Can someone explain ISEB to me?

[Stircrazyschoolmum]

Just that really.. a number of the indies are using ISEB this year due to Covid. I understand it’s online, multiple choice and covers English /maths/VR/NVR. But how in practice does this actually work? Is there paper to work out the maths on? Is it intuitive how to click on answers? What does adaptive mean in this context?!

We are at a state primary so it’s all gibberish.. it seems a good way to keep kids safe and reduce stress from multiple exams but if your DC has a bad day then all eggs in one basket?!?

@11plus2022 I’ll have a stab at answering your questions as the torment of the 11 plus is still fresh in my mind! Please let me caveat anything that follows as personal experience, it’s not supposed to provoke anxiety/stealth brag or encourage/discourage anyone reading from using atom!

So, for reference I have a DD, at state school. She had a regular 11 plus tutor from Jan y5 and is probably in the top 5-8 ability in her class.

We hadn’t heard of ISEB or Atom before the Autumn term of year 6 and this was actually beneficial, although we didn’t realise it at the time. DD did about 6 weeks of Atom before sitting ISEB at end of Oct. (dictated by first school in our list as they only sit once) Our state primary kindly hosted which had pro’s and cons.

When we enrolled to atom I made DD sit a mock test in all 4 areas straight away. Her highest score was 125 and her lowest 118. Within 4 weeks she got max marks (142?) in 2 areas and could consistently score 134 in all 4. After 4 weeks I started to lose faith in the programme slightly as it seemed like a lot of questions were repeated.

As noted on other threads, the content was similar but often harder than ISEB.. particularly the grammar. The biggest benefit was confidence in the layout of questions and timing… very much timing.. if they rush they miss the harder questions and don’t score as well. The algorithm is weird and definitely suits some kids more than others.

5 of DDs 6 schools were ISEB. She got 6 offers. For all the schools it was a first filter, with creative writing, interviews, group exercises to follow (or before!) So a tutor is still very helpful. Atom worked for DD as she gets both bored and stressed easily. The timed papers desensitised her to stress whilst the collecting of badges and novelty factor held her interest to learning.

I hope this helps? Ironically, despite getting into ‘more academic’ schools. DD chose a top middle school (and so did we tbh) with lots of sport and a down to earth feel. I’d say apply to a couple of stretch and a couple of easier options and see where you land. We are blessed with lots of choices!

Glad this thread has been resurrected! I'm keen to hear what Atom learning scores other DCs were getting at the time of the pre-test. My DS finds English the hardest. In his last mock his scores ranged from 135 to 115

Thanks @Stircrazyschoolmum, that is really helpful. Sounds like your DD did extremely well.

@namechangeduetoimpatience, those scores sound pretty decent, with 6 months or so still to go. One of the things I’m trying to work out is just how much prep we need to do, and when, and in part that depends on which schools we decide to apply for.

To add, I have DDs at a very academic school but they joined in the Junior school, so we were able to avoid the whole 11+ circus. (One DD actually speaks rather fondly of going to “play” at the school before she joined, because at 4 she had no idea she was being assessed!)

Based on their experience, I’m confident DS would also thrive at a strongly academic school, but don’t want to have to put him through any more stress and prep than strictly necessary to get him in.

For us, we found less was more. If we had started before autumn term DD would have bored of it.

@namechangeduetoimpatience practice speed reading. Ignore the (sometimes sublimely difficult) grammar on atom.. our tutor told us that it was English degree level!) The real ISEB had a very long comprehension.. DD coped because she is a fast reader but it stumped some of her classmates.

Keep remembering that atom is practice for ISEB, know your schools and their examination routes. Try and balance a few if you can as on our SW girls thread last year some really bright girls seemed to fall foul of ISEB.. it’s worth reading the algorithm thread for a full view.

@Stircrazyschoolmum, that is good to know. I certainly struggled with some of the grammar questions he got wrong in his mock. I suspect a long comprehension rather than a focus on grammar would play to DS’s strengths.

Were the vocab requirements similar? How many 10 year old boys, however widely they read, are ever going to have come across the word “predilection” for example (another of his mock questions, this time VR).

@11Plus2022 very personal opinion but I’d say not necessary. Coach them to have an educated guess. No harder than Wandsworth test for sure..

Nearly all our (state) class landed where we expected. One common pitfall is it’s multiple choice and often there’s an answer that’s part of the question or correct with wrong units etc.. beat them over the head to ALWAYS READ THE QUESTION!

Similarly, my DD was second last to finish in her class and we had lots of tears she had messed up. There are a finite number of questions in ISEB and if you rush and hit answers Willy Nilly you’ll go wrong. There are no marks for working out. So, this is where atom is helpful, you want them to learn how long they have for each paper and pace themselves.

@Stircrazyschoolmum with your recent knowledge of all things 11+ would you be able to comment on the importance of CAT4 scores vs ISEB scores?

Would one be more important than the other or are both taken into account? Are they very similar too, would you know? Or different?

I've not been able to work out how they are used. And with the future being possibly covid-free-ish hopefully, what importance would both of those tests have in a more normal exam setting?

Thanks for your help!

@WhyNotNow21, it will depend entirely on which schools you are applying to, and what assessment process they have decided to use this year. Last year’s craziness has created a lot more uncertainty over this than usual. Most, but not all, schools have now decided what process they will use for 2022 entry, and the information is available on their websites.

No schools that I am aware of test CATs directly themselves, but I think quite a few will ask the DC’s current school to provide results of any CAT tests they have done. Most of the schools have been doing virtual information evenings this term - that’s a good opportunity to ask the school how they will use this information.

ISEB is only relevant if the school you are applying to uses it as part of the assessment process. If they do, it is likely to be very important (either as a first stage, before doing written papers, or as the main assessment test).

@WhyNotNow21 sorry, I’ve no knowledge of CAT scores, I’m not sure our school even did them last year. Most indies will require a reference from the primary though, so it could be covered in that? I think many parents felt that the entrance exam held more weighting than the reference, interviews, and I guess that’s not surprising given sheer numbers of applicants. Good luck with it all!

Thanks StirCrazy and 11Plus2022. Not looking forward to the whole thing but a good idea to ask at the parents online tours.

It was a disaster for us, DS rushed (think he was trigger happy after playing computer games ...) and finished with 15 mins spare. He didn't get offered a place anywhere as his results were weak, despite good CAT scores (average 128).

If you approach atom they will tell you the expected scores needed for various schools. We found that helpful!

@HandyGirl76
I can imagine how stressed your DS is, feeling excited and probably worrying about the speed as well. Unfortunately ISEB test is also an adaptive test though capped with a ceiling of number. In that way, the quicker it is processed with a feel of receiving easier questions, the worry some the result could be I am afraid. Practically I may suggest DCs to pay attention to the first few questions just to set the track correct in some adaptive mock test such as Atomlearning. And it will NOT allow anybody to go back for a check, which means- in my guess only- if DCs have to opt for one from the two- leaving some questions unfinished may be better than finishing without care/assurance much earlier than expected.

@HandyGirl76, I really feel for you, that must have been very difficult. I think it was really unfortunate last year that almost all the schools went ISEB so that everyone effectively only had one chance to get it right. Hope you found a reasonable alternative.

This year a lot more schools are reverting back to their own papers. That does mean more exams for the DC, but at least it won’t be the end of the world if one set (such as the ISEB) goes badly.

Hi everyone, I’ve just spent ages reading this post. It would be so great to hear how everyone got on in general - I feel emotionally invested! Fingers crossed everyone did well