Americans Take the 11+ Exam | Can We Pass This British School Test?!

[@RaeBradnam]

20:43 As a teacher, this proves what I always tell my pupils to be true. The most important skill is RTQ. Read the Question!! Children get things wrong by assuming they know what the question is asking of them!!

[@reactingtomyroots]

Very true :)

[@evorock]

Absolutely. The only hard bit is getting the buggers to do it! I also get my kids to underline anything important, like figures or what we know, especially when doing physics

[@gordowg1wg145]

RTFQ - same principle as RTFM!

[@Sophie.S..]

@@gordowg1wg145 Yes, at work we are told if all else fails RTFM🤣

[@emmasmith2260]

As I tell my slightly older students, they need to make sure they RTFQ. Why are you giggling? It means Read The Full Question 😂

[@sddsddean]

With the last question, if you are rounding to the nearest 10, your answer must end in 0 or 10. So, numbers ending 0-4 are rounded down and numbers ending 5-9 are rounded up. So if she is thinking of 1110, the smallest number she is thinking of is 1105 ('cos it is rounded up to 1110). Clear as mud?!

[@sddsddean]

Just realised that first sentence should end "your answer must end in 0 or a multiple of 10."

[@brigidsingleton1596]

I have dyscalculia and my brain hurts just reading your comment, the numerals makes _no_ _sense_ to me whatsoever!!

[@Yorkshireborn52]

@@brigidsingleton1596Me too 😣

[@lindakirk698]

They obv don't know what rounding to 10 means

[@brigidsingleton1596]

@@Yorkshireborn52 When I was in Primary School, instead of attending for the full five years between _5_ years old to _10_ years old, I actually was only able to attend for _18_ months!! Why? The list below (if I may) should clarify my problem... Age 5, I had 'Whooping Cough' (twice!) Age 6, I had a chair fall on my head whilst awaiting the Home Time Story (we sat on the classroom floor, the chairs were stacked on the tables / desks behind us) ...and a little that year I developed 'Photosensitive Temporal Lobe Epilepsy' (lifelong condition) Age 7, I had 'Meningitis' (& was too ill to be transported to hospital, so nursed by Mum (& visited daily by our GP) .., Age 8, I had 'Measles' & 'Mumps' consectutively... Age 9, I had 'Chickenpox' (whilst also being smallest / youngest of my _3_ months pregnant half-sister's _three bridesmaids_ at her _wedding_ - she was _17_ , her Husband was _34_ !!) The rest of the time during those years was spent enduring copious nosebleeds _&_ multiple bouts of 'Tonsillitis' - with _two doctors against_ performing a tonsillectomy and _only one doctor for_ it!! I still have my tonsils - and my appendix!! But _not_ my gall bladder - as the latter had to be removed - by keyhole surgery - when I was _54_ as black gallstones had blocked my ducts and caused Pancreatitis ...which in my considered opinion _was more painful_ than giving birth - and I have had five babies including Two Sets of Fraternal Twins: boy/girl & girl/boy in birth order!!) (Jan.1992 & Sept.1993). So, not surprising... I failed my 11+ and attended a "Secondary Modern" school, but dropped from my original assessment to be in 'A Group' to be in 'B' Group due to my inability to grasp Maths (due to my at that time, undiagnosed / unrecognised dyscalculia... Instead I was just classed as being 'thick' with numbers / 'lazy' in Maths). It's a good job I _got on well with 'English'_ or I'd have been dropped down to 'C Group' - and barely bothered with. 🥺🤔☹️ I hope schools recognise dyscalculia as well as dyslexia these days because intelligence ought not be dismissed in children just due to difficulties they cannot control. My GP once told me Mum he believed I'd become a writer - and that she ought not worry that my storytelling was so imaginative!! (Um... It's true I've never been good at precis... Does it show?!!) but, my Grandad believed I would have my own horse one day...and I didn't accomplish either of those two 'ambitions' sadly...and, here I am... Writing stuff few might be interested in, and only a collection of model horses to my name. 🤭🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎💙

[@teresadixon3342]

When i took my 11+ nearly 60 years ago , you had to show your working out answers on test paper , this was to prove you knew how to calculate.

[@TheWebcrafter]

...and those who didn't show their 'working out' would get 'See Me!' written in red ink at the bottom of the test paper. Oh, what memories. By your age, you must have been schooled in those days when we regularly used logarithms in calculations in Maths lessons,, during a time when the pocket calculator had yet to be invented. Isn't it amazing that in our lifetime we've experienced a time when our school didn't own a computer, and now there's a computer in almost every home in the developed world? We used to regularly visit the local library, as it was the only place other than school to get information. Now our telephones enable access to the largest repository of knowledge on the planet, the World Wide Web. Schools teach kids how to learn, not how to earn (and budget).

[@biggaymike1983]

Well, a smidge over 30 years ago, nothing much had changed. Same requirement, same reasoning, still no calculator (though they were common in science by then), and same red pen and phrase. Smiley (and unsmiley) faces were making an intro though.

[@TheOrlandoTrustfull]

If Steve loves mathematics and Lindsey loves English, you guys should definitely react to some full episodes of 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

[@BoomslangSkin3739]

I agree!

[@beckscroft18]

@@TheOrlandoTrustfull 100% .. I think they'd love it x

[@petethefungi]

Or just the original Countdown.

[@Squimbelina]

@@petethefungiyes, they’d need to start with Countdown and then do Cats Does Countdown!

[@Elisalovesmetal]

We're re watching cats does countdown at the moment. It never gets old, and Sean Lock was so quick with responses that you cry laughing.

[@tonyking2680]

STEVE, imagine the 10/11 year olds had no one to help them when taking this exam 😂😂🤣🤣

[@reactingtomyroots]

😅

[@peterjackson4763]

When I did it we had had the practice of doing a similar exam the previous year.

