BLOG: 20 top tips to help you and your child through the 11 plus exam
The 11 plus exam is almost upon us.
For many parents around the country, the final stages of preparation can be a stressful time for their children.
Naturally, parents will worry too with so much riding on the results.
So, I have put some tips and ideas together to help parents do whatever they can to support their children and for the children to do everything that can be done to perform to their best ability on the day.
20 Top Tips
1. In the week before the test, keep the workload light. Focus on quality not quantity.
2. Work on your child’s areas of weakness – this is more likely to gain them a few extra marks.
3. Avoid late nights in the week before the test. Ensure children get a good night’s sleep Monday to Thursday; this will help them on the day as they may not sleep well the night before.
4. If you sense your child becoming anxious, talk them through their concerns and ease their worries.
5. Your child may find it helpful to have a digital watch with them for the test. Make sure they know how to use it – a stopwatch function may be helpful.
Relax and prepare
6. Do something with your child on Friday afternoon / early evening to take their mind off the test. Swimming is a good option, as it also tends to make them tired!
7. Using visualisation techniques can help relax and prepare your child. Ask them to imagine the day in their mind – driving to the test, arriving at the school, answering their first paper etc.
8. Remind your child that they should only mark the correct answer on the answer sheet for multiple choice questions. Rub out carefully any extra pencil marks.
9. Remember to answer every question on the test. If there is a minute to go, they should guess the remaining answers. A guess gives them a 20% chance of a correct answer, no answer gives them 0% chance!
10. Parents also get stressed in the build up to the test. Try to keep these anxieties to yourself and not pass them onto your child.
Practice
11. Make sure you know where the test is and allow ample time to arrive at your venue without undue stress. The schools will be busy on the day of the test, so think about parking further away and walking. It is better to arrive too early than arrive too late. You may want to do a practice trip the week before.
12. If you arrive early, wait near the entrance with your child until an appropriate time. It may not help them to have to wait inside for a long time by themselves.
13. It may be beneficial for you to arrange to meet some other children outside on arrival, so your child does not have to walk into the school by themselves.
14. Read the information that arrives from the schools carefully, and make sure your child is fully equipped for the test (with plenty of spare pencils, rubbers etc). We recommend that they bring a digital watch with them to the test – make sure they know how to work the stopwatch in advance.
15. The more prepared you are all for the test, the less strain you will put on your child and the better they are likely to perform.
Ask questions
16. Tell your child to avoid talking about the test with other children during break times. If they discover they have got questions wrong, it may upset them for the tests still to come. Try to get them to focus on what’s next, rather than what they’ve already done.
17. Children are normally provided with a biscuit and a drink during the break time at the test. However, they may prefer to take their own. Be sensible and think carefully about the choice. A large drink may mean they will need the toilet. A small amount of sugar in the snack may provide them energy.
18. Make sure your child feels confident to ask a member of staff if they are unsure about anything during the day. Obviously the staff will not help them with actual answers, but your child should feel able to ask about timings, extra paper, needing the toilet etc.
19. They should also feel confident to talk to a member of staff if anything unusual is distracting them. In previous years we have had reports of other children cheating, crying or not even opening their test paper!
20. Remind your child to keep working right until the very last second of each test. They may be feeling tired by the end of the day and start to relax. One mark can make the difference between obtaining a grammar school place and missing out. They need to keep their focus right until the very end!
Calderdale schools
Finally, the Calderdale schools have changed the test for 2022 and have yet to provide final details about the format of the paper (beyond saying there will be two one hour papers, one for maths and non-verbal reasoning, the other for English and verbal reasoning). Hopefully the details will be provided by the schools w/c 12 September when they send instructions for the test. If they don’t, children should read the directions on their papers carefully on the day and work out how long they have (roughly) for each question before the test begins.
Good luck to all children taking 11 plus exams at places like: Crossley Heath Grammar School, North Halifax Grammar School, Heckmondwike Grammar School and others.
WATCH: VIDEO – How to Prepare for the Calderdale 11 Plus in 2022…
Read more: Back to school with Satchel
Read more: BLOG: The importance of corrections and the 11 plus
BLOG: The importance of corrections and the 11 plus
At the time of writing, the 11 plus examination is less than two months away for my Year 5 children.
As they approach the test, their typical workload moves away from Satchel booklets (which are normally used to introduce them to new topics and improve their mastery of them) and towards more test-based work.
My experience is that this can be crucial time in the 11 plus process. Children improve enormously between year 5 and 6 as they prepare for entrance exams in Satchel, and it’s vital to keep these improvements going in the run up to the tests.
Corrections are an integral part of the Satchel Learning method for all children. I always stress that it’s fine to make mistakes in their booklets. If they never make mistakes, they are clearly completing work which is too easy for them.
Errors
But children must then work on their errors. Were the mistakes caused simply by concentration (children are often asked to complete a high number of questions in a Satchel booklet to help them develop fluency), or by a misunderstanding of the topic?
