ISBE EXAM PREPARATION

WhatToDoNoww · 2021-08-23T09:38:20+00:00

Hello all, Hoping to find some information about ISBE exam preparation. My son will be taking ISBE exam in Oct/Nov 2021, for 2024 entry. I am aware that we are late to the preparations but here we are! [sad] I have been looking at online tutors, tuition centres but I am not convinced that the ones I found are suitable. Could any one who has experience these exams please please guide me. I will be really grateful

TrueGrit54 · 23/08/2021 10:49

ISEB have a uk website explaining the exams format, they sell past papers and course books (published by Galore Park if I remember correctly and sold by Amazon etc). My children sat the 13+ exams and were prepared for this by their prep schools over a 2 year period. The independent senior schools that I am familiar with all focus on the English, Maths and Science results, if you child is strong in these areas they may overlook a poor result in for example French or Latin. This has been my experience. Best of luck.

Original poster

WhatToDoNoww · 23/08/2021 11:10

Thank you so much for your response. For us to take 13+ for secondary schools, meant that the child would end up in boarding. We weren't keen on the idea. Hence this lack of preparation. Circumstances have changed & we find our selves in a jumble. Our school prepares the kids but it's not enough notice. I was hoping to find a tutor/ academy to help.
Did you use any external help to get through the exam?

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TrueGrit54 · 23/08/2021 11:36

You are very welcome. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about suitable tutors, we didn’t use any external help. I helped them revise at weekends and evenings by making sure they had a place to study and a timetable and plan, nothing drastic, 20 mins maths, 10 minute break and so on. The ISEB books are pretty good and there are lots of past exam papers.

If your child is in the top or next to top sets at school they should be fine. If they are middle or bottom sets they may well need some extra support to revise. Have you thought about speaking to the senior school you are aiming for and explaining change of circumstances? They may have some advice or offer a reduced set of exams. I know a senior school who did this for a friends’ child, they reduced the number of exams they were required to sit. Admittedly it wasn’t a big name senior school but a respected school nonetheless. Does your senior school require a high pass? Some simply look for 55% while others look for 70%.

Original poster

WhatToDoNoww · 23/08/2021 12:06

I really appreciate you taking out time to reply. It's part 1 for the senior school we are applying. The result of this will decide, if we are allowed to take their internal exam. It's a big name. I doubt we will get much help!
DS in the top set at his current school.I will take your advice & get the materials from ISBE website besides the BOND online. Thank you again

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tutorsupply · 23/08/2021 14:46

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Original poster

WhatToDoNoww · 23/08/2021 15:34

@tutorsupply

Please feel free to contact me. I have extensive experience in the field.

Vasso

Thank you for the reply. I would like to know what's it that I can do at this time to make up for the lost time? What are the tutoring options? I have been looking and there seems to be a lot of them but not sure what I should go for. I would really appreciate if you could point me in the right direction please.

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tutorsupply · 23/08/2021 16:19

As a parent, I would definitely be looking for qualifications, teaching experience and pass rates. As a veteran teacher myself, I would suggest some books to practice with. There are a lot of online materials out there and books you can buy. Not every child needs a tutor and this is the first thing I tell all our parents who come through. I personally enjoy assessing the child and interviewing for any historical patterns on needs. If the skills are there but you still need the security of a tutor I would go for blended learning (home study plus tutor) or part time tuition. Alternatively, you can go for an ad hoc needs tutor. Some of the options I can think for on top of my head as part of the service I provide. Materials are easy to find online with a simple tag search. I hope that helps :)

Original poster

WhatToDoNoww · 23/08/2021 19:35

@tutorsupply

As a parent, I would definitely be looking for qualifications, teaching experience and pass rates. As a veteran teacher myself, I would suggest some books to practice with. There are a lot of online materials out there and books you can buy. Not every child needs a tutor and this is the first thing I tell all our parents who come through. I personally enjoy assessing the child and interviewing for any historical patterns on needs. If the skills are there but you still need the security of a tutor I would go for blended learning (home study plus tutor) or part time tuition. Alternatively, you can go for an ad hoc needs tutor. Some of the options I can think for on top of my head as part of the service I provide. Materials are easy to find online with a simple tag search. I hope that helps :)

Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions. I really appreciate it. Are there any set of books or resources you recommend particularly?

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Original poster

WhatToDoNoww · 23/08/2021 19:37

@TrueGrit54

ISEB have a uk website explaining the exams format, they sell past papers and course books (published by Galore Park if I remember correctly and sold by Amazon etc). My children sat the 13+ exams and were prepared for this by their prep schools over a 2 year period. The independent senior schools that I am familiar with all focus on the English, Maths and Science results, if you child is strong in these areas they may overlook a poor result in for example French or Latin. This has been my experience. Best of luck.

Thank you. I will have a look at recommended the resources now.

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nylon14 · 23/08/2021 22:21

Sorry, is he taking the actual CE or just the pretest? From the years given it sounds like its just the pretest, in which case just use ATOM learning and get him to take a mock exam so that you can get a lay of the land. If it is indeed the CE, you can download past papers from past papers websites or buy them from Galore Park with the answers so that you can again see where he lies and what is missing, if anything.

Original poster

WhatToDoNoww · 24/08/2021 06:46

@nylon14

Sorry, is he taking the actual CE or just the pretest? From the years given it sounds like its just the pretest, in which case just use ATOM learning and get him to take a mock exam so that you can get a lay of the land. If it is indeed the CE, you can download past papers from past papers websites or buy them from Galore Park with the answers so that you can again see where he lies and what is missing, if anything.

Thank you for your response. He is taking pre test. I will have a look at the Atom. We have got Bond at the moment. Will look into the past papers too.

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TrueGrit54 · 24/08/2021 11:23

Ah! The pretest really isn’t a big deal, I personally don’t think any tutoring is needed for it! No harm in practising the format of course, it’s taken on the computer (not hand written). All my advice was concerning the actual Common Entrance exams taken in year 8. You shouldn’t worry too much, a top set child should score well in the pretests.

nylon14 nicely figured out.

Original poster

WhatToDoNoww · 24/08/2021 11:39

@TrueGrit54

Ah! The pretest really isn’t a big deal, I personally don’t think any tutoring is needed for it! No harm in practising the format of course, it’s taken on the computer (not hand written). All my advice was concerning the actual Common Entrance exams taken in year 8. You shouldn’t worry too much, a top set child should score well in the pretests.

nylon14 nicely figured out.

Sorry, it's all new to me. I should have been more clear. Your words give me confidence, & perhaps I shouldn't worry too much about it. It's just when you hear people preparing for year in advance, one becomes worried. We will continue with the preparation & hope it all comes together.

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TrueGrit54 · 24/08/2021 11:50

No problem, best of luck to you and your DS.

flyaboat · 25/08/2021 23:47

I think it depends upon the school your child is already at.

My son's state school was massively behind in teaching so we had to do quite a bit of work to just cover the basic state curriculum.

So I would check that, but if your child is at a good school already then I agree with the no tutoring sentiment. Just to add in London, the competition is fierce so you sometime have children who go to a private prep school and then come home and have a private tutor, I know someone doing this and they pay nearly 50 quid an hour for outside tutoring.

Rzwilson · 13/09/2021 12:49

Don't worry - I've had two children take this test and it STILL baffles me! Like the above person said, I would recommend Atom for pre-test. You get all the benefits of a private tutor without having to spend ridiculous amounts of money. Just use it for a couple of months before the exam and your child will feel better prepared I'm sure.

There are also a lot of resources online that you can find for free just search on Youtube/FB.

Good luck! xxx