11 Plus

[Samuel]

I didn't take the 11 Plus because I was in the first year when comprehensives were introduced in my home area. However this post is not about that controversial subject. But i need some help from you whether or not you have passed or failed an 11 Plus or never taken one.

On the BBC news website there is an explanation of the Grammar school system and the 11 Plus and they include some sample 11 Plus questions. This is one of them:

Marco, Laura, Peter, Ben and Sally are out shopping for jackets. Ben and Laura want waterproof jackets, Peter and Sally want brightly coloured jackets with hoods, Laura and Marco want lightweight jackets and Marco and Ben want brightly coloured jackets but with a warm lining.Out of the following statements, which one must be true?

A. Sally and Peter want different types of jackets.

B. Only two people do not want brightly coloured jackets.

C. No one wants a lightweight jacket with a hood.

D. Sally wants a coat with a hood and a warm lining.

E. Four of them do not want waterproofs.

The correct answer is apparently C. Can anyone explain why? I can't work it out so I assume i wouldn't have passed the 11Plus!
 

 

 

[lurcher]

a,b,d &e can all be seen to be untrue so c must be true?

[grendel]

What Lurcher said

[BroadScot]

Hi Samuel,

I wouldn't over worry about not sitting the 11 plus, I DID! See where it got me, a Moderator on the NBN!

BTW I think Lurcher could be right.

 

Iain

[riyadhcrew]

I failed miserably.

[Gracie]

Yes, Lurcher is absolutely correct, I completely understood the question and most definitely did not have to read it over and over again and still fail miserably 

Grace

 

[RayandCarole]

Well I didn't pass or fail, had to go to interview and they decided it was grammar school for me, don't know if that was good or bad 

Ray

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Samuel,

I wouldn't over worry about not sitting the 11 plus, I DID! See where it got me, a Moderator on the NBN!

BTW I think Lurcher could be right.

 

Iain

Hi Iain,

I didn't, so it only goes to show whether you pass or fail your 11 plus you might end up as being an electrician and a moderator on the NBN.

Regards

Alan

[BroadScot]

Hi Iain,

I didn't, so it only goes to show whether you pass or fail your 11 plus you might end up as being an electrician and a moderator on the NBN.

Regards

Alan

Hi Alan,

Oh I passed and was suppose to go to Ayr Academy, which meant no footie, just cricket and Rugby! I stayed at my Junior / Secondary High School, although I was at a Grammar School throughout most of my Primary teaching. When the new housing estate was built so was the brand new High School, which I was sent to, to complete my primary years and 11plus.  Today it is an Academy. Confused? lol 

I do appreciate, the education system is totally different up here. I hope always remains that way.

Iain.

[Bound2Please]

Well I failed it ..................................... but im still me ! does that count  lol

[Guest]

Yes, as the others have already said, answers A,B,D and E can be directly  refuted, and answer C was correct because no-one asked for lightweight and a hood.

I'm old enough to have taken the eleven plus test, but I had no idea at the time what significance it held.

I presumably failed it, because I was sent to a Secondary Modern school.

At that time I wasn't aware of any stigma against them, so I was quite surprised to hear via a TV program a few years ago the rather simplistic view that Secondary Modern schools were created to train "tradesmen" and "typists" and the like.

For myself I then went on to technical college, and was fortunate enough to have had full employment with a fulfilling and well paid career.

[lurcher]

I passed mine & I like to think that it's legitimacy as a barometer for future success was bourne out when 44 years later I managed to pay off the mortgage on my 2 bed bungalow.

My younger brother however failed his & none of his millions are going to change that.  .Ha!

Edited October 16, 2015 by lurcher

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Charlie,

Of course it counts, you will always be you.

I was and am still great at practical things, I learnt more after leaving school and living in the real world.

My writing skills have never improved over the years. Back in the day everyone was learnt to write right-handed, I think I may have been a lefty or ambidextrous. I find that I adapt to working left or right-handed when needed.

A friend of mine a Barber, sadly now gone; was left-handed and he learnt to cut hair and shave right-handed because at his training school he was told nobody would trust a left-handed barber.

Regards

Alan

 

 

 

[Bound2Please]

Well Alan

 

we was learnt also to write right handed like you my writing skills never improved but i sure learned to duck the black board rubber after two direct hits to me head.

 

Yes practical skills learned while at school well when i should have been lol have stood me in good stead for life..

