Examinations and Entry Test Preparation Explained

Friday 23rd September 2011

Senior School Examinations

In the coming weeks I have appointments with many parents, mainly in the middle part of the school, to discuss future schools.  This is such an important part of the educational process and I enjoy guiding parents to look at the schools which will suit their sons.

In the coming months, many boys in Year 8, will be facing important examinations, as they look to secure their places in the senior school of their choice.  Indeed, approximately three quarters of the year group will sit external examinations in January and early February.  The preparation is all in hand, but of course some parents like to help their sons at home as well.  Please do ask your sons to bring their books home, to show you what they are doing; this can help to reinforce what they are learning.  In some subjects there are regular tests (the boys probably avoid telling you this!), do get them to bring home their Latin vocab or whatever it is, so that you can help them with the learning.

The timeframe in relation to the preparation for the tests, as we move through the next few months, is as follows:

Year 8

During the term

All the schemes of work are designed to cover the work required for the various examinations that the boys will sit.  This includes the entrance examinations, where different schools have slight variations in content and style of paper.  The scholarships exams are different, as there are no syllabuses set by the schools, and each school sets their own papers.  The staff are experienced and used to this process, they ensure that the content required to answer the questions is covered, the boys are then prepared for the style of questions that will be encountered.

Half Term Holiday

Revision will be sent home for the November Mock exams.  The boys will receive details in each individual subject as appropriate.

8M – mock exams appropriate to the school of choice

8H and 8J – full set of CE papers (CE is very much in line with the needs of the entry tests)

Christmas Holidays

Revision will be set as appropriate for the January examinations, again the boys will have very clear instructions explaining what is required, and the details will be specific to the schools that they are entering.

Start of the Easter Term

This sees the final preparations for the various examinations.  The boys will have specific tasks related to exam technique, including looking at past papers.  Extra lessons often take place and plenty of extra revision is done by the boys during this period. This process allows the boys to peak at the right time, so that they are ready to meet the various challenges.  Of course for some boys this is a difficult time, as they are sitting tests at more that one school.  We try to ensure that for all the boys who are involved, there is a mixture of preparation and relaxation.  It is important that the boys continue to be involved in the normal activities at school and at home – they are after all still young and they need to “play”!

Year 6

The preparation for the St Columba’s entry test, for deferred entry into Year 9, follows a similar pattern. Towards the end of the Christmas Term we will have a firm idea of which boys are to sit the test.  The exams that are set are at the same level as our schemes of work.  Extra lessons are organised in English, maths and reasoning, at this time the boys will be shown the style of exams, and they will be set some holiday work linked to exam preparation.  At the beginning of the Easter term we will finish the preparation, as the tests are very early.  I will then see the boys for interview preparation, as this part of the process takes place, after the exams.

Vernon Hales