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Original poster

Junior Maths Olympiad

32 replies

PenguinsRabbits · 12/06/2019 20:58

DD just sat this and has asked me to ask if anyone else's child sat it and how they found it or anyone know how they mark.

DD thinks she got 10/10 on A and on B thinks she had 2/6 correct answers with full method on all. One of others she said method was all correct then she wrote down wrong answer. Confused She's not had any help with method though so not sure how good will be compared to their marking system.

Thanks!

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GrouchingTiggerHiddenSomething · 13/06/2019 13:12

Hi, my DS did it, enjoyed it and managed all the questions this year. He misread the first one in section B so won't get full marks for that one.

I think they do give some marks for shown working, last year he started a couple of the questions but did not complete them and got 1 mark (I have just found his paper from last year!) And he ran out of time before attempting the last question. They send the scripts for section B back with marking shown.

The medals which are awarded are marked only taking marks from section B which are above 5 into account. Last year DS got a bronze medal (so by this mark scheme he got 36 out of 70). He also got a distinction (awarded to the top 25% as his total was 38/70). He is hoping for a medal again this year but it depends on how well everybody else did as medals are awarded to the top 210 (30 gold, 60 silver, 120 bronze).

Well done to your DD, sounds like she will certainly get at least a certificate of merit.

GrouchingTiggerHiddenSomething · 13/06/2019 13:14

P.S. The results take about 3 weeks(?), they try and get them back before the end of term and a lot of the candidates are at private schools so will break up quite early. I think it was the first week of July we heard last year.

Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 13/06/2019 13:38

Thanks very much and well done to your DS. Think it says answers out w/c 24 June. DD did all the questions in full but she is very impatient with results. She was initially confident all her answers were right but now thinks all A were right and only 2/6 on B right because others online gave different answers to her. Though until official answers are out hard to know. Think only 3/10 marks per question are awarded for right answer and 7/10 for method though looked up BMO by accident and that was 0/10 for right answer and all method. She only made slight mistakes on others but no idea how that will affect score. She's assuming she will have 10 for A and 10 each for 2 right and done in full on B (though don't know if that's right) but presume they mark strictly.

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Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 27/06/2019 17:14

Thresholds have just came out - are much higher this year than last though. Says solutions out soon. DD thinks papers posted today to schools. Think she will just have merit unless they've been very generous with marking which I doubt. Good luck to your DS. Be interesting to see how they marked it anyway.

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Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 27/06/2019 17:15

Guardian published three of the B questions and solutions.

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GrouchingTiggerHiddenSomething · 28/06/2019 09:42

Yes the thresholds are much higher than last year! I think we heard first Wednesday of July last year so I expect we'll hear next week. It will be very interesting to see how they have marked it.

Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 09/07/2019 17:24

Have you got results yet? DDs school say Olympiad hasn't arrived but just asked UKMT and they said they should have them. They have Kangaroo but that's e-mail.

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GrouchingTiggerHiddenSomething · 09/07/2019 18:24

I got DS to ask today and his maths teacher said they don't have the results yet. There must have been some hold up somewhere, glad it's not just us still waiting to hear!

thereinmadnesslies · 09/07/2019 18:29

DS got his results last Friday

Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 09/07/2019 18:54

DD says she goes on a forum where people discuss results and says no-one has mentioned having Olympiad results yet. Kangaroo I think were through last Monday.

When I e-mailed them today said school should have Olympiad papers back now and if not get school to chase. School is quite slow with these things though so maybe will see by end of the week then get them to chase. Maybe just in school internal post atm.

Madness Is that an Olympiad paper back? That's encouraging if it is, should be this week then.

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3Muses · 10/07/2019 15:30

Kids in our school got both Olympiad and Kangeroo marks back last week.

3Muses · 10/07/2019 15:32

Kangaroo even!

Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 10/07/2019 16:51

Still nothing here today but I told DD Olympiad come by post and she told the maths teacher and he was Shock and said he would look in Head of Maths' post. Head of Maths is abroad this week so that maybe where our schools' are.

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BettertoChange · 10/07/2019 17:27

DS knew his mark 10 days ago. Papers will be next term.

Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 10/07/2019 18:50

UKMT told me they had e-mailed and posted results/papers for Olympiad / Kangaroo week of 1-5 July.

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Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 11/07/2019 16:46

Got Olympiad paper back today.

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GrouchingTiggerHiddenSomething · 11/07/2019 18:30

Just us still waiting then, sigh.

GrouchingTiggerHiddenSomething · 12/07/2019 15:12

He's had his result today (with question mark breakdown) but no paper back yet.

lifebegins50 · 15/07/2019 19:32

Did you get the paper back or just the result?

How much prep do your children do? Genuine question as one DC I know studies at least an hour a week. My dc did no practice at all

Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 15/07/2019 21:58

Paper with comments on - you only get paper back for Olympiad, not for Kangaroo and first round and it comes via post. Our school were looking in the e-mail at first until I got DD to point this out. Paper has marks per question with comments per question on section B and total mark out of 70.

DD did one practice paper for Olympiad and a few practice papers for first round but its a comprehensive and no preparation or advice via school - all the maths teachers have apparently been in to see what she looks like though Smile

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azaleanth90 · 16/07/2019 10:14

Ours is a grammar and didn't do any practice or get advice - the kids just all sat it automatically

Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 16/07/2019 10:44

DD was at a London grammar last year and no practice or advice but they got no children through to Olympiad this year or last. Quite surprising as quite difficult to get a place though I guess it was only 995 kids in the whole country this year that sat Olympiad.

Think its just top set sit the JMC at the competition but obviously that's just the first round.

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lifebegins50 · 16/07/2019 17:28

Thanks, he sat the Olympiad so might follow up to ask about the paper. I think he would be interested in comments.

Our school seemed to almost consider it an inconvenience, which in some ways it might be, so there was no practice at all.
I wasn't sure if I should have helped him ahead of time by looking at past papers.
He was not phased by it and he did well.

BettertoChange · 16/07/2019 17:45

It's extra work to enter the challenge and many schools aren't willing to do. I asked a few years ago the possibilities to enter PMC and declined by then the primary school. To the very last year of his primary, the class teacher persuaded the headmistress to enter DS to the JMC and surprisingly DS got 50/70 in the JMO.

Original poster
PenguinsRabbits · 16/07/2019 19:01

The past papers are on UKMT website though it was beyond my maths to help. I felt a bit better about that when DD's maths teacher said it was beyond his maths to help Smile

Our maths department are great - they offer maths, FM and stats GCSE and enter UKMT JMC, IMC and SMC even though school just goes to 16. Don't do team comp but still its great. Rest of the school doesn't notice a thing though which is a bit sad - if you are the back end of a donkey in a school play you can be all over school newsletter and Twitter but they don't notice anything in maths.

Primary did PMC and they won the area for first time in 20 years and they did JMC. JMO in year 6 is amazing.

DD sat the Olympiad in the staff room and some staff were Confused Most schools I know enter - its around 300,000 entered a year - that must be about 40%ish of pupils in one school year but hard to know exactly because in year 8 top 10 kids are entered for IMC, year 9 its all, year 10 and 11 its optional. Year 7 it was top set only or JMC, year 8 all. DD did spot a press release from Eton about the SMO and they had 11 through to round 2 and it said congratulations to the one who had earned his way through from previous round so they must have bought 10 entries. Hope they charged them a lot for that! Must be hard to finance as a charity but its great work they do.

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