11+ Mock Exams

Are they worth the time and money?

It depends on who is providing the exam.

  • Receiving only your child’s marks and being told where they ranked in a particular mock exam is not helpful.

  • Parents show me the graphs and piecharts they receive after their child has sat a mock. To me, as a teacher, they are utterly meaningless. The child could have been sitting with a strong or weak set of candidates.

Results

Completely pointless - but it looks good!

Update. I have just received this email:

Hi Sherrie,

Attached below is my creative writing for my mock exam.As my parents are not native speakers they are not able to mark it.(The people that have set up the mock exam don't mark it) Can u do me a favour to mark it for me please.

My response? Yes. I’ll mark it, free of charge, if you let me know who provided this ‘exam’. I’m willing to contact these people to let them know what I think of their greed. Taking advantage of children to make as much money as possible, as quickly as possible, is despicable. Feel free to contact me if you have experienced a similarly disappointing experience. I’d like to expose what is going on.

Are they helpful?

I have mixed feelings about mock exams.

  • I do think that it can be helpful to give a child the experience of sitting an exam with other children in a formal environment. It can also give them confidence in their ability to answer questions in a limited amount of time.

  • But taking too many mocks can (and from my experience - does) blunt their focus - particularly if there is little to no feedback. Strong focus is crucial for 11+ success. Many become blasé about the whole process - another Saturday, another mock - and these exams can literally turn into multiple choice guessing games. You are then paying to reduce your child’s chances of performing well in the real 11+.

  • Desperate parents, worried about their child’s disappointing marks, will then sign them up for more mocks!

  • Always remember: Many successful 11+ candidates will achieve a place at a grammar school without sitting any mock exams at all.

What to look for in a mock provider:

  • Only choose a mock provider who is prepared to go over the answers to the questions. Your child needs to be able to learn where they went wrong and why.