Support thread for parents of chilldren sitting the transfer test in 2011

stephenni1971

cck wrote: »

What about this for a conspiracy theory?
Grammar schools have been recently taking flak for accepting "low" marks in the AQE tests, making them seem more like an "all ability" school..
What do they do? well if they make the test really easy, then the vast majority of puplis will be bunched together around the average?
My understanding (can't remember where i read it ) is that a very large percentage of pupils were bunched around the 98-102 mark.

This would have the affect of increasing the cutoffs points it would also mean other criteria would be increasingly used to separate out puplis all on the same mark?

What i expect is to see a general increase accross the board of about 3-4 marks, and quite a few disappointed parents who were using last years cutoff as a guide.
I could also be totally wrong .
Fingers crossed for everyone!!!!!!!!!

Nonsense.

The median mark is always 100 therefore no matter whether the exam is hard or easy the vast majority of scores will be grouped around the 100 mark.

No conspiracy - just common sense.

confused_mummy_3

cck wrote: »

My understanding (can't remember where i read it ) is that a very large percentage of pupils were bunched around the 98-102 mark.

What i expect is to see a general increase accross the board of about 3-4 marks, and quite a few disappointed parents who were using last years cutoff as a guide.
I could also be totally wrong .
Fingers crossed for everyone!!!!!!!!!

I think you are right that alot of children will be bunched into high 90s low 100s

I expect to see the marks increase by more that 3-4 marks. We can already see Strathearn lowest mark up. I expect increases up the 8 marks higher than last year.

Charliedevil

My daughter got into her 1st choice Victoria college!!!!! So happy and proud!! Tears of joy I've never felt before!

confused_mummy_3

Well done to your daughter Charliedevil :T

Pmum

Charliedevil,

Such a relief for you. Great news.
I can't remember what your dd scored but i have a friend whose dd is hoping for VCB too. Can you remind me what your dd scored? If you'd rather not it's fine.

Great news in any case!

Charliedevil

C1 and 91 they accepted her on the c1 she had excellent other criteria also! No special circumstances!!!

Pmum

Thanks Charliedevil.

I think that means my friends wee girl should have got in too!!

Does your dd know yet?

confused_mummy_3

I wonder will anything be published in the belfast telegraph tonight showing minimum and maximum scores accepted. Or do you thing it to early for that?

Third_Time_Mum

Congratulations to Charliedevil and Molly68; really sorry for Caz100 and her dd - hopefully a place will come up in next few weeks since she was so close. Hope the wait will soon be over for Confusedmummy. Our ds got into first choice, Sullivan, with 104, which was a massive relief after all the rumours of the cutoffs being higher. Not sure if his special circumstances were needed or taken into account - may know more when we hear of other scores accepted. I suppose we won't know the full picture until the Belfast Telegraph publishes all the scores later in the year but surely it stands to reason with standardised tests that if some cutoffs are higher then others will be lower, especially when a similar number of pupils sat the tests. Strathearn's much higher cut off was a bit of a surprise - possibly something to do with the prospect of a nice new school building? Interesting to see if Bloomfield's was lower - my dd has just left Bloomfield and I can't speak highly enough of it. Thanks to everyone on this thread for all the support over the past few months!

Charliedevil

Telegraph normally do that around September! Maybe because of appeals!