AQE Exam Results

beccasmum

Does this mean that the local schools already know the breakdown of the results in their area and if this is the case could they not give us in idea of the competition?

BangorMum

Think it's more a case of them ringing around their contacts at local schools and seeing how the others did compared to past years. I know in our school they had to ask the children what results they got!! on the Monday

beccasmum

Yes, I know the primary schools didn't know but do the grammars already know? This would explain why our local grammar head is ringing round the schools encouraging primary heads to get kids from lower quintiles to apply to school even though he went on the radio before results came out and stated that he didn't expect to take anyone not in top quintile.

Ex-Spendaholic

The grammars know the scores of those who sat the tests at their school. However from that they don't know:

The number of kids who sat the test in their school who will apply to their school

The number of kids who sat the test elsewhere who will apply to that school.

Eg a child may have sat a test in Regent House but their first choice is Sullivan.

I bought an Irish News. I see Martin Lewis got his photo on the article. :rotfl:Maybe this could be Martin's next campaign. We could link it to moneysaving in that if we could get this sorted we wouldn't need to buy so much vodka between now and the end of May. :rotfl: The last couple of paragraphs are what I said on the forum. :eek:

kingston_2730

OMG :eek: I can't believe we made the newspaper!! Big Brother or what?? I can't read it online as you have to subscribe. I wonder if any of my comments are on it. We seem to be the only forum re transfer test. I'm very surprised theres not more. Hopefully now that we made the newspaper we may have more people joining the thread and with more people may mean fresh information. Can anyone give me a summary of what it says?

kingston_2730

Ex-Spendaholic wrote: »

I bought an Irish News. I see Martin Lewis got his photo on the article. :rotfl:Maybe this could be Martin's next campaign. We could link it to moneysaving in that if we could get this sorted we wouldn't need to buy so much vodka between now and the end of May. :rotfl: The last couple of paragraphs are what I said on the forum. :eek:

Ex-spendaholic, you're hilarious :rotfl:

kingston_2730

hmmmm...was just thinking, I wonder how they found out about our wee thread? Did researchers from the newspaper just google transfer test and came across us in cyberspace?

Ex-Spendaholic

I'll type it up for you all. :A

kingston_2730

oh excellent. You are a gem!!!

Ex-Spendaholic

Frustrated P7 parents turn to web forum for support

Confused parents of P7 pupils have been turning to each other for support on a popular internet forum.

Results from both the Common Entrance Assessment (CEA) and GL Assessment papers were sent to children's homes earlier this month.

Some grammars will accept grades while others intend to use scores for the first time.

Many parents are struggling to work out if their child's performance is good enough to earn them a grammar place.

Hundreds are now discussing their concerns on Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert Website (www.moneysavingexpert.com)

While the site is mostly used ty those seeking to save money, it also hosts forums.

A forum thread entitled AQE Exam Results was created on February 6 and is continuing to attract responses.

Most comments focus on the CEA, which was used by 34 non-catholic grammar schools.

A total of 7023 children took that particular exam. They were awarded a score while their parents were provided a table to help them work out an equivalent grade.

Scores which ranged from 55 to 145 with the average score set at 100 were split into five bands.

The top band included marks more than or equal to 113, the next band was 106-122, then 98-105, 88-97 and finally less than or equal to 87. However, many parents are struggling to understand what these scores or bands mean.

"Where we are, no-one has a clue, what their mark means. No-one knows what score is needed for a grammar school," one parent said.

A mother added: "My daugher was very upset and crying at her score of 102 and what didn't help was the look of confusion on our faces when she asked us to explain it"

A P7 teacher also voiced concern about the CEA scores, saying they did not equate to old 11 plus grades.

"Disastrous test, now kids not only get the bottom grade but they can be shown as the lowest scroes in their school"

It has been suggested that the CEA may have been more difficult than the GL Assessment tests, used mostly by Catholic Grammars.

Parents whose children sat both exams said consistently that their children achieved higher grades in the GL papers. However, there is no way to determine if there is any equivalence in rigour between the two separate exams.

One forum contributor alluded to the CEA's difficulty.

"My child got 104 quintile 3. To be honest we, he and the school thought he would have a higher score due to the results he was getting on the practice tests.

However, we now find all his mates have around this score or in the 90s. We know of one child with 115 and he is the school brainchild - excels at everything and was expected to get higher".

Parents will find out in May the school to which their child has been accepted.