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

The children that take this test now get a lot of tutoring and go to a primary school which activitly prepares the students to take this test as they are grammar school feeder schools.

[@janescott4574]

I am so bad at maths that when I did a mock GCE now known as GCSE the person marking my paper added the comment “has this young lady considered taking up needlework!” I did!!!!😂

[@LouiseGee-c1e]

@@AnnaBellaChanneljust to say my sons school did no prep for the 11+ but we did do a lot at home.

[@artasium1]

11+ was also taken in Scotland at 10 years old. It was used to help decide which level of class you would enter secondry school into.

[@jmillar71110]

It stopped in 2008😊

[@GuardOfGaia]

​@@jmillar71110it stopped a lot earlier than then, although I believe it later got reintroduced briefly. I didn't sit it in the '70s.

[@eilidhwatson8406]

i didnt sit it in the 90s !

[@annil983]

I sat it in Scotland in 1967.

[@dominicjohn8954]

03:40 into the video and I'm pleased to see you guys got your defence sorted before starting the test.

[@reactingtomyroots]

😂

[@bobsteele9581]

I can testify to the fact that the 11+ doesn't really decide your future. I failed mine, but ended up with a PhD. Edit: These days Scotland doesn't have an 11+, but back in the early 1970s we had a very close equivalent, called the Primary 7 intelligence test, which basically decided which class you went into when you went to secondary school. As I said above, I failed mine (did relatively well and secondary school anyway), but after I left School I worked very hard on my education, got a first class honours degree, and then went on to do research for my PhD.

[@reactingtomyroots]

Love to hear that! :)

[@BurnCKC]

It doesn't decide your future as you can academically achieve in most schools, but in some areas it does decide which school you get a choice of. For state run grammar schools, you have to pass your 11+

[@annil983]

Was called IQ Test in 60s, and everyone had to do it then.

[@bobsteele9581]

@@annil983 Aye that's right. That's what I took. We always called it the "intelligence test, but it was officially the !"IQ" test 👍

[@Lily-Bravo]

Did you actually fail it, though? Sometimes the school requiring the test can only take the top so many into their entry year, and just cannot accommodate more, so if there happens to be a greater number of high scorers than it can accommodate, some children just miss out who could have gone there.

[@cazzyuk8939]

The rounding question was rounding up to the nearest 10, so the nearest figure to 1110 is 1105. When rounding, rounding up = anything from 5 up gets rounded; anything from 4 down gets rounded down.

[@wobaguk]

One of the major differences between UK and US schools is in general we have no concept of 'being held back', you move forward until you are done regardless of your level of attainment. If you are really struggling you may be put into special classes in parallel to help out, but you are still moving on year by year even if that means you leave with no qualification at the end.

[@vaudevillian7]

Although you can skip a year (or several)

[@hikariyouk]

I don't know if things have changed, but when I was at school you could be held back - we had someone in my class at primary school who should have been in the year above.

[@susanpearson-creativefibro]

Also if someone wants to gain a GCSE as an adult they would go to a college not back to high school.

[@RichWoods23]

@@hikariyouk I was subject to one of those 1970s educational experiments, where the classes in the final two years of primary school were organised by ability rather than age. I felt I benefitted from it (I can remember in the previous year getting bored in class because the teacher had to spend a lot of time with the slower kids), but they must have decided the experiment wasn't an overall improvement because it wasn't repeated for my younger brother's years. Four years later there was another experiment, where O-Level English Language exams were taken after one year rather than two, to free up time for two other subjects in the final year: the overall pass rate remained the same but only 8 of us (out of 96) got an A grade so they decided it wasn't a sufficiently worthwhile change.

[@reactingtomyroots]

Nowadays in the US that's the case as well--at least in public schools. It's called 'no child left behind.'

[@marleneneve1966]

I’m 70 and wasn’t told about the 11+ exam. My Dad woke me up one morning with a box of chocolates as I had passed this exam! He hadn’t told me about it so I wouldn’t worry bless him … I went to the local grammar school until 18 … 😊

[@Diamondmine212]

In this day and age you can use your calculator, it never was so in the ‘ olden days’ that’s my day. 😲

[@lloydcollins6337]

We did have the show "are you smarter than a 5th grader" in the UK but it was called "Are you smarter than a 10 year old?". It ran from 2007 to 2010.

[@ChuchiiChoo]

i cant read are you smarter than a 10 year old without singing it and finishing it

[@j0hnf_uk]

Back in my day they had proper maths tests where you had to show your working-out in order to get a mark. None of this multiple choice malarkey.

[@neilmcdonald9164]

And limited/no use of calculators🎩

[@CalCo-3924]

Yes, they did! Do you remember colouring in the sausages for your multiple choice.

[@CalCo-3924]

I had to do my o' level maths with no calculator. We used slide rules and logarithm books.

[@ally_bally6728]

@@julielynch6319born in 1967 I never used a slide rule and had multiple choice in exams.

[@lynette.]

Born 1952 Calculators hadn't been invented. We had IQ questions along side maths and English. In no exam in my school life had multiple choice.

[@valerierosling3968]

It's really important to read and understand the question. I'm 72 and we were graded into either general or higher education classes. We called it 'secondary' or 'grammar'. Some schools were called 'comprehensive' but had general and grammar classes. There were also purely grammar schools for the really clever kids.

[@fionagregory9147]

I went to an all girls grammar school but was not particularly intelligent. It was a fee paying school though. I got 3 O levels at all 16 in 1977 and then got another O level later on.

[@fionagregory9147]

Grammar schools were fee paying but comprehensive schools were free.

[@gillfox9899]

I was first year comprehensive in my town. They completely did away with the grammar schools but as has already been said we were automatically put in academic sets. We had annual tests almost from starting school to prepare us for the 11+. Later in life I taught in a secondary school and all children are still sorted by their academic ability

[@gillfox9899]

​@@fionagregory9147totally disagree. Most are state grammar schools and therefore not fee paying. The fee paying ones are independent schools and often accept children who are less academic but have parents who will pay

[@fionagregory9147]

@@gillfox9899 I never knew there were state grammar schools. I thought grammar schools were for parents who paid to put their children in there but it is not important anyway.

