11 Plus
The 11 Plus exam is a way of selecting children in Year 6 who are academically fit for grammar schools and selective schools for Year 7 onward.
The Purpose of 11+
· An education system that is sets learning and education is a code of discipline
· To be in along with a group of children who have a strong aptitude and attitude to learning.
· To be in schools which focus a on achievement and results and hence desire and create a strong learning ethos.
· Children will have a wider choice of subjects to choose at GCSE & A Levels.
11 Plus Exam
The 11+ can include four subjects: Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning, English and Maths.
· Verbal reasoning: Verbal reasoning tests a child’s English grammar and vocabulary.
· Non-verbal reasoning: This tests a child’s ability to reason and solve picture based problems.
· Maths: This tests the ability of mental arithmetic operations, mathematical concepts and tests multi-level problem solving capability in a real life scenario.
· English: The ability to comprehend and interpret text is tested. Inference is a key skill that is tested in English tests. Some exams also test creative writing ability – the art to plan, structure and write.
11 Plus Selection
· National statistics indicate that nearly half of pupils who attain the basic pass mark in the 11+ exams still fail to gain a grammar school place due to stiff competition and the number of applicants is far higher than the available number of places.
· For example, at Redbridge , only the top performing three per cent of children, on average, get a place. This means that for every place there are nearly 20 applicants. In contrast, areas with more grammar schools, like Kent, have a much higher pass rate, around 30% each year. For super-selective schools, children only stand a realistic chance of gaining a place if they have a near perfect score.