And now - - English!
I'm still engrossed in The Eleven Plus Preparation Book, first printed 1958, reprinted 1966.
Now I'm going to try to engross you a bit, too.
The eleven-plus, you will remember, was an exam taken by all state school children in Great Britain and Northern Ireland (it may have been taken in other places too, she said hastily) and your result decided which kind of school you went to: - a more "academic" school called a Grammar School, or a supposedly more "practical" school called a Secondary Modern.
There were questions about Arithmetic (which I thrilled you with a couple of days ago) and now we're moving on to English.
The eleven-plus has now been abolished almost everywhere. Looking at these questions, I am surprised by how difficult some of them are, and also by how middle-class they are.
Let's start with some easy ones, shall we?
Write five suitable questions to which you think the following would be good answers: -
1) Because I was in a hurry.
2) He is called Robert.
3) It was exactly two o'clock.
4) Yes, we do.
5) Last November.
Oh, don't tempt me - - !
Far trickier are these:
1) What animal is sometimes called Bruin?
2) What is the wife of a Duke called?
3) What is the name given to a big railway station that is at the end of the line?
4) What is the name of the most important church in a city?
5) What kind of artist makes figures out of stone or clay?
And then we have this:
Write a composition on one of the following: -
EITHER:
a) Describe the best day of your summer holidays last year.
OR:
b) Your friend and you are walking in the country when you are caught in a very bad mist. Tell the story of what happened.
Me, Sir! Let me do it! I can do it! I want to do it! -- Oh yes, I was well in my comfort zone with this kind of thing. I hated exams, but I still remember that feeling of "oh yes, I can do this, I know what they want - - "
I think that perhaps I peaked at eleven. It's been a gradual downhill slope ever since.
Now I'm going to try to engross you a bit, too.
The eleven-plus, you will remember, was an exam taken by all state school children in Great Britain and Northern Ireland (it may have been taken in other places too, she said hastily) and your result decided which kind of school you went to: - a more "academic" school called a Grammar School, or a supposedly more "practical" school called a Secondary Modern.
There were questions about Arithmetic (which I thrilled you with a couple of days ago) and now we're moving on to English.
The eleven-plus has now been abolished almost everywhere. Looking at these questions, I am surprised by how difficult some of them are, and also by how middle-class they are.
Let's start with some easy ones, shall we?
Write five suitable questions to which you think the following would be good answers: -
1) Because I was in a hurry.
2) He is called Robert.
3) It was exactly two o'clock.
4) Yes, we do.
5) Last November.
Oh, don't tempt me - - !
Far trickier are these:
1) What animal is sometimes called Bruin?
2) What is the wife of a Duke called?
3) What is the name given to a big railway station that is at the end of the line?
4) What is the name of the most important church in a city?
5) What kind of artist makes figures out of stone or clay?
And then we have this:
Write a composition on one of the following: -
EITHER:
a) Describe the best day of your summer holidays last year.
OR:
b) Your friend and you are walking in the country when you are caught in a very bad mist. Tell the story of what happened.
Me, Sir! Let me do it! I can do it! I want to do it! -- Oh yes, I was well in my comfort zone with this kind of thing. I hated exams, but I still remember that feeling of "oh yes, I can do this, I know what they want - - "
I think that perhaps I peaked at eleven. It's been a gradual downhill slope ever since.
posted by Daphne at 5:18 pm
4 Comments:
I seriously do want to tell the story of what happened when me and a friend got caught in a very bad mist when we were out walking.
I won't do it here, but it's worthy of an eleven-plus exam. Although I might have to miss out the bit about ending up very soggy from the mist in a pub and drying off by the fire with a huge glass of wine.
By the way, you patently didn't peak at eleven otherwise we wouldn't have the joy of reading your blog now.
Eleven plus yes I sat it ! I passed it ! Not sure if I peaked then or earlier !!
Oh Drat! I was all excited thinking 'ohhhh a test I'm good at'! A bruin is a bear...I know that!!!! Essay? I can do that! Ohhhhhh!! Then I read your 'Me, Sir! Let me do it! I can do it! I want to do it!' paragraph and remembered it was for 11 year olds!!! Geez Daph...maybe I peaked at 11 also!
I managed to get into the almost last year of the 11-plus, having gone to a Catholic school (which retained it some years after Leeds Corporation education dept ditched it). I don't remember it being as hard as this. Actually, all I remember is starting my essay-story with "I'm bored", and telling a tale of a bored kid who gets into a big adventure.
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