Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Year 7, 8 and 9 exams

50 replies

elmoh · 19/05/2016 20:35

I have just been told by my son's school that they will no longer be doing exams in year 7, 8 and 9 and it is 'not common in the UK anymore' to have end of year exams until year 10. Are your children in year 7, 8 or 9 doing exams this summer? Just a simple yes/no is fine. Thank you!

OP posts:
DooblieDooo · 19/05/2016 20:53

Year 8 and no exams, no exams in year 7 either. Just usual testing and school report.

Cleo1303 · 19/05/2016 20:58

Yes. But I should say it's a private school and they test every year.

MaureenMLove · 19/05/2016 21:00

7, 8 and 9 end of year exams already done at my school. Yr 10s after the public exams.

Sadik · 19/05/2016 21:07

Yes, in school exams each summer (plus Welsh govt national tests each year in KS3 in Welsh & english literacy, numeracy and maths).

They get off lightly, the other local secondary does exams twice a year, every year, which I personally think is overkill - but they do get very good results, so I guess it works for them.

Peaceandl0ve · 19/05/2016 21:15

Yes here too, but again a welsh school. Year 9, national tests and science.

poodlefromcatan · 19/05/2016 21:45

Yes.

leccybill · 19/05/2016 21:47

Yes - end of year exam for Yr 7, 8 and 9. Third week of June. Fairly nice state comp.

Original poster
elmoh · 19/05/2016 22:05

Thank you all for your input. Looks like it is not at all standard to do away exams then. I hoped not. I am not sure where the kdis are supposed to learn to revise and take exams if they don't practice!

OP posts:
Casbotsproudmum · 19/05/2016 22:52

Yes, yr 7 daughter in London State school. Called assessments though, will be the whole next week and the last 2 weeks lessons have been revision with revision as homework every day.

fourcorneredcircle · 20/05/2016 06:37

Yes - although this is the first year we've done Y7 ones... We need them to get used to the longer format for the new GCSEs

Lonecatwithkitten · 20/05/2016 08:29

Yes private school every year from year 3. It is all about building good revision habits.

situatedknowledge · 20/05/2016 08:34

Yes. London state school. Y9 done over the last three weeks and called mocks. Y7 not in every subject, and called tests.

troutsprout · 20/05/2016 08:48

Yes. Yr 7 & yr 8 so far. Much improving tiny state comp here

didyoureally · 20/05/2016 08:51

Yes year 7, 8 and 9 exams next week in N.W grammar

YellowPrimula · 20/05/2016 08:55

Yes every year from year 4 , as said above its about building habits and developing exam technique and also conquering the nerves . You can do as many practice questions as you like but there is nothing quite like an exam to hone that technique .

With GCSEs becoming linear I would have thought exams were more important than ever . We may not like them but they are a fact of life in our education system

NicknameUsed · 20/05/2016 08:56

Yes. DD had end of year exams in years 7, 8 and 9. She did 2 GCSEs in year 10 and maths IGCSE in January. This has made her very used to exam conditions and she says she doesn't feel nervous going into the exam hall for her GCSEs now.

They do the end of year 9 exams in the GCSE exam hall as well. She was nervous at the time, but it does massively help by the time they do the real thing.

Muskey · 20/05/2016 08:59

DD year 7 has exams after half term (private school). As other posters have said I'm a bit shocked that schools are not doing exams. How do dc learn how to revise and experience exam conditions if they don't sit exams.

jazzandh · 20/05/2016 09:04

Yes, private - from Y3.

TheHobbitMum · 20/05/2016 09:11

I've 2 kids in yr9 (start yr10 after half term) and they've had exams at the end of every year. They also have assessment/exams every term or end of module (which ever is appropriate). Hope that helps

SalmonMaki · 20/05/2016 09:13

State school in England, end of year exams in years 7, 8 and 9. Every subject over 3 to 4 days (3 subjects a day roughly). They're each only about an hour long.

It's a little bit different from the usual assessments because normal lessons aren't timetabled (revision sessions in between exams), but I doubt they're much different from their normal end of unit tests, which they seem to get every other week Hmm.

ealingwestmum · 20/05/2016 09:20

Y7 London independent. No end of year exams. Completely at ease with this.

Balletgirlmum · 20/05/2016 09:24

Two children in two schools one private academic, one performing arts specialist both have exams in yrs 7-9

nipersvest · 20/05/2016 09:46

dd (yr 9) doesn't have end of year exams, but they do what they call checkpoint scores every few weeks plus termly assessments so no need for end of year exams.

BabyGanoush · 20/05/2016 09:47

Y8, yes but no pressure and minimal revision

More for the teachers to see where the kids are

OldBeanbagz · 20/05/2016 09:51

There's Y7, 8 and 9 exams at DD's school. They'll be just after Half Term and she's just been sent revision notes and an exam timetable.

She also had exams just after Christmas. I don't know if Y7 and 8 did or whether it was just her year.

Swipe left for the next trending thread