Transfer Test AQE 2015-2016 *NEW THREAD*

Cherryscone

I have been informed by a friend that in 2011 she bought the Fairfield packs in Easons but she thinks they are no longer used

Flashfriend

Cherryscone wrote: »

I had to buy all off my sons because the School is not allowed to even whisper test papers ��off course a few do find ways around it
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-31039169

My goodness it just shows what an unfair system the whole thing really is!!!

Rox12

Thanks cherryscone. Just trying to get as much info as possible as its my first experience of going through this. Which papers did everyone find to be the best?

BOBS

I used pmp publications first as they had P6 papers and then transfer ready papers. Also had a few CEA ones from Easons.
To be honest at this stage the P6 kids havent covered enough of the curriculum to be able to complete all the papers.

Flashfriend

Rox12 wrote: »

Thanks cherryscone. Just trying to get as much info as possible as its my first experience of going through this. Which papers did everyone find to be the best?

PMP were the best and you can start now with the easier books.

Rox12

Yeah their teacher said they wouldn't have covered it all until the end of June,ds has been to open nights for p6 in Jan & his preferred chosen school had a lowest aqe score of 103, to me that is scary how high that is. im not a fan of tutoring but a lot of other pupils in his class have already started with tutors. So I feel I need to help ds as much as I can if other parents think that school practice papers aren't enough. Hard not to get stressed thinking about what's all ahead in the next few months. :-(

BOBS

Rox12 I wont tell you its not stressful because of course it is as you only want the best for your LO.
My personal opinion is if I have to employ a tutor now then how will I get them through grammar school without tutoring.
I worked through a selection of different papers with my own kids and did what I could and we got there and the older ones are coping very well.
I have heard many times that children who are tutored are easily picked out of grammar school by the end of first year as they just cant keep up..... but its everyone to their own choices.

Cherryscone

To me it was one off the most stressful things I have went through and I know my son was stressed to the max and to be honest if I could go back I would not put him through it ..Thank Goodness he is my last Child .

neveranymoney

I've just had my parent teacher interview for my son, who is in P.6 and of course the AQE was discussed. My sons primary school is very 'pushy parent' and does extremely well academically on the whole.
My sons teacher agreed with me that if you need to employ a tutor, you are really setting a child up to struggle in a grammar school, even though the vast majority of my sons class are attending one, already there is a tinge of hysteria at th school gates. It upsets me greatly, some of these children are still only 9 years of age and I've been asked by my son why he hasn't a tutor too.

My older child does extremely well at the grammar but will tell you, there are children there who are off the scale intelligent and score consistently high on every test under the sun, (the AQE/Gl is truly only the beginning!) without much effort and at the other end are the children who have struggled from day one, cannot possibly compete academically with the others, drop out either before 3rd year, end up taking the same GCSE's everyone else takes, regardless of school and then don't come back for A levels.

We are just going to do the odd practise paper and plough on with homeworks etc, the children certainly haven't covered everything that will be on the AQE and I want to know that my son, if he achieves a good enough score for grammar managed it himself as believe me, once the big homeworks start coming through, there's not many parents who can coach the sciences, languages etc competently!

BOBS

neveranymoney wrote: »

I've just had my parent teacher interview for my son, who is in P.6 and of course the AQE was discussed. My sons primary school is very 'pushy parent' and does extremely well academically on the whole.
My sons teacher agreed with me that if you need to employ a tutor, you are really setting a child up to struggle in a grammar school, even though the vast majority of my sons class are attending one, already there is a tinge of hysteria at th school gates. It upsets me greatly, some of these children are still only 9 years of age and I've been asked by my son why he hasn't a tutor too.

My older child does extremely well at the grammar but will tell you, there are children there who are off the scale intelligent and score consistently high on every test under the sun, (the AQE/Gl is truly only the beginning!) without much effort and at the other end are the children who have struggled from day one, cannot possibly compete academically with the others, drop out either before 3rd year, end up taking the same GCSE's everyone else takes, regardless of school and then don't come back for A levels.

We are just going to do the odd practise paper and plough on with homeworks etc, the children certainly haven't covered everything that will be on the AQE and I want to know that my son, if he achieves a good enough score for grammar managed it himself as believe me, once the big homeworks start coming through, there's not many parents who can coach the sciences, languages etc competently!

well said and great advice !!
As you say AQE is only the start of it .