How much 11 plus work is your dc doing this summer?

[billyraffytill]

Was managing to keep calm until my ds did a GL assessment NV paper and got 69% which isn't really high enough. Was doing much better with the Bond books. Now I feel like he should be practising all the time which is not helpful I know. Wondering what approach others are taking? The 1st test for us in a month.

Was a long time ago but my DS did two past papers a day and an hour's practice every day for the six weeks before the exams. It worked but seems harsh in retrospect.

Have you been on the www.elevenplusexams.co.uk
website?
If not you might find it really useful.

A few years ago now, but he did 1 of each papers per week, with there being 3 papers, (maths, english and VR), and spent roughly an hour per paper, (45 mins doing it and then 15 mins looking at mistakes/corrections) so 3 hours per week for 6 weeks.

Thanks all. That's an impressive amount of work Moom! I think my ds would rebel but probably needs to do more. I am trying to keep a balance of doing enough and not stressing him out but it's not easy. We have been doing a paper in each area per week plus a couple of 10 minute tests every day/other day. Struggling a bit with time keeping in the NVR causing rushing and making silly mistakes. Can't wait until it's over really.

DS did 10 min tests in every subject every day and a full run thru 2x per week. DD needed a bit more so did 50 min papers in each subject rotating plus 10min tests every day and a full run thru 2x per week.

They both did very well so I could have chilled a bit.

My dd has been doing 2/3 10 min tests a day throughout the hols when we've been at home. Next week I'll get her to start back on full papers and she'll do 3 a week till the exam at the end of September. We've probably only been at home 2 weeks out of the 6 so hasn't really done a lot over the hols really.

Depends where you are as to what level of intensified prep is required methinks.

We did super-selectives in London with DC1 some years ago - over the summer hols he was probably doing half a paper in Math/English/VR/NVR (this is before the latter two were removed from the exams) a day when we were having an 'at home' day, with a few 10 minute quick tests to keep him ticking over the rest of the time, building up gradually as he headed towards 11+ exams season.

The trick is to ensure they don't peak too soon.

However, once they're back at school they don't necessarily have the same amount of additional practice time (and the onslaught of looking around secondary schools continues), so they need to ready to roll really by the beginning of September.

(P.S. DC1 did pass all three 11+ exams he took to prove that this approach worked for him).

Good luck!

DS did 1 hour per day for the last 10 days of the holidays. We split between maths and English and spent about 70% of the time him working and the rest going through how he could've done better. He got a great result, not a super selective area though, and 69% is easily a pass.

I'm finding it all really hard work. We're in super selective north London and having to get very high marks 90 % plus. My dd is a weak writer and that's the toughest area to flip over in a short space of time. It's tiresome having to motivate her. Carrot and stick constantly. All these different formats too, CEM as well as GL. I can't wait for it all to be over.

We're doing between an hour and 2 hours a day btw.

I find it such a struggle to motivate him too and guilty for making him sit for 50 minutes doing a paper. Such a long time at any age let alone 10. Panic and frustration too when he makes silly mistakes but trying to appear calm and be constructive when he does.

1-2 hours a day at this stage.

Then a big reward on the day of the test, and repeated reassurance that getting the right score that shows the child's abilities is what matters, not whether that score gets you into grammar school or not.

My dd has just done a mock exam this morning and has averaged 79% which will be a pass on the day. She wanted to do it and I kept on telling her it isn't about the result with a mock it's trying to get rid of heebie jeebies and timing worries - basically getting rid of exam gremlins! She's relieved and optimistic about the real thing now - but definitely not complacent.

About three hours per week. Anymore than that just gets in the way of life and if they cannot pass on that then they probably aren't going to enjoy grammar school.