Introduction
We’ve just released two new products:
11+ Sutton: Comparing Texts Pack 1
11+ Sutton: Comparing Texts Pack 2
Created by assessment experts, these packs provide effective preparation for the new English paper format in the (11+) Selective Eligibility Test.
Who are these products for?
These products are specifically designed for students preparing for the Selective Eligibility Test (SET) used by Grammar Schools in Sutton.
How will these products benefit my child?
Last month, some changes were announced to the format of English paper in the SET.
Whilst some elements of the test will remain the same, there are two key changes that you should be aware of:
1) The English paper will contain a new part (Section D) that requires students to answer questions by comparing two texts.
2) Whilst the test will remain in multiple-choice format, some questions will now require two answer choices to be selected and others will require a variable number of answer choices to be selected.
These new packs are specifically designed to familiarise your child with both of these new elements:
1) The packs each contain six practice tests that replicate the format of the new Section D. Students need to read two passages and they then have ten minutes to answer questions that require them to compare and contrast the two texts.
It may well be that your child hasn’t been exposed to questions like this before. Whilst they are still designed to assess core comprehension skills, dealing with these types of questions successfully involves using slightly different techniques and processes.
These packs will familiarise your child with the types of questions that could come up in the actual exam in Section D.
2) Students preparing for multiple-choice tests are often taught to use certain techniques to narrow down the answer choices and make educated guesses.
However, when questions can have multiple answers, these techniques require adaptation and refinement.
The new SET English exam will have two new question formats:
i) Questions that require students to mark exactly two answers. For example:
‘Select the TWO most accurate words to describe the narrator’s feelings in lines 9-11.’
Whilst tricky, such questions don’t represent a large departure from the traditional format. Both answers need to be correct in order to score any marks on these types of questions.
ii) Questions that do not specify the correct number of answer choices. For example:
‘What dangers do the narrator and his uncle face in this environment? Select all that are correct.’
There could be either two, three or four correct answers. Such questions pose more of a challenge as they require a greater degree of confidence and certainty to score full marks.
What’s the best way to increase your child’s confidence and certainty when dealing with these types of questions? High quality practice and familiarisation!
Our new packs contains plenty of examples of this new format so your child can familiarise themselves with the specific approach it requires.
Click here to view sample pages from Pack 1.
Click here to view sample pages from Pack 2.
The marking system for these types of questions has not been exactly specified beyond the fact that selecting all five options in a question will result in zero marks. Furthermore, it’s possible to score a mark even if not all the correct answers are selected.
As such, there’s likely to be some form of mark deduction along a sliding scale if a student selects both right and wrong answers.
We’ve used this available information to create a logically sound marking system that matches the requirements and criteria set out by the SET.
It’s helpful for students to get a grasp of these marking criteria as it will inform their approach when responding to these types of questions. In an exam as competitive as the SET, every mark counts.
Overall, we believe that it’s worth familiarising your child with these new formats so there are no surprises on exam day.
These new packs are the ideal tools to equip your child with the necessary skills to approach their exam with confidence and clarity.
What’s included in each pack?
– 6 practice tests replicating the format of Section D in the SET.
– Answer sheets so your child can get used to marking their answers as they will need to do so in the actual exam.
– Answers and marking guidelines so you can quickly and efficiently gauge your child’s level and progress.
What’s the difference between Pack 1 and Pack 2?
Both packs contain the same number of tests. These are all pitched at the same difficulty level.
The texts used in Pack 1 consist of older fiction.
Pack 2 has some older fiction but also includes modern fiction, poetry and non-fiction.
It’s worth familiarising your child with all of these types of text as they all stand a chance of appearing in the actual exam.
Which texts are used in each Pack?
The texts used in each Pack are listed below:
Pack 1 – Test 1
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
A Winter of Content by Laura Lee Davidson
Pack 1 – Test 2
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Pack 1 – Test 3
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Pack 1 – Test 4
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Pack 1 – Test 5
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Pack 1 – Test 6
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton
Pack 2 – Test 1
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
London Snow by Robert Bridges (Poem)
Pack 2 – Test 2
Stig of the Dump by Clive King
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
Pack 2 – Test 3
The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Pack 2 – Test 4
Beau Brocade by Baroness Orczy
The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes (Poem)
Pack 2 – Test 5
The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall
Waiting for Anya by Michael Morpurgo
Pack 2 – Test 6
Enchanted India by Prince Bojidar Karageorgevitch
Among the Canadian Alps by Lawrence J. Burpee
Click the links below to learn more and purchase these packs:
11+ Sutton: Comparing Texts Pack 1
11+ Sutton: Comparing Texts Pack 2
Further recommendations for the Sutton 11+ Exam can be found here.