[@carlyjade3822]

Thanks for the giggles 😂 and well done! We had 'are you smarter than a 10 year old?'

[@robinford4037]

You could pass all the tests with a great score and still not get into the school/college you want. There are only so many places for all these children.

[@RollerbazAndCoasterDad]

Most of the UK doesn't have grammar schools any more and therefore don't have the 11+ any more but a few counties in England hold out.

[@francisedward8713]

I think it's more than a few. Liverpool is considered very working class and "deprived" and I took the exam and went to Blue Coat - a grammar school in Liverpool (I'm Gen Z too lmao). So if Liverpool has one, surely most do - and not just rich areas.

[@neilmcdonald9164]

Mainly in Kent and Buckinghamshire 🎩

[@RollerbazAndCoasterDad]

​@@francisedward8713there's 163 in the whole of England. Kent, Lincolnshire and Buckinghamshire (and their urban boroughs like Medway) account for 72 of those meaning the entire rest of the country have only 91 between them. Only 7 of the 32 London boroughs have a grammar. All of those are in the outer boroughs. There are lots of counties towns and cities without a single one.

[@RollerbazAndCoasterDad]

PS Can you tell I'm a teacher 😂

[@corringhamdepot4434]

I remember when the 11+ was a really big deal, because from 1945 it streamed all children into either grammar school, secondary technical school, or secondary modern school. Which labeled you as "academic". "technical" or "non-academic/technical" based on your performance in one exam at age 11. From the early 1970s the system was gradually phased out by the non-streamed Comprehensive Schools system. The 11+ was gone for most pupils by 1976. So today about 90% of pupils in England and Wales attend comprehensive type schools. There are still some grammar schools left. "There are 163 grammar schools in England. Around 5% of secondary pupils in England attend a grammar school. Around 100,000 pupils sit the 11-plus each year". The 11+ is now an entrance exam used by a small number of "elite" schools. "no new grammar schools can be opened due to 1998 legislation. However, existing grammar schools can expand to take on more students".

[@baronmeduse]

In reality though not many went to the 'technical' schools. It was either a minority to grammar schools and the rest to secondary modern. Which was really bad, because you had those who only barely missed the 11+ pass stuck in a non-stimulating environment.

[@stevieinselby]

Some areas still have selective education, where almost all schools are either grammar or secondary modern (even if they don't call them that!) and they don't have (m)any comprehensives: Buckinghamshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, Medway, Trafford, Wirral and parts of Warwickshire.

[@corringhamdepot4434]

@@baronmeduse Depends where you lived, as schools were churning out workers for their local industries. So it depended on what they wanted. Many were still leaving at 15.

[@neilmcdonald9164]

Especially Kent and Buckinghamshire 🎩

[@reactingtomyroots]

Oh okay! Thank you for the explanation :)

[@jgibbs651]

The 11+ now is very different from the one I took in 1965. If you go onto the net you can find older papers.

[@Kari_B61ex]

One of my friends passed her 11+ (she passed and went to Grammar school). I was never any good at Maths when I was at school - That continued until I left school. My first job was for an Accountant, I then went on to work in the Imports and Shipping Department of a large store here in the UK and I also worked in the business sector of one of the main Energy suppliers in the UK... I'm now self-employed and offer Bookkeeping as a service. All of which need a quite competent knowledge and understanding of Maths.

[@camriley]

I love this as I hate it when children are labelled. Sometimes they are defined by it and lose self-confidence but stories such as yours show how we should never write off any child.

[@alanbarker2279]

Why mention your friend without telling us where she ended up after her schooling finished? Is she now your boss or a homeless bag lady?

[@peterjackson4763]

@@camriley The report that proposed the 11+ said there should also be a 13+ for late developers.

[@aaron_451]

@@peterjackson4763 i think there is a 13+, i went to a grammar school and remember a kid from my primary was able to join in yr 9 after taking the 13+

[@davidrobinson4400]

I'm sorry, but what you have there is knowledge of arithmetic not maths. Do you use calculus, geometry, trigonometry, group theory etc in your job? Maths is more than just arithmetic. I studied maths to degree level and I got fed up of being asked if I was going into accountancy when I graduated. "No, because accountancy is about knowing all the finance and tax rules, and not just adding up numbers."

[@jonhollandjazz]

The reasoning questions are usually the ones that can catch you. I hope you do those also.

[@beckscroft18]

I'm crying at the Toby Question 😂😂 ... You make me laugh so much 😂😂😂 Xxxx

[@CalCo-3924]

Toby's Rhombus! 😂😂😂

[@beckscroft18]

@@CalCo-3924 Haha 😂 , sorry I just couldn't stop laughing! 🫢😂 ... I hope I'm not banned now, I seriously meant no harm x

[@CalCo-3924]

@@beckscroft18 laughing isn't banned lovely. We don't have much else, so a sense of humour is essential x

[@stevenlagoe7808]

If Toby has been blessed with a rhombus boasting an exceptional perimeter, then good for him! Is rhombus-envy a thing?? Just asking.... :D

[@beckscroft18]

@@CalCo-3924 thank you, I wasn't being mean at all . I just found the comment amusing xx

[@alexshapley8331]

👍 that was fun... ... but I have to admit to wincing when you were going through some of the maths questions (especially when you were discussing the rounding up one!). Definitely gold star for Lindsey in her English class!

[@elainepettis5075]

I took my 11+ in 1960. It was totaly different then. Every child took the test in those days. No math, English etc., It was symbols and reasoning. It was quite difficult. Upon passing you obtained a pass to Grammar or Technical school. There are not many Grammar shools about now but I am lucky enough to still have one in my town. It was founded in 1576. Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones went there.

