11+ 2025 support thread

[AquaPeer]

Hi all,
I really enjoyed reading previous 11 plus support threads and I think we’re probably ready for a new cohort of year 5s start their prep?

so I thought I’d set up one for next year. All welcome!

we are trying for dame Alice Owen. DD currently has group tutoring once a week but we are looking to increase to twice a week before Xmas.

i am trying to get her to do a cgt GL 15 min tests a day very unsuccessfully! This half term is going to be all about embedding routine 😀

look forward to meeting other parents preparing

HB round 2 is maths and English (not multiple choice) and I'm not really sure what kind of targeted practice we would do so burying my head in the sand. Don't think we will hear till middle of next week anyway. Round 2 is on 6 Oct. It's v hard to get through round 1 though. 90% knocked out at this stage

All the other open days happening over the next couple of weeks and hard to know how many to look round while still in limbo.

I don't want to say too much about the specific question type as there are people sitting the exam later in September but my DS has said he guessed the answers for all of that section 😣

According to the school chit-chat yesterday everyone found Monday's test really easy. Apparently everyone from DS' tutor group did too. So maybe it was just us who missed out on practising this question type!

Just for info Trafford results were Tues Oct 22nd last year. Good luck all!

So we never did any HBS specific prep for round 1 (which many girls do!), so I'm not holding my breath - also cos daughter missed 4 NVR qs! But I'd try and find some standard comp style papers. On another forum somewhere (!) I read that last year the English was a fiction text and only 3 questions - with long essay style answers required. Then of course, there's the ever elusive creative writing task, which could be anything from: "Imagine a day in which you became a unicorn - describe your feelings that day" to "write to your local MP advocating for more green spaces in your local area!"

Oh god, sounds tough. We did some prep for Latymer English and maths so I'm working on the basis we haven"t totally neglected it, but I don't want DD to think it's a massive failure not to get through round 1 because that is so difficult in itself. And ditto re a lack of HBS specific prep. We did GL prep because that's what their website says but turns out everyone in the know is doing other stuff. We did one mock but it didn't go brilliantly, and DD also missed about 4 NVRs.

In some ways that kind of creative writing task sounds more like what they do at school though.

Yes, but I guess it depends what the school teach in terms of how to answer it... DD just moved school and in her old school, most kids in her class had no idea about using language devices. Simile, metaphors and onomatopoeia at the most! Definitely not oxymoron, pathetic fallacy, hyperbole, personification etc. I do like the creative writing tasks though, as there's no "wrong" answer ... just make sure you use the stuff that gets you marks.

Gosh it's so ridiculous isn't it? What is there left to learn at secondary? I don't think English is her forte, just hoping she's done well enough on the maths to get her through Latymer

She had a few lessons with an English teacher parent who offered her time for auction at the school fair! I might get her another couple of hours if she does get through to round 2 but would be a bit last minute anyway.

In our email it said 3rd Oct. Although I do remember that earlier it was 6th.

Oh gosh really? 3rd Oct is at Mary Magdalene test. Hope there's not a clash. It's in my diary for 6 oct

@IsThatYouPam I remember when dd was doing the exams all her friends that sat the consortium said it was fine pretty easy…. All the mums on the WhatsApp group said the same and everyone really positive.
No one of them passed so I wouldn’t give what the kids say much weight.

DAO results tomorrow! Good luck to anyone waiting :)

Good luck indeed! Have to confess to being slightly jealous at being out out of your misery but am sure it's nerve wracking

My original email from HBS about the 2st round says 2nd round is 6th Oct. Also says 2st round results will be emailed "by 29th Sept"

@IsThatYouPam - my son took the test on Monday and found it quite difficult due to the lack of time they had to do the questions.

I also read a comment on FB from another parent who claimed that the test was identical to one of the practice papers at a certain tuition centre they attend so they thought it was easy, which is worrying? 😯

Thanks. I guess I will worry about it if it becomes a reality

What on earth is "2st" round??... clearly, I'm losing the plot and you understood me anyway :)

Makes as much sense as the school Comms anyway!

Actually just checked the mail again and it says 2nd Oct - although they have the day of the week wrong. Check the mail you got with the test day details, it has the date as 2nd Oct.

Here's my email saying 6th... although I have to say their email had a few typos, so who knows what the correct date might be!

HBS sent me an email with last year's dates on, it seems like they must have sent to several people incorrectly. The correct wording should be:
We will write to all candidates by Monday 29th September with the outcome of Round One of the Test. The top 300 candidates will be invited to sit Round Two of the Entrance Test on Monday 6th October.

Gosh that is worrying, hopefully this doesn’t push the pass mark up 😥

Good luck to all those waiting for DAO today x