 

Charlie

[Regulo]

I loved junior school, and couldn't get enough of it. Sailed through the 11-plus, which I thought ridiculously easy, and went to grammar school. Hated every minute of it, and left as soon as possible, with just 2 O-levels to my name. Joined the GPO as it was then, and never failed another exam through all my apprenticeship, up to HND level. Which goes to show, you've got to WANT to learn, it can't be forced into you.

[BroadScot]

Hi Alan,

I am right handed also, but like you maybe a sparky/tradesman thing never found it awkward using my left to carry out work with say a screwdriver or electric gun. Screwing conduit also made the left side of the body work hard.

I too went to techy college, but day release from my employer, ( a failing today I believe, and a reason for an apprenticeship shortage) block release must be very expensive for small firms to allow that I think.  The college did encourage us to work with both hands. 

 

Ray, so true! I sat 8 prelims, thought I had failed the lot so took the chance of an electrical apprenticeship. Went back to the school to hand in my books, to discover I had passed all eight...oops! Do I ever wonder where or what else I may have done, you bet I does. Would it have changed my attitude to life, hmm I doubt that very much.

 

Iain.

 

[JawsOrca]

I'm sorry but I got bored before I got to the end of that question.. now I know why I failed the 11+ and didn't do well at college.. (God knows how I made it through Uni  )

 

[BroadScot]

I'm sorry but I got bored before I got to the end of that question.. now I know why I failed the 11+ and didn't do well at college.. (God knows how I made it through Uni  )

 

Simple Alan,

You had the brains all the time, also, as you grew older, what was required was a kick up the derry air to pass at UNI!

[ranworthbreeze]

A mate of mine did a open university course but the summer school preparation almost killed him working up the four pints an hour requirement in order to attend.

Regards 

Alan

 

[Samuel]

Yes, as the others have already said, answers A,B,D and E can be directly  refuted, and answer C was correct because no-one asked for lightweight and a hood.

I'm old enough to have taken the eleven plus test, but I had no idea at the time what significance it held.

I presumably failed it, because I was sent to a Secondary Modern school.

At that time I wasn't aware of any stigma against them, so I was quite surprised to hear via a TV program a few years ago the rather simplistic view that Secondary Modern schools were created to train "tradesmen" and "typists" and the like.

For myself I then went on to technical college, and was fortunate enough to have had full employment with a fulfilling and well paid career.

I agree that A,B,D and E can be shown to be untrue based on the narrative. However the question is which one must be true. We have been told that some people wanted brightly coloured jackets with hoods, some people wanted lightweight jackets etc but would they not want a brightly coloured lightweight jacket or a lightweight jacket with a hood?.i.e. we have to assume one choice excludes any other choices. I think the logic is rather sloppy and involves assumption. If this is an example of Grammar school standards perhaps I was lucky not to go! Or is there something else I am missing?

[Guest]

..... I think the logic is rather sloppy and involves assumption. .......

I agree with that Sam, the word "must" was poorly chosen.

[Lastdraft]

I failed the 11 plus but only just apparently, so I was invited on to the Thorn Scheme, which was a 1 day course/interview at a school miles away. Passed this and went to Grammar School only to pack it all in and join the RN at 15 !  All my school friends turned out to be doctors, lawyers, bankers earning £squillions, would I swap ? Would I ******* !

[ChrisB]

When I hear 11+ I immediately think of that wonderful class of sailing dinghy of the same name. IMHO the finest and fastest boat ever made of that length. Unfortunately it was expensive and the class slipped under the waves due to the onslaught of the Mirror and the Heron to a lesser extent.

[TheQ]

I failed the 11+ but have no idea why, I certainly was more interested in education than the others at the secondary modern. Then we moved to the outer Hebrides! and i was sent to the local secondary school. I was top of the school in all classes except Gaelic, a teacher apologised to me because they changed the rules that year to the most improved pupil so I didn't get all the prizes. That confused me somewhat I'd never been to a school that gave prizes it was the only one of the 5 schools  I went to, that gave prizes. Shortly after they sent someone over from the mainland to interview me and I was rapidly transfered to a school in Inverness (accommodation at the councils expense).

Personally I think the loss of the grammers was a bad idea, but I also think the 11+ at the time was wrong and didn't  really assess a pupils real ability

Edited October 17, 2015 by TheQ

[Regulo]

I failed the 11+ but have no idea why,

I'd hazard a guess you didn't get enough questions right. See, I'm not as daft as you think.