[@weedle30]

I am in the same town as you! Both my husband son went to Mr MJ’s school - in a 10 mile radius of “our” town, there are at least 10 grammar schools! Kent won’t relinquish them…..😎😊

[@elainepettis5075]

@@weedle30 To have a Grammar School in our our town with so much history won't be relinquished without a backlash.

[@Jamie_D]

1 of them need to read aloud and the other in their head, perfect 😂

[@JSandwich13]

Well, this is not a british test. it's an English & NI one. Schooling is completely different in Scotland. Would love to see you react to the difference in education within the UK. This is very interesting to see you do.

[@sandraadamson4944]

I'm from Scotland and we had the 11 plus test away back in the fifties before moving from Primary to Secondary. It was common in Scotland. At least it was in Fife, so would be throughout Scotland.

[@JSandwich13]

@sandraadamson4944 Well I stand corrected! I did exist, just was before my time. I remember now that my grandmother did that test in 1960. Thanks for the info! Schooling sure has changed a fair bit since then

[@colinp2238]

Before you pat yourselves on the back, remember that 11 year old kids can not talk or use any help on the exams at school. They must rely on what they have learnt in their lessons. I passed the 11plus and went to grammar school.

[@richardcoulson6005]

Me too!

[@chrissouthgate4554]

Smug, I did not

[@richardcoulson6005]

@@chrissouthgate4554 Nothing smug about it, we all have our abilities and some are not academic, I hated grammar school and so did so many of my fellow scholars! We all went on to lead productive lives in our own fields

[@TheJpf79]

@@richardcoulson6005 People who went to grammar school lacked the ability to do anything other than properly repeat information.

[@richardcoulson6005]

@@TheJpf79 That's what education is - it's the ability to be able to interpret it that counts

[@Whippy99]

I sat the 11+. I was doing brilliantly - until it came to the maths. I have dyscalculia but it wasn’t known at the time. Fast forward four years and I passed my GCSE English exam a year early and now have a degree in English. My 11+ fail had no adverse effect whatsoever on my life. 😊

[@mariaowen-c1o]

Haven’t had any of my children take the 11plus, it was done away years ago. My eldest is 50 and he went to state schools. His first degree was Astrophysics.

[@bojo88]

It still happens for those areas that have Grammar schools. All of my children took their 11+ and went to them. There were no Grammar schools in the area I grew up in though so it was not available to me.

[@PLuMUK54]

Apparently, I got the highest grades in my city (many, many years ago). I was offered a place at the best grammar school, plus two others, and also at an art school. I went to none of them. Due to a health issue I had to go to my local comprehensive, but I've had a successful life, so it didn't harm me.

[@reactingtomyroots]

You must be a smarty pants!

[@cabbageplays6710]

It does not decide your future. It decides what lvl you are going to be taught at in high school. For almost all lessons in high school there is 3 levels of education, advanced, standard and basic, (atleast this is how it was done when i was in school). This would work out at what level your current education is at, and what sort of grade you would be looking at for your GCSE's when you take them in 5 years time. For example, in junior school, i was very good at maths, and so was put into the advanced maths class in high school with other students that would learn at roughly the same speed as me, thus making it easier to teach all of the children in that class, as we would all pick things up in that subject pretty fast. In English i was put into the basic class, mainly because i had ADHD and Dyslexia, and so English was hard for me, but numbers were easy. It had no effect on what we was taught, other than in advanced classes you might get through stuff a little quicker, and so would perhaps get into higher maths around year 11(16 years old) and so might be more prepared for higher education (College) in those subjects. Not that you have to choose those subjects when going to college. Same again when going into University you dont have to stay on the tracks that your on, its all down to you. I got a D in English in the end, it was not my best grade in GCSE's, but it is the grade im most proud of, for the whole of the last year at high school i would spend 1 hour after school with my English teacher just trying to learn it, he did this in his own time because i asked. I wanted to get better but was struggling. He actually said to me "I will help you, but if you dont show up, even just once, we are done". Robert Kew was his name, im 41 now, and i will never forget what that man did for me. 12:21 you chose the wrong answer, its the outer edge of the rhombus they want, equilateral triangles are equal on all sides, and so the picture means you have 4 sides of the triangles for the rhombus, 45 / 3 = 15, 15 * 4 = 60. next question was 1105. If you are rounding a number, you are getting the number to the nearest 10, so answer A is 1110, no rounding needed. answer b is 1100, again, the nearest multiple of 10 is 1100 no rounding needed, answer c is 1105 would be rounded up to 1110, answer d is 1115 and would round up to 1120, and answer e is 1104 and would round down to 1100. Nice try though guys. To answer your final thoughts, we dont get held back in the UK, atleast ive never heard of it, and i did try teaching for a few years back in the mid 2000's. Its just not something we do, if you need extra help for learning difficulties, then the school can have a teacher do 1-1 with some students, there was a kid in my class in high school who had much more severe learning difficulties than me, he had the use of a laptop in his final exams and had a 1-1 teacher who went with him to every class. My ADHD and dyslexia wasnt picked up on until i was in college, so obviously not too bad. But it makes me chuckle when i look back at the teachers reports we got at the end of each year, and reading what every teacher i ever had say the same things, im paraphrasing but "he knows the answers, always puts his hand up to answer questions asked, but getting him to write things down is impossible". LOL, shame no one ever thought it was anything more than me being a disruption, LOL

[@lisasallery7860]

I remember this test. It decides what group you go into when you start secondary school. In our school Set 1 was the brightest kids class and it goes all the way to Set 4 which were for kids who need a lot of support. I was in Set 1 and hated it!

[@odin741]

I'm stunned! So Americans DO know how to use punctuation!!! That's a shocker! lol

[@davedixon2068]

well at least 2 do

[@odin741]

@@davedixon2068 2 That l didn't have to keep correcting when I lived there lol.