If the latter, it is vital that any misunderstanding is addressed before they move onto more demanding booklets.
In the build-up to the 11 plus, corrections take on additional importance. In a practice maths paper, they will be asked to work on multiple topics under challenging time conditions. Are children able to correct their errors as soon as they look at them? If so, that would indicate an issue with concentration or speed of working. In that case they may benefit from more time-based practice.
Satchel booklets
If, however, they are confused by the topic itself, they may benefit from additional help in class and / or more Satchel booklets.
It is not easy to gain a place at a grammar school. The number of children taking the test continues to increase and the spread of marks is extremely small. One or two marks can be the difference between gaining a place and missing out. It is vital that all children learn from the errors and continue to improve all the way through the process.
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Changes to the Calderdale 11 Plus exam
In the middle of January 2021, the Calderdale schools quietly announced major changes to their 11 plus admissions test for September 2021. Instead of having two of the papers produced in-house, the three tests (maths, English and verbal reasoning) were moving to GL Assessment.
The implications for children preparing for the test in 2021 are significant. The extremely challenging English paper of the past has now become entirely multiple choice. The new paper involves comprehension; the children are required to read a passage and answer around 25 questions that test their understanding, vocabulary and grammar. There are also separate sections (around 8 questions each) on spelling, grammar and completing a passage with the correct choice of words. There is no writing involved in the new English test.
Moving the maths paper to GL Assessment is likely to mean the test increasing to 50 questions in 50 minutes (the old test was 40 questions in 30 minutes). The verbal reasoning paper was already produced by GL Assessment, and is set to remain at 50 questions in 30 minutes.
Although it is unfortunate that the Calderdale schools have decided to change their admissions test halfway through a school year (many children have already spend months preparing for the old test format), at Satchel we think there are many advantages to the new process:
The old English comprehension was, for many children, excessively difficult.
There were always concerns about the ability of the schools to mark their English paper accurately and consistently across the 1000 plus children who sat the test.
The new English test is still challenging, and it will reward children who are strong readers and accurate writers.
It is easier to prepare for the new maths papers as there are many GL Assessment practice papers available. The old maths test was always a bit of a mystery (there was one example on the schools’ websites) and it sometimes contained errors / typos.
There is less time pressure for the maths paper and less emphasis on exam technique.
It makes it easier for children to prepare for both the Calderdale schools and Heckmondwike, as the English tests are relatively similar.
At Satchel we have made a number of changes to our 11 plus preparation to reflect the new GL Assessment tests. These include:
Greater emphasis on grammar, vocabulary and spelling booklets.
More comprehension work to develop understanding.
Working on comprehension booklets other than fiction.
Practice English tests.
A greater emphasis on algebra for the more able students.
Please contact us at info@satchellearning.co.uk if you would like discuss any aspect of the new Calderdale 11 plus test.
2021 Calderdale admissions test date announced
North Halifax and Crossley Heath Grammar Schools have recently announced the admission test dates for children currently in year 5 who are looking for entry in September 2022.
The exam this year will be on Saturday 25th September.
The schools have yet to announce whether they will be hold open evenings this year. They are normally in June.
Further dates and details on the registration process can be found at the Crossley Heath school website:
Admissions
How early is too early?
We have received a number of enquiries from parents with children in year 4 and earlier asking us about when they should start 11 plus preparation.
Our general advice is that the sooner you start, the greater the chance you will have of success. We have had examples of very able children joining us just months before the test who were able to secure a grammar school place. However this can place unnecessary pressure on children and their parents.
Starting earlier allows children to develop a work ethic and to gradually elevate their maths and English skills to a high standard. This can take some of the pressure off they when they enter year 5. Although it sounds like a long time, the months of year 5 always seems to go very quickly. Children will generally not start on practice papers later in the preparation process. Beginning exam specific preparation too early can result in them become bored and can be counter-productive.
Ultimately the more preparation you do, the more you reduce the element of chance in the 11 plus exam. It doesn’t matter if you score 1 or 300 in the grammar school rankings as you will still win a place at your preferred school. However a child who is capable of scoring nearer to 1 can have a bad day on the test and obtain a place. A child around the 300 level cannot afford to underperform or they are likely to miss out.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss any aspect of 11 plus preparation.
- Published in Education
Progress Cards
At Satchel we believe it is vital that we work in partnership with parents and their children. A key part of that is the regular feedback we provide. This can take the form of a quick chat at class, a text message or phonecall. We also hold Parent and Children meetings twice a year in June and November.
However to better formalise the process, children now regularly receive a progress card outlining their work in each subject, every month. Parents are encouraged to read the progress card, initial them to say they have read the comments and then return them at the next class. If you are unsure about any comment, or would like to ask further questions, please get in touch with your tutor via text message or email.
The progress cards are designed to show you where your child currently sits in each level, as well as outlining topics to come.
- Published in Education