years before
It will be over soon and by half term you'll have offers and know what you're doing.
Have faith that it does all work out in the end...

Just try to keep them rested and healthy for the next few weeks. Eat well, sleep well and hide your stress from them! Easier said than done, but as far as the dcs are concerned you're just hopefully widening your options by doing a few exams.

top tip - show them a letter layout, often an easier option for the writing part but many panic on the day if they don't know how to set out a letter properly.

As I remember it they did use pencil in SATs. As regards rubbing out, that was forbidden for class work and homework and mistakes/working out had to be crossed through but still legible.

Good luck everyone.

My DS went did this last year at 10+ as a practice run for this year. He was at a state school but was offered an all around scholarship and we gratefully took up the place. Just asked him and he thinks he answered all the papers in pencil!?

Been through this twice - last time 3 years ago. Believe me the stress is nothing compared to what I am currently going through trying to get DS to do some revision for his mocks which start on the first day of term......
Good luck to you all

But all of these children write in pen for their English papers, so it’s not like they can’t use a pen. It’s just babyish and doesn’t give a good first impression, never mind the fact it makes it harder to read.

Of course the score plays a far greater part, but trust me when you have a mountain to mark these types of things make a difference to your impression of the child.

Likewise an exam paper filled with rubbings out (actual bits left) is highly irritating to an examiner (or any teacher marking a set of books). Children who write their name with no capital letters is also highly annoying and those who can’t spell their current school name or school name that they are applying to give equally bad impressions.

All of these things are sadly quite common!

Re. the pencils v pens, if I were marking a maths paper I'd have thought I'd be more likely to judge a child's 'backwardness' with whether they got 10 or 90% in the test...

Agree with Mastertom - it's pretty standard for state school children to use pencils esp in maths. If I heard a school was prejudiced against their use, I'd take it as sign they weren't open to all applicants. I find ones that insist on wearing of school uniform, for example, a bit strange given that loads of primary's don't have them. Ditto ones that say they set great store by heads' reports given that state primaries don't exactly specialise in detailing children's verbal reasoning scores and ability on the playing fields.

Completely forgot about my DS's independent school January exams (they were in a different diary so didn't look ahead and the state ones were so much earlier). Went to Center Parcs and had a good time over new year then DS said "oh it's that exam tomorrow, says so-and-so. Am I doing it?" Legged it to exam, no pencils, no anything ... and it was just fine. Chill.

In state schools pencil is - more often than not - used for everything at primary school. To suggest this denotes backwardness means you have no knowledge of schools other than your own