[@ianhodgson221]

When I went to school in the late 60s I took the 11plus and because I just failed I had to resit the exam. I failed again! This resulted in me going to a Secondary Modern School, which only offered O Level GCE and CSE. The training was meant to be more practical rather than academic e.g. metalwork and woodwork. During my time there I decide I wanted to become an Ophthalmic Optician (Optometrist), which meant A Levels and University. I obtained the appropriate O Levels and moved schools to do A levels, and then went to University and have spent the last 50+ years as an Optometrist. So from my point of view the 11plus was never the hurdle that it was often made out.

[@AngelaVara-i4l]

I remember taking this test when I was 11 and I went to grammar school,I am now 67.

[@chrisjen4704]

I took the 11+ exam way back in 1960. Back then it was: Your primary school selected students who could sit for the exam. We were placed into special classes. My twin brother was not selected. You selected 5 grammar schools you wanted to attend if you passed the exam. These were selected in order of preference. If you were successful, each of your chosen schools was given your results and they could "bid" for you. Thus the students with the highest scores usually got their 1st preference school. Since the best schools were usually 1st preference, the best schools got the "best" students. I was fortunate enough to get to one of the top 2 schools. Yes it was very competitive, but I don't recall any real pressure.

[@101steel4]

I had no idea the 11+ was still a thing. I remember my mum telling me about when she did it at school. She's 76 now.

[@susangarvey9415]

I'm glad Lindsay mentioned Tobys rhombus first, I was thinking it. I'd of been thrown out of that maths class because of my smutty mind😊

[@reactingtomyroots]

😂

[@juliemartin4267]

Our local grammar school used to be two separate schools for boys and girls and was just for local people. Over the years they merged to one single school and now many counties can apply which means local children miss out even if they pass the exam

[@soozb15]

Yes it's a lot of pressure. However when I took it back in the 70s I wasn't even aware of its meaning or importance. It was just another classroom test. I got into a grammar school as a result, and I really do believe that this determined the course of my life (for the better). Scary.

[@D1331D]

The 11+ is taken in year 6 of Junior school. If you passed you went to Grammar School and if you failed you went to a comprehensive school. Back in the 60s when I took my exam I failed. However, the UK education department some years later admitted the exam was weighted against girls. The pass rate for girls was higher than for boys. The reason: to equal out the boy/girl ratio in Grammar Schools. Without this two tear system girls would've outnumbered boys in Grammar School. There was a documentary about this in the 80s. My sons did entrance exams at 13. Son G was disappointed with his result in maths. The pass was set at 55% and he got 97% he said 'I should have got 100%'. Good luck with the test!

[@D1331D]

@sameebah In all exams students/pupils have a 'Candidate Number' that number is registered to your name. That is how they link the result to a person. The documentary explained how pass rates were set higher for girls to equal out boy/girl ratios. I am an exam invigilator.

[@gillfox9899]

T wasn't a comprehensive school it was a, secondary modern. Comprehensive schools replaced both the grammar and secondary modern schools

[@D1331D]

@@gillfox9899 Grammar, Secondary Modern, Comprehensive, the name isn't important they are all schools that take children aged 11 plus. You missed some.. At age 11, I went to 'High School' then aged 14 I went to 'Upper School'. That wasn't the USA it was Leicestershire, England.

[@pamparker68]

When I was in school in Scotland, our test took place in Primary 7 (age 11 normally) and determined which class you went into in 1st year at secondary school. I apparently did well as I was in 1C1 (top class along with 1C2 as it was a big intake year) and we had to take Latin and Classical Studies for 2 years...great fun!

[@chocod1352]

Just pressing play on this video had me sweating 😂😂😂

[@Burglar-King]

Rhombus will never be the same 😂 you have to do all English Tests.

[@Snifferth]

Both my sons have done these in recent years. I didn't want them to feel too much pressure and told them both that it was just a test to see which school would be better suited to them. One passed the test and has gone to the grammar school, the other one didn't. They are both at the right school for them, and doing well.

[@clivethewritermadenglishma4042]

Passing the 11+ ONLY gives you a CHANCE to get into a grammar school. places are always limited. Children have to attain a high score overall BUT, their scores in each catagory are also taken into account. Some Grammar schools have an additional entry exam you must also pass. When I took my 11+ exam it was 2 hours, written. Even today you still not allowed ANY aids in the exam, unlike GCSE's at age 16, or A levels at age 17/18.

[@reactingtomyroots]

Okay, wow! Sounds like college here in the US 😅

[@nixie9]

It's not a pass/fail thing. The school has 200 places for example so you have to be one of the top 200 scores to get in.

[@hlc1975]

​@nixie9 not everywhere. In Bucks, everyone who gets a qualifying score (121+ scaled score) can put grammar schools on their application (as well as others). They're then treated equally according to the admissions criteria. The individual score makes no difference at all. It mostly comes down to catchment.

[@joejohnson6763]

The 11+ was a con really. As you say there would never have been enough grammar school places had every child passed the exam, all the schools and teachers knew that, so the "brighter" kids were identified in the first and second year of juniors and coaches to pass the 11+. Those not considered clever enough were not coached to the same extent but still had to sit it.

[@hlc1975]

@joejohnson6763 it's different everywhere, but state schools aren't allowed to coach in Buckinghamshire. What happens instead is some parents pay for tutors to do it. Then some kids get into grammar and can't cope with it. I think all of the selective schools reserve a handful of places for children on pupil premium who can get in with a lower score (115 rather than 121), but it's a messed up system and it's not a level playing field.

[@jameslewis2635]

The way rounding works to the nearest 10 is that if the number is 5 or greater you round up and if it is below 5 you round down. The 11 plus is a bit of an anachronism for most people and is only really used as an entrance exam for those going to private schools.

[@nbartlett6538]

No the private schools tend to have their own exams. The 11+ is generally for kids wanting to enter selective state schools, e.g. grammar schools.

