Improving 11 lus results - is it possible wirh the time left?

[LaPoulette]

Hello, we live abroad - and therefore my daughter is not doing her schooling in English at the moment - but returning soon to Kent, which is (sadly) a selective county.

She sat a mock test this Easter and she scored 339 points out of 420, which is quite a low score/ risky in terms of being accepted to Grammar school. She is a studious and relatively clever child, but obviously this is not enough.

Anyone has any good book recommendations on how to improve maths and spelling and punctuation? She scored most of the points in the comprehension and the verbal and non-verbal reasoning. She loves maths and science, but the maths score was the lowest.

Is it possible to significantly lift the scores with only a few months to go? Or too late now?

Any help would be very much appreciated. She is a girl who likes order, so I think she would suit a grammar school (but maybe I am looking through rose tinted glasses and imagining that grammars do not have the same disruptions as comprehensives...)
We are moving to the Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells area, if that is relevant.

Many, many thanks in advance for any insights and advice.

I wouldn’t get so hung up on going to a Grammar.
We had to move back from overseas and my daughter was placed in the nearest available comprehensive. She got all A grades and moved to a Grammar school for sixth form. She went on to a Russell Group and got first in both bachelors and masters degree in Chemical Engineering. Now a high flying worker in the City….

Kent uses GL assessment so make sure you’re using those practice papers/books. Are you using cgp books? They’re good and we used a lot Bond online…. Great dip in/out practice of English, maths, verbal and NVR, timed tests too. Also Atom is a good resource I’ve heard although we never used it. Speed and accuracy is the aim. Honestly just keep up the practice and give it your best shot, as pp said don’t get hung up on it, we’re very lucky we also have great comprehensive schools and there’s plenty of movement again at sixth form.

Atom - the version with unlimited mock tests

@Burntsausages and @Vivienne1000 thank you for the encouragement and the positive stories about children going to comps and doing well. We have not been doing any preparation so far - it just seemed too much - but we will do some light touch prep to give her the best shot at it. But a bit unsure as to what to use. I will look at Atom as well (I prefered books as I have a young toddler that tends to disrupt my daughter when she is on the computer - as he thinks it is a television and asks for Cocomelon)
Many thanks everyone.

Of course she can speed up in this time. I would look forensically at where she is going slow or getting wrong, on some maths there are tips and tricks to go faster.

@NowYouSee that is so good to hear. I thought that her score - whilst quite low - was not too bad...and maybe we can bring it up in time for the test. But some of the threads I had read, had put the fear of God in me!
Just feeling a bit lost on how to make a plan and implement it!

Ideally she needs to get used to both books and digital
Certain 11+ tests are taken online

We did 11 plus with our youngest this year and he passed for the most competitive ones, including in Kent, like Judd. Used mainly CGP work books, so get the Maths ones and then Maths stretch? Maths covers all of Year 6 work. From what I vaguely remember for the Kent test you have to be fast and accurate in Maths. Kent is GL.
So CGP GL 11 plus Maths. Work books and then the practice papers (they work out quite expensive but very important to practise the striking out in the multiple choice).

Meant to add Bond Online we really liked. Also suggest booking in a mock soon so you know where you’re at.

If it’s Kent Test (GL) it’s paper based (at least that’s my experience in West Kent for TGS, TWGSB, TWGGS, Skinners, Judd, Weald and you have to be really careful to line up your marks on your answer sheet in the correct (tiny!) box. One mark out and your whole paper is wrong 🤦‍♀️. So @LaPoulette a mock really helps with this technique.

Thank you everyone so much for all the helpful replies. I have been very slow to reply as we have been adfected by the power outages. Many many thanks!

Hi OP, I suggest you ask to add "Kent" in your title. Each area has its own specifics when it comes to 11+.

On the other hand, to prepare for the exams, it also differs from child to child and sometimes school to school. So don't stress out unnecessarily when you read other posts.

