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Primary education

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L6 was it nasty or nice?

72 replies

startail · 21/05/2012 13:06

Anyone seen the L6 reading paper?

Is DD2 going to be fit to speak to?

Thanks

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shithappensx1000 · 21/05/2012 22:39

It's meant to be pretty taxing - it's level 6. I haven't seen the mark scheme but I expect that certain very specific points need to be made to achieve the mark (s).

member · 22/05/2012 09:31

I emailed the Head to ask the position at dd's school re the L6 writing. Basically, they haven't decided whether to enter anyone yet, they are marking the L5 writing internally & how pupils do in that will determine whether they sit the L6 writing.

member · 22/05/2012 16:09

Anybody else's dc do L6 maths today? Haven't got much from dd except that she thought the use a calculator paper was easier than non-calculator (except that she didn't use a calculator for the calculator one as she found it easier not to!)

simbo · 22/05/2012 16:16

Mine said that the non-calculator paper was easier, too. I got more info about what fun he had in the break between the 2 papers than how the test actually was. He did say that he was told that the thresholds will be higher this year, so I don't know if that was just a way of softening the blow (should there be one). I'd hoped someone on here with a bit of inside knowledge could give us an idea of how the level compared with past years. I had been expecting only one calculator paper, not 2 tests as in L3-5.

Just the L6 writing left now. It's about time it was all over!

Iamnotminterested · 22/05/2012 16:20

DD did not sit the L6 paper, ha, but said that the golden children who had came back to the classroom with lollies as a treat "Because we are level 6!".

Hmm Hmm. I offered to DD that they were clearly not a level 6 in decorum aand social skills.

I can see a lot of bragging rights at High schools across the country come September because of it.

mrz · 22/05/2012 16:24

"I can see a lot of bragging rights at High schools across the country come September because of it."

Was there lots of bragging at High School in previous years Iamnotminterested?

Bati · 22/05/2012 16:26

my dd did it, however she is only in year5 - she sat her end of year tests last week and did fantastic so yesterday they got her to do the yr6 maths sats that the yr6 did last week and they said she only got 1 wrong Smile so they got her to sit the level 6 today
Her teacher said going on last yrs grade boundary she will of missed the level 6 by 3 marks but if its classed as a harder paper she might get it and considering she has never learnt anything towards level 6 curriculum they are amazed at what she has achieved.
My dd said it had things to do with pie, ratio, one question about fractions, some graphs, they had to draw a shape and she cant really remember the rest

simbo · 22/05/2012 16:27

That truly mortifies me. I didn't choose to out my ds forward for this and I would strongly object to the school making any capital out of any child who actually gets L6 in any subject. All children should be given equal praise for their hard work. Ours got a 10 min break because they really needed it. They were more put out than anything that they had to do extra tests.

I haven't mentioned it to other parents and I don't know if some of them are even aware of these extra tests.

member · 22/05/2012 16:31

Just shows how different all schools are - my dd has almost felt punished because she was sitting them when the majority had finished. Teasing from her classmates when they'd finished the L3-5 along the lines of "haha, you've still got SATS to do" compounded that & there were no treats!

I honestly think that come Sept, this will be a distant memory & the kids will be more focused on stuff like how to tie a tie & finding their way around a new environment. In reality, those who do achive L6 will most probably be setted with L5s.

Iamnotminterested · 22/05/2012 16:32

Hormonal 11 and 12 year-olds, thrown into a new environment with lots of new people, desperate to impress?

I think so, mrz.

mrz · 22/05/2012 16:37

What I'm really asking is why is this year different from last year or the year before? Iamnotminterested

Iamnotminterested · 22/05/2012 16:49

Because it's something new.

mrz · 22/05/2012 16:50

Level 6 isn't new

GrimmaTheNome · 22/05/2012 16:53

No, but it was dropped for a few years wasn't it? DDs school didn't do any L6 two years ago and its the sort of school which would have put some kids in for it if it had been possible then.

Bati · 22/05/2012 16:53

i dont think it will matter as normally at the beginning of high school the high school retest them and the kids will all be talking about those results not their yr6 sats results
i have 2 in high school and there has never been any discusion of yr6 sats results in high school, the only time they talked about them was when they got their results in yr6
my dd is in yr5 and just did them - the rest of her class know she has done them and not because she has told them but because her teachers have told them and the other kids have been very supportive of her - they all clapped her when they found out she was doing them

talkingnonsense · 22/05/2012 16:54

I don't think most children will brag- my ds took the maths but not the English and is very uninterested. He was a bit annoyed that he hadn't finished last week- a lollipop might be a fair reward for those that had to do all the l6 papers! Boastful children will always find something to brag about, and that's life- they usually get knocked back at some point, life has a way of teaching us to eat humble pie!

IndigoBell · 22/05/2012 16:55

DS found it hard.

mrz · 22/05/2012 16:56

No children have always been able to achieve Level 6 just it wasn't part of the test week. So there will have been many children moving to secondary schools with a NC level 6 last year just as there will be this year

bigTillyMint · 22/05/2012 17:06

mrz, AFAIK, none of the children in DD's Y6 (2 years ago) left with a level 6 in anything, though there were children who definitely would have been.....
Could it be that individual schools chose to assess/report level 6?

DS came home yesterday saying he sat the level 6 reading paper which was a surprise to us all. But apparently the school aren't doing the level 6 maths - some twaddle about not having registered in time. There are, again, definitely children who could acheive a level 6 in maths Confused

Primrose123 · 22/05/2012 17:06

Are these SATs that you're talking about? They don't do them in Wales any more, but DD mentioned that she did a Maths exam last Monday. I assumed that it was a SAT type exam, DD said it was something about their levels. Is this for the school's benefit or the child's? Can any primary teachers in Wales explain this? Confused

mrz · 22/05/2012 17:19

Schools had to register for the level 6 tests in November and yes schools can chose whether to assess/report level 6

talkingnonsense · 22/05/2012 17:20

Two yrs ago you could get a teacher assessed l6, but not a sats test l6, and my ds for on definitely felt the test ones were the official ones! I expect a lot of people (ignorantly) ignore the ta level.

simbo · 22/05/2012 17:23

Has anyone actually done the writing test yet? Is it just one paper or 2 like the 3-5 paper?

simbo · 22/05/2012 17:26

Has anyone actually done the writing test yet? Is it just one paper or 2 like the 3-5 paper?

mrz · 22/05/2012 17:28

Schools can ignore the tests too talkingnonsense and I imagine lots will.