[@andyjdhurley]

@@nbartlett6538 Yep, mine was a selective state school so I had to do it (called itself a 'grammer'[SIC] but it wasn't really, but had been when founded in 1588). I had no idea what it was I was doing at the time and didn't even know my parents had entered me for the selective school but I enjoyed tests back then so flew through. Can't say the same for later exams which were hard work but I managed to scrape a 2:2 at uni in the end.

[@basinmason8143]

Only 163 school in England still make students take the 11+ to gain entry to the school out of over 4000 schools, it is uncommon and a old fashioned practice.

[@Trebor74]

But a good way to stop intelligent kids going to a bog standard comp and wasting themselves.

[@basinmason8143]

@@Trebor74 no it doesn't 163 schools over all of England do it still, meaning the majority of intelligent kids are nowhere near these schools location wise.

[@basinmason8143]

@@Trebor74 not only that your argument very much suggests 1. That kids are choosing which secondary school they attend, they don't. Their parents decide that for them. 2. That kids who don't go to these schools will be wasting themselves and 3. That kids that do go to these schools are some how set up for life after secondary school because they went to these schools. All of which are false.

[@johamlett27]

I took, and passed, the 11+ in 1975 and went on to Grammar School. It was all downhill from there 😂

[@AmberJays]

Think someone else had mentioned this, but in Scotland we have to sit this test one year earlier when we're 10 near the end of our Primary education. Every student in Scotland has to sit and complete all four tests in one go, and they're timed. Regarding the points about calculators, I'm not sure if it has changed since, but when I did mine we weren't allowed anything to assist with the test, but we would be given blank sheets of paper to do our calculations and working on for answers. In England I think this test is optional, and they use it to determine whether a child will receive an offer to attend a grammar school. We don't have grammar schools in Scotland, instead what happens up here is that everybody sits this test and the results determine what classes you will be sorted into when you move into Secondary education. They would usually be split into 5 brackets: Upper Credit, Lower Credit, Upper General, Lower General, Foundation. Upper Credit being the highest bracket and Foundation being the lowest bracket - though I think they've recently changed the structure/wording of it all (probably in an effort to not disincentivise some people). For very large schools, if there are multiple upper credit classes, then there would usually be a specific top set class reserved for those with the highest scores. The course work and pace in top set classes are very fast though, but it's designed in a way so that students are grouped according to their academic ability and skill. Unfortunately it also does mean that those who struggle academically (though still put in the effort) do often find themselves grouped with those who are disruptive and have no intention of learning. Then through the Secondary education, students can move up or down class brackets depending on how they perform. For example, if a student started out in an upper credit class but has been struggling to keep up pace then they would likely be moved down to lower credit or even upper general. Also, if there's students who are doing really well in upper general they could potentially be moved up to lower credit or upper credit, but it's a bit rarer to see that happen because naturally any student moving up a bracket will immediately be behind on coursework compared to the rest of the class as they'll be moving at different paces and covering a lot more in depth material.

[@CazzyB1]

You guys crack me up "What's the perimeter of Toby's rhombus?" 🤣🤣🤣

[@gemmagilmore-darbey175]

I’m not sure I can count high enough to list Steve’s epic length intro of excuses 😂😂😂🤣🤣

[@cymrulady1]

I passed for Grammar school in 1966. If I remember correctly, it had three parts, namely English, mathematics and an intelligence test. It was quite difficult but if successful, you had access to an excellent education (if you worked hard). It was not a closed door for those who had to attend the secondary modern as those who achieved high grades at O-level had the opportunity to transfer to the grammar school for sixth form and A-level studies. They were the best days of my life and I still look back on that time with affection.

[@gillfox9899]

My son went grammar school and on a Saturday morning I dropped him off to sit 3 papers maths, English and non verbal reasoning. 4 years later my daughter decided she didn't want to go and had a hissy fit on the morning of the test. She did her utmost to fail it and although she passed the maths and English easily she failed the NVR by 3 marks and failed therefore getting her wish to go to the school of her choice. Both of them gave done well but just took different routes

[@margaretbarclay-laughton2086]

The glasgow i grew up in was very heavy engineering based, railways,shipyards, Beardmores made machines for other industries. It meant places like springburn where the family lived had access to several secondary schools. Catholic children went to catholic schools the rest went to state schools. In springburn a railway area there were three state secondary schools two juniors and a senior although the two juniors had different functions. Petershill junior secondary was targeted at boys who were manual labourers, they would become the men who built steam locomotives. Girls attending the school were usually thought to be those who would become housewives or low income jobs like cleaners. Colston junior secondary targeted boys who were expected to go into the drawing office or administrative posts . For girls it was the girls who would become secretaries Albert senior secondary This school targeted boys and girls who were thought bright enough to go on to managerial positions or proceed to university

[@guypainter]

The key to the stamp collection question is after recognizing that all the fractions can be expressed as n/60, which you got, the reason 60 is the smallest possible total is because 47 is a prime number, so the number of stamps in the collection must be either 60 or a multiple of 60 because 47 doesn't divide by anything.

[@x_violette_x7713]

0:21 I loved this show! I used to watch the British version all the time as a child. Ours was called “Are you smarter than a ten year old?” 😂 So we don’t often hold kids back in the UK, just as we don’t skip them forward. So, like you suggested, the 11+ is simply an optional test taken to determine whether you can attend a better secondary school or not. If you fail, you just attend state school as normal. It used to be obligatory countrywide previously, but not everywhere has a grammar school in catchment anymore as they have been phased out over the years (which could explain Scotland and Wales). On this basis, it is often taken by children who show ‘academic talent’, to give them the opportunity to attend a generally more academically focused and challenging school to foster this. It’s said that grammar schools have the same quality of teaching of that of private schools, but without the fees. Though I’ve never attended private school, from my experience, grammar schools are definitely better than state schools. To preface this, there is nothing inherently wrong with state schools and people can succeed just as well from them, but having been to both a state school and grammar school, things like equipment, access to materials, and especially student/teacher attitudes to learning/teaching are much much better. It’s coming up to 14 years exactly from when I took the 11+ to get into the single-sex grammar school I went to. I still remember non-verbal reasoning was always the worst!😂 Looking forward to seeing you guys try it soon :)

[@joannecunliffe8067]

Hi Steve and Lindsay - took this myself in 1978 and passed (was before the big switchover to comprehensive schools). This COULD determine your future but if you were bright and could prove it in your first year of secondary modern (in what is now UK Year 7 aged 11-12yo) then you could be switched over to grammar school even if you failed the 11+.