I do advocate either online programs like Atom or online tutors. Doing it all by yourself will be very taxing unless you are already familiar with all.

Forgot to say, the advantage of using online programs or tutoring groups, you would have a rough idea about how she compares with the benchmark and other children. I found it really valuable.

Hi Rekka@ do you know how I change the title? I tried to correct the spelling mistake but did not manage.

I have signed up my daughter to a group one hour a week tutoring group. It might not be enough, bit I just cannot see how we can fit in all this revision and 10 minute mock tests that some posters seem to advocate.

Yes, definitely plenty of time to improve results before the 11+ test.

Frankly, I'd suggest going to CGP's website and buying their 11+ Workbooks for GL as they sell online variations. These are superb and quite cheap for what you get.

Also use this 11+ page to download loads of past papers and practice papers.

Before the real test, use EPP for up to date practice papers. They're not cheap but they're very good.

Atom is fine but very expensive and most people on here share voucher codes so they get a commission payment. I don't know why the mods here allow it tbh.

Practice makes all the difference with the 11+. You've still got plenty of time - use it!

You can Report your own post asking the admin to help changing it.

For us, it was A LOT work for a year and half. Nearly 3 evenings a week and a whole day of the weekend towards the end. But ours was a superslective school and my DC is not naturally an exam material and needed to work extra hard.

Whatever they might call them, there are no comprehensives in Kent. About 1/3 of the secondaries in Kent are grammar schools, the rest are secondary moderns. True comprehensives take all abilities.

Do you have to move to Kent?

Thank you everyone for all the advice. I have a very active toddler as well as my 9 year old so I am going to now look at all the links that you have all kindly shared.

Thank you as well for the help/steps to get the title changed. I did not know how to do that.

Sadly, we are moving back to the Tunbridge Wells area - that is where we (foolishly, I realise now) bought our house to be near of in-laws, who have been very helful but also, sadly, source of deep stress.

I am so grateful for all the support. I am a bit on my own in real life - husband is in the Uk, and I am working and looking after the kids mostly by myself (and with the help of my fabulous mum, but who is not in the greatest shape, poor thing)

X

I don’t understand this- how do the non grammars in Kent not take all abilities?

no one has to do the 11+ in Kent, you can apply to whatever non grammar you like. Plenty of children don’t take it.

As I understand it - bearing in mind that I am foreign so I am not completely au fait with all the intricacies of the grammar system - the comprehensives are not truly comprehensive due to the fact that the top 25% (roughly) of the children are creamed off to the grammars and therefore, in theory, the comprehensives are only catering to the other 75%. In true comprehensive counties that top 25% is supposedly evenly distributed amongst all schools (not quite like that as I believe that there is some concentration of that 25% in certain outstanding comprehensives, which you can only access if you can buy a house within their catchment). @AquaPeer

All very tricky.

The EEP website looks fabulous. Would you recommend buying whole tests or English/ Maths packs (there seems to be a lot of choice... which is simultaneously good and bad!) @sherby

Hmmm I’m not sure about that. The children who don’t take the test can’t be assigned as selective or non selective so no reason to believe they aren’t at the “non grammars”

the top 25% could only be creamed off if 100% of students took the test

DS sat the Kent test last year.
You have to get an overall pass mark and met a minimum in each section. I think your score is another pass mark.
There are two types of grammar in Kent. Super selective and standard grammar. For the standard grammars you just need to pass. Places are then offered based on over subscription criteria. Usually there is a defined local area who get priority. Other places may be on distance or by score. Super selectives (eg Judd and Skinners) places are allocated based on a higher minimum pass mark.
If you check the school websites in the area you plan to move to then you will see the school entry requirements.

@LaPoulette Their resources are fantastic and given the cost of a comparable private education provision I wouldn't be shy to spend. The good thing with EPP's stuff is you get the video explanations (especially good for visual learners).

Just make sure you buy the right packs for the right subjects!...and of course make sure you schedulee/plan using them.