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Original poster

To think the Yr 6 Reading Comprehension Test today was far too difficult?

287 replies

Lottielo · 09/05/2016 15:40

Ds just home from school and very upset because he found the reading comprehension paper much harder than previous sample papers he has done in school. He didn't even finish the paper (missed out 5 questions).

Was this paper harder than expected or was my Ds not properly prepared by his school? I know it shouldn't matter too much, but I'm worried it could knock his confidence.

OP posts:
Iamdobby63 · 09/05/2016 17:45

DS found the paper hard and didn't understand some of the questions. He spent probably too long fretting over the questions asking their opinion of something as in the past whenever he has given a valid opinion it's the wrong opinion even though it's his opinion and is valid and relevant to the text.

BoatyMcBoat · 09/05/2016 17:48

I used to administer IQ tests. The questions were designed to get harder as you got further along. Once the testee had two in a row wrong, you stopped and went on to the next section.

Was it meant to be like that?

I'd be really interested to see it once it's online.

SisterMoonshine · 09/05/2016 17:53

I heard a radio programme about how they're thinking of putting tests onto computer. And according to how you answer the questions, the program decides on your next questions. So for children answering comprehensively their questions would sort if go up a level, while children who have reached their level get more questions at a similar level. The way they explained it, it sounded quite good: not so demoralizing for children, as they're not sat looking at a load of questions that are too hard for them.

AskingForAPal · 09/05/2016 17:55

Well, Boojum a) I didn't really give it much thought b) vocabulary (to me) means something like "the range of the kind of words used within a certain thing" which is slower to write!

Or was that a joke I didn't get? :o

amidawish · 09/05/2016 17:59

it's really mean to include the level 6 work in this paper. if they decided to stop the level 6 test they should stop it, not try and stretch it in this paper. it's cruel.

derxa · 09/05/2016 18:06

there was too much to do in within the hour Part of 'training' year 6s in the reading test is managing your time properly. Here they were on a hiding to nothing it seems. Plus the level 6 questions would have put a lot into a panic. Only a very small % of y6s ever passed the L6 reading test.

Janefromdowntheroad · 09/05/2016 18:06

We're not allowed to say what vocab they were asking about (at risk of getting the thread deleted).

One of the words was a word most adults would know but wouldn't ever use. DP said he uses it but only when he's taking the piss out of posh people and doing his Prince Charles impression Hmm.

AvaLeStrange · 09/05/2016 18:15

DD is high L5/potential L6 in old terms.

She found it ok and managed to finish it all, but said she only had about 5 minutes left to check it over before the time was up and usually gets through it quicker so has more time at the end. Whether that's because the test required more thought, or because she was being more thorough knowing it was the real thing, who knows.

She said the vocabulary was fine, but she's not looking forward to SPAG tomorrow.

She's even less impressed that the school have decided the best way for then to relax and let off steam in the afternoons post test is to do a variety of sporting activities every day Confused!

BoatyMcBoat · 09/05/2016 18:17

SisterMoonshine, that sounds good, but I can see some problems with it too. A child can coast through a test like that, never giving their 'best' answer because they don't need to in order to continue.

MummyBex1985 · 09/05/2016 18:18

Gosh. My DD came back really positive today - I think her school handled it well, by giving the kids more breaks, baking cakes, playing chase games with them outside to take the pressure off.

In terms of the paper, my DD was a third of the way through with only 15 minutes left. She says she finished it Hmm but I dread to think what the final two thirds of the paper look like! And she's an intelligent child with a well prepared class by forcing them to attend extra school in the morning twice a week and over Easter and practising papers every day since September

I just told her not to worry - all SATS do is test how well her teachers are teaching the class. It's sad that kids have come home upset today Sad

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 09/05/2016 18:23

AvaLeStrange dd had the same complaint. I understand that they need to stay together but surely some could do sports while others draw blades of grass or something. She's already not looking forward to more sport tomorrow.

heavenlypink · 09/05/2016 18:23

Not just me then Confused

mrsgiraffes · 09/05/2016 18:27

I'm so intrigued Jane?! 😂

KittyandTeal · 09/05/2016 18:28

That's a shame Ava. We used to divvy ours up into sports in the field or stay in with the TA and do crafty type stuff or reading.

ConfuciousSayWhat · 09/05/2016 18:28

Ours are being kept inside watching films. On a day like today I'm sure they'd have rather been outside playing sport

mummytime · 09/05/2016 18:31

SisterMoonshine - my DC's secondary uses a computer test a bit like that in Maths. It is very good, but does confuse some children as they can get 80% right and their friends also gets 80% but their friend has a higher grade.

clam · 09/05/2016 18:37

Was amused to read on the TES site that a number of schools had couriers arriving first thing, to collect the papers that the kids were still sitting. And in one case, hadn't even begun!

ladymariner · 09/05/2016 18:38

Ours were out on the school field playing rounders all afternoon.....after a paper like that, they deserved it! It was awful, the teacher and I read through it as the kids were working and couldn't believe what we were seeing. Loads of inference, hardly any literal, several big 3-mark questions one after the other, and soooo much reading. A lot of ours didn't finish.

This isn't about testing the kids, it's utterly political and the kids are being set up to fail. Then the government will turn the schools into academies and lower the difficulty level of the ensuing tests.....and lo, won't the results dramatically improve then? Bastards Angry

CoffeeInTheMorning · 09/05/2016 18:38

I'd say the texts were "middle-class" because of the assumed knowledge in them (words and setting); they also read like something out of sensible 1970's children's books and documentaries (and I comment as someone who quite enjoys 1970's children's books etc.) They were rather rarefied in content and tone, I'd say, rather than texts and styles more familiar to children in 2016.

Aeroflotgirl · 09/05/2016 18:41

Op tell your ds that it was unrealistically hard, when they gave similar papers to Degree and Masters graduates, they found them difficult too, and could not do some of them.

DraenorQueen · 09/05/2016 18:46

I want to write an articulate analysis of the paper but I've had a very large glass of prosecco in the sun to de-stress from that horror today, so all I can say is "What Utter Bollocks." EAL children or those with narrow life or cultural experiences were really crapped on, IMO. Gutted for my poor EaEur children who soldiered on.
The gov will absolutely have to lower the thresholds for children expected to reach joint Age Releated Expectations across Reading Writing and Maths as they claim approximately the same number schools will achieve the acceptable threshold this year.
Oh and our courier turned up mid-test too. Ridiculous.

PurpleAlerts · 09/05/2016 18:55

The problem was that those children who are working at the old level 3 would not have been able to read the texts. They were all of a very high level. The old tests started more gently and worked up to level 5 questions and texts.I could see some old level 3 children getting 0 on this test. So demoralising for all kids but particularly those who struggle. We have been told that they will decide on the boundaries when all the papers have been marked.

The questions were all very inferential and relied on a very very high vocabulary level.

Totally barking...

We were also told today that the answers to all the year. 2 tests have been published online. They haven't opened the papers yet but the answers give clues as to some of the questions especially in the maths...

gingergenie · 09/05/2016 18:56

Yep. Ds2 struggled and he's good at English. Bloody SATS. So annoyed at the unnecessary stress they've been put under.

DraenorQueen · 09/05/2016 18:57

We were also told today that the answers to all the year. 2 tests have been published online
Yup, I had a look at them last week. What a fucking stupid system. Our Maths leader has studied the mark schemes and made a list for the teachers of topics to hammer before they sit the tests based on what she can infer from the mark schemes. Just....unreal.

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