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?!?

I'm wondering about this: DD is registered for Latymer Upper and we got the email about the switch to ISEB today. I'll be delighted if the other schools she's registered for make the same choice, the thought of having Christmas unmarred by exam prep is wonderful!

We are state school and DD has ISEB pretest next week!

We have subscribed to ATOM and she's spent the last four months using ATOM for learning and doing Mock tests. Timing is more than adequate, she always completes with time to spare. The key is if after a few minutes she can't work it out then move on. It's all multiple choice and once you've answered all the questions you're done.

She's doing best at NVR; codes, cubes and patterns seem to click with her.

It is a standard aged score so like SATS scores are aligned to actual age so one person's score isn't directly comparable (someone younger could get the same result with less questions correct). We've not gone mad with practice nor mocks but being familiar with the questions and especially with English finding the words has taken time to sink in. Will she pass? No idea. Mock results vary from a score of 102 to 110 (100 being average ability). The school have not specified what the pass rate is (not highly selective) but we've told her it's ok to try and fail. We're really proud she's giving it a go and we have plenty of good state secondary options so this won't change her life.

Hello, I have questions! I understand you can’t go back to check answers... is that right?

Second, are there a set number of questions per subject (e.g. 30 for maths) or are the questions endless (so if you answer fast, you get more questions)?

Thank you for any help!

No you can't go back. Yes it's a set number. Once completed you are done with the test.

For example; in maths you have 50 minutes to complete 36 questions. If you complete the 36 questions before the 50 minutes is up, you are finished with time to spare.

Thank you Happy.

Allied to this: is there anything to be gained by going quickly? Eg harder questions, or an increased mark for answering x questions in fewer minutes (even if mistakes are made)? Thanks for any help!

How are your DC finding the ISEB mock tests on Atom, especially the NVR? We've just taken a subscription and her first NVR score was pretty appalling Above average but far off the 125-135/140 range I have been told she should be aiming for and she is getting in the other subjects (VR, maths, English). To be fair NVR has never been her strength (there has always been a noticeable difference between her VR scores and NVR scores) but I must admit I looked at some of the questions and found some of them were not straightforward (and I particularly enjoy NVR ). It was quite late at night after a busy weekend, let's hope she improves her scores...

I understand that it works like this: 100 is the average score among the cohort (largely from a pool of prep school kids or those already top of their year, which is why they are considering the Iseb). A mark of 115+ is a good aim for the super selective London indies. 135+ would be top of the very top stuff (scholarship level at top indie).

That's reassuring @NNat
Our prep said the selective London school are looking for scores ? 120-125+ and for the super selective it's more 130-135+

Hopefully CATs since that would jell with what I wrote (itself taken from what Atom says!)

I don't know about ATOM but for CATS my understanding is that anything 90-110 is average. For the indies we have been told roughly the following (for Surrey/SW London)

120-130 for selective (ie KGS)
130 - 135 for very selective (ie Hampton/LEH)
135 + for super selective (ie Tiffin boys/girls)

But how that actually plays out in practice, I don't know. The schools we are applying to have both said they will also use school references and interviews (whether face to face or virtual) and that those will play a part in the offer process too as well as the ISEB scores.

I wonder whether there will now be a flurry of additional applications to other schools who have stated they will use ISEB, given that DC only have to take the test once regardless of how many schools they are applying to? Usually parents are put off by making DC do too many sets of exams, so will limit to three or four assessment days on average. But if it's one day's assessment regardless then parents may be attempted to register for more!

SCHS are saying that they will give the Maths & English elements of the ISEB more weight than the VR and NVR because they are aware that candidates may not be as familiar with those types of exercises (whilst in the same breath saying that no preparation is required). Plus the creative writing exercise and the Year 5 report. Although, I wonder how much use the Yr 5 reports are this year (ours was completely pointless).

@FlyingPandas I have to say, I'm watching what Alleyns are going to do - we may apply if they go to ISEB for that exact reason.

*tempted to register not attempted to register!

@stellagibbons that annoys me too, the 'absolutely no need to prepare' rhetoric. Maybe not, but we all know that virtually everyone WILL get DC to prepare!

@NNat sorry I meant these are required CAT scores (rough guide given my the prep) which according to what Atom said on this webinar you are referring to would mean scores 10 points lower on Atom, which is why I felt somewhat reassured given the poor score DD got on Atom NVR mock test!

I think those CAT scores are a guide to scores the schools might like to attract, but in reality even the best schools will have more of a range. So even a super selective will have people who on these kind of tests score in the range 115_25 Remember a score of 125 puts you in the top 10% of the population and although many in a super selective might be top 5%, not all will be.

Schools which are pretty selective (3 or 4 applications per place, with the majority actually wanting to go to that school rather than an alternative) will probably be taking some students who have scores from 110.

Schools would like everyone to have their highest scores in predictive ability tests, but won’t fill with everyone being that level, even when they are the very top schools. There is always a range.

So if a child hasn’t got 135+ I wouldn’t be put off applying to St Paul’s if they have 125+ as it’s not beyond possibility. However, if someone is scoring 105 it’s probably an indication that it’s not going to happen.

With the independents, they need to fill the majority if their places with people who can pay the full fees. In itself this limits the pool of applicants and bearing in mind the large numbers going to the super selective independents and very selective independents, they can’t all be geniuses! As Guildford High says in this website, they are looking for bright girls to apply....some will be super bright but many who get places will be ‘just standard bright’ _ they are regularly in the top 5 schools for results, but they don’t want people to be out off applying because they think only children who are geniuses go there. There are lots of pretty bright but normal girls.

With the super selective state schools, the pool of applicants is always so much bigger. 10 per place isn’t that unusual but is unusual for independents. It’s why lots who get places at top independents don’t also get packed at Tiffin or Olaves - they are simply competing against a much bigger pool and so it’s harder to get a place. It doesn’t make those schools better ....and often the results of state grammars aren’t as good as some Indeoendents with a wider range of ability, for all kinds of reasons.

For anyone interested, Alleyn's have sent out an email this afternoon to registered applicants stating they will be adopting ISEB. They have dates to sit at their school at the end of Nov and want all DC's to have sat it by 5 December.

Any word on City of London?

@ProfessorRadcliffeEmerson Do you mean City Girls? If so they state on their website that they are also dropping the written exam. They won’t do ISEB but the CEM select pre test (same as the SPGS pre test). Successful applicants will be invited in January to sit academic interviews.

Aha, I hadn’t spotted that! Thanks.

Does anyone know if City of London boys are making any changes? Their website is pretty useless.

I'm so bloody confused by all this! DD is state and we have definite dates from Jags for the ISEB of 6 or 7 Jan.

Just had an email from SCHS saying mid-Dec - Jan 8 to be confirmed in early Dec.

So can we choose to sit with Jags based on the fact they have given definite dates?

From my understanding, you are time bound by your earliest ISEB test date. That test becomes your Test outcome for all ISEB assesses schools.
Hope that helps.

So we could confirm with Jags (they seem to be more on the ball than SCHS) and have a date of Jan. Then SCHS get their act together, give us a date of Dec and we have to sit that because it's the earlier date? That hardly seems fair.