11 plus support thread for exams 2024

Hi everyone, my first post here. I actually have been reading this over the past few months and felt reassured I wasnt the only one being consumed by it!

My son only decided he wanted to sit the 11+ in March so had a mad scramble to register him at the school. He’s in the top groups for everything at his school and likes learning so I assumed it wouldn’t be too much required to get him ready. Obviously I now know this is a ridiculous statement!! Quite soon after getting hold of the familiarisation paper I realised he would need help so he started with a tuition provider.

We’ve had lots of tears and tantrum over the past few months but we’ve got there in the end and he’s actually sitting the 2nd exam now whilst I’m writing this. I think more than the content he’s really struggled to get to grips with the pressure of the exam and the timings etc. He’s at a state school and didn’t have any Sats already due to Covid.

We will all be relieved when the exams are over today and I can instead start worrying about the results!!! The school he’s aiming for is a superselective and apparently record number of kids sitting this year so I think will need much higher than the pass mark.

My daughter was totally deflated after the 11+, I’m pretty sure after speaking to her more about the bits that she struggled with that she won’t have passed 😢

Thanks, it’s just so difficult to tell how they’ve done. She said it was so much harder than the mocks, practice GL papers and the SAT’s maths she’d been doing I think it was a bit of a shock for her. I guess we won’t know for a few weeks but she came out so deflated.

Yes my DD found it more difficult. Particularly the maths

I heard that the loretto one was easier than the 11+ from the two girls that I have spoken too today

My DD did the Loreto exam today and said it was so much more difficult than the Trafford consortium one. Did anyone else’s DD struggle? She was expecting it to be the other way round. She’s been doing so well in all her prep I just don’t think any of us were expecting her to come out upset today.

If you’re in catchment it’s usually around 334.

I'm a bit confused! We get the results from the 11+ and will know a score. But we don't know the lowest accepted score.

So do we put down the grammar as first choice anyway and hope? With catchment state as second choice?

Not sure what we're waiting for to apply?

Hoping my tired brain is making some sense here!

Their not there (it's been a long day )

@slaybell well everything crossed for her. Maybe if she found it tricky lots of others will too.

*the tests are unpredictable

She was worried about the English as she struggles with comprehension but she found that ok. It was the maths she struggled with which is a surprise as that's her strongest subject.

Goes to show, they are unpredictable and we can prep and support them as much as we can but ultimately comes down to the test on the day.

Hello, I am new to all of this

@slaybell think that's the school both my dds are at/ went to. There exams can be tricky. I know last year a lot of girls came out upset as it wasn't what they were expecting. Good luck to your dd and as you say time to relax and chill!

DD found today's more difficult (different school so different exam though) than Monday's! Either way, glad it's all over and so is DD. So pleased she can finally relax.

DD2 in Y5 though so the cycle repeats

I did find the one for our area thanks to the link posted above and reading previous posts was helpful in explaining the options after results come out. Not the same one as yours though so sounds like it varies.

@troppibambini6 same for us, that's what my DS said too! Time to relax!

Does anyone find the 11plus forums much use? In my area (Kingston/Sutton) the only thread that is ever updated is on waiting list positions. Am I looking in the wrong place, everyone talks about how useful they are re finding about 11plus etc. is it because we are in a super selective area that no one will ever post!! 😭

Phew glad that's all over!

Ds said today's was good. Easier than Monday so everything crossed.

Ah I see, thanks.

DD sat the Trafford exam but other than saying she thought she did okay, getting anything else out of her is impossible. Didn't know that's how it was structured!

@slaybell in the Trafford exam each section is timed then you move on. You aren't allowed to go back to any previous section once the time is up.

How is flipping between sections cheating?

The girl next to my daughter cheated all the way through (flipping between sections) and the invigilator didn’t notice!

Now we're in a weird limbo period where we are looking round two sets of schools, one set which won't be relevant to us but we won't know which one until after the results.so need to look round them all.. Which does seem a bit of a waste of everyone's time.