[@baronmeduse]

Is your mother's name Margaret?

[@joannecunliffe8067]

@@baronmeduse Sorry, I must be a different person from the one you're thinking about and no it isn't. I'm also sorry about not just saying what her name is. I'm transgender and have to be a little careful to protect myself because some people are not happy about me transitioning. Also, in the US, trans people are not generally treated very well, are they (look up Kai Shappley for instance)?

[@reactingtomyroots]

Glad to hear it's not quite as 'final' as it seems, then! 😅

[@baronmeduse]

@@joannecunliffe8067 I see. You don't have to reveal anything online.

[@joannecunliffe8067]

@@reactingtomyroots No but I think your comments were right and it's a big responsibility (and pressure) to put on young shoulders. It should be about getting the right education for what you want to do. In the past I would have said the UK had a world beating education system (much better than the US) but I'm not convinced that is true any more. If you are academic then maybe a college/university education is the right right path forward but look at the financial penalty of college fees these days. I did IT at university (at the time the STATE paid college fees!) and now think I would have been better off with some form of apprenticeship/vocational IT training. In the end, I think comprehensive education is fairer although I went to a private (public) boys school (which is horrific as I'm trans - especially changing rooms!). My (ex-) partner and I moved to an affluent Manchester (Trafford) area just so our children could go to some of the few remaining grammar schools (with separate entrance exams). We did a LOT of home coaching prior to each of them taking the exams (I am very good at science/maths and my ex-partner was better than me at languages/arts) and the exams were harder than the 11+ but they passed them all. We were hypocritical (I think) in doing what we did but you try your best for your children, (just as you are for Sophia). In recent times I have moved back to Bolton very close to where I went to primary school. In fact the school uniform I gave you is the modern summer uniform for my old primary school (within a mile of where I live now).

[@fionakierton1231]

Ooooooh crikey. Well done both. (especially Steve being ⅓ awake) You did good 🤗👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@CalCo-3924]

Hi Steve and Lindsay. I have been in hysterics with laughter. First of all, you both didn't achieve (we don't say fail) any noise or disruption in exam conditions and you are asked to leave and forfeit your result. The children taking the 11+ are usually trying for places in Private/Grammar Schools. Don't be scared of the verbal reasoning...... that's the easy one for adults. Well done for what you would have achieved had it not been for your behaviour hahaha 😂.

[@Bexyboo88]

In my primary school, we took what was called a SATs test in the last year there. Never heard of 11+ until more recently.

[@weejackrussell]

The 11+ was abolished in most parts of the UK decades ago. I took my 11+ in the late 1960s but people a year younger than me were the first year not to take it in the city where I lived. This was before the 1970s! As far as I know hardly any children take the 11+ these days, I have heard that they still do it in Kent but I don't know of anywhere else. It was, and still is, considered to be a brutal way of deciding a person's educational future. I was fortunate to pass my 11+ and to go to an excellent school but many children did not and this meant they went to secondary schools. When the eleven plus was abolished and my school went comprehensive, the year after I went there, a few children from a secondary modern that merged with us were moved into our classes and they did just as well as the rest of us and better than some. Secondary moderns were schools that children who failed the 11+ went. Had the selective system not been abolished they would not have had the opportunity to do the exams they did. One of the girls who came into my class, from the secondary school, became a deputy head teacher.

[@karendowse8721]

I live in Bexley, London, they too still have the 11+, my sons both took it, my youngest went to grammar school in Bexley Village and did extremely well. My eldest opted not to go to a grammar school, he still went to university and got a history degree

[@revertmuslimahchannel2756]

So this exam is an entrance exam into grammar schools here in the UK. They determine entry on academic merits and abilities and they challenge their students harder than state schools. If someone sits this exam and does not pass- they can’t get into grammar schools but they can go to state secondary schools. Private/independent UK schools also have an entrance exam and the same outcome - if you don’t pass then you can’t get in. For the last maths question anything from 5-9 is rounded up to nearest 10 and anything 1-4 is rounded down to 0

[@johnlord9319]

Steve's reading needs a refresher course

[@jeanneale9257]

Peace love from England ❤ You really want to take the rest of the exam ??? Lol 😂 Leave it alone guys 😂

[@garethtaggart6137]

Going back to one of your previous videos about british actors, I remember that you were surprised to hear that Hugh Lourie was British. Try watching comedy show called, "Black adder goes fourth". It' stars a young Hough Lourie, plus it's very funny.

[@clareshaughnessy2745]

There were eight of us kids growing up. If my mum needed to convert a cottage pie for four into a cottage pie for 9 (she got to eAt too) she would just alter each measurement by a factor of ten- because you never know who else will turn up and too much is always better than not enough!! She cooked like that for the rest of her life even after we all had families of our own. She was a phenomenon

[@rttmh]

Thanks to Stephen King, I always assumed that Americans had a different spelling "cemetery". I assumed that "Pet Sematary" just used an American spelling

[@reactingtomyroots]

😂 Can see why you'd think that.

[@catherine2110]

Well done 👍🏻

[@tamazina]

In the 1980s, my mum bought a book of these puzzles before my 11+ to make sure I did well. I passed and went to an all-girls grammar school which meant I took O-levels at 16 then A-levels at 18, which I needed to get to university. If I'd failed, I'd have gone to one of the local secondary schools, I wouldn't have taken O-levels but CSEs, which didn't count for much, and then left school at 16 to start work. This is the way it was in my small rural town anyway. I can't tell you how important it felt to pass that test!

[@tribaltalker1608]

My kids went to school in an area where the 11+ test hasn't been used for a very long time. Schools now have "streams" which are used to group students by perceived ability. The advantage is that you can be mid-level in one subject but in the top stream for another, you don't need to be a strong all-rounder. However, my family experience of the local Grammar (11+ selective) and Comprehensive schools back in the 1970's was that Grammar schools had far less bullying, fewer disruptive kids and (on average) more staff able to shine and be transformative. My brother had a really rough time at the local Comprehensive, compared against my experience at the Grammar. Both of us went on to be professionals in IT and Computing.

[@mikejamesporter]

Great video! We used to have an adaption of the show, known as "Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old?". From seeing both shows, it's more or less the same, switching out Grades for Years as you figured.

[@StewedFishProductions]

Yes, we used to have "Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old ?" - It ran for several years (and, as far as I can remember, with several different presenter's including Noel Edmunds (a British TV host) and Dick and Dom (a couple of childrens's comedy show presenters).

[@greyknightsrealm8251]

As a parent of a child who took the 11+ last year (and didn't get the required grade even after a lot of tuition), I wouldn't say that this exam decides your future, but it can determine what approach to education may fit you best. My child was perfectly "intellectually" capable of answering the questions in the test, but where he lacked was in the self-motivation to really knuckle down and practice for it - he loves his maths and science, but hates homework. So we could never get him to do the practice papers after his extra tuition sessions - we had to push him, rather than him taking it upon himself to do it. As a result, we chose not to even put his name down for the grammar school that required a certain mark on this test, instead we selected the local academy school, which is just as excellent. He's in all the top sets in his new school and on track to excel, but he'd have hated the immense homework workload at the grammar school and that would have spoiled his education experience.

[@aidencox790]

So a lazy sod turns into Einstein. Fortunate for him he had two intelligent and NOT LAZY parents to do his thinking and value evaluation work for him. So, who will he depend upon in the future when there is a task he cannot be bothered to complete. Lazy . . . or spoiled rotten I wonder. I attended a Grammar School in a very working-class community but the 2nd highest ranked grammar school in a two-county radius. I'm 82 years of age now, hold several UK university degrees including medicine. I had no one at all to help me, including my parents both of whom left school at the age of 14, but I did my homework. In later years I received a BSc in fine art from the Chicago School of Art which I did as a treat for myself whilst I lived in the US. I hope your child does excel but also learns that what you do not accomplish by your own determined self-effort you do not accomplish at all. Whether he likes or dislikes any additional effort that is necessary to achieve his goal is irrelevant. I hope your child does not still have need for your decision and aid services after he is qualified in his chosen profession.

[@greyknightsrealm8251]

@@aidencox790 These kids are 11 years old when they take this test, it's far too early to make determinations about how they will turn out. He's not spoiled at all, but you can't force someone to do something they hate, it only breeds resentment. My son may not be destined for degrees (I: don't have any qualifications above high school, was bright but the classroom bored me, but I do okay for myself). My son may be different, who knows.

[@aaron_451]

i was the same lol my parents tried to sit me down at the table every weekend to write out practice questions and I was having none of it 😂ended up passing and went to the local grammar but also managed to avoid most homework for 5 years

[@jameshoward2738]

In senior school, children are split into ability groups for each subject. The 11+ may be used for that, I went up to senior school in 1986 and there was no 11+ exam, my senior school put us into groups based on general advice from our primary schools. There are also grammar schools which use the 11+ exam as an entry requirement. The idea of those schools is that they only admit children above a certain ability level so can cover more at a faster pace. Also tends to help your future career a bit if other high flyers went to the same school as you...

[@heulwenhughes4110]

It was definitely in Wales too as my brother passed his 11+ and went to Grammer school

[@LetsTalk_ManUtd]

I had a brain aneurysm trying to understand what the questions were because you were both reading out loud over each other 😂😂

[@reactingtomyroots]

😂

[@gillianrimmer7733]

​ There is also the requirement to write an essay on a subject they give you. That is a very heavily weighted part of the test as it assesses much more than the multiple choice questions. .

[@markheys5516]

In the uk.The test results are passed to the high school you are designated, you generally get a couple of choices of schools in your area. The results tells the high school what grade your at with maths etc.

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

Back when I took it a lot of today's subjects didn't exist or were very different. The test determined the type of school you went to . I passed but regret it in many ways .

[@littlescamps]

We used to have 'Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old'... but its no on any more

[@Shoomer88]

There are plenty that are not happy that the 11+ is still a thing. Like you said it's a lot of pressure for someone so young. And it's too young to fairly determine how well you could do in the future.

[@vikkirobinson4131]

There were supposed to be 3 types of secondary school when they were set up after WW2. Secondary Technical, Secondary Modern and Secondary Grammar. The Technical ones never really appeared, so there were 2 types of school . The 11+ exam is supposed to decide if a child is set for academic success, in which case they go to a Grammar school, or more suited to a more general education, in which case they go to a Secondary Modern school. Few places still keep the system, the schools generally now take in, or comprehend, all children, and are known as Comprehensive schools.

[@andrews0208]

18:07 it doesn’t say nothing about rounding up or down. It just rounding

[@Bowleskov]

The 11+ is an optional exam (like the SATS you use for college selection in the US), that some Secondary Schools require in order to select the most able students. This is generally taken in the Early part of Year 6, Most state educated children currently sit exams at the end of Years 2, 6 and 11 otherwise known as Key Stage 1, 2 & 4 that are more consequential. The UK gameshow was "Are you smarter than a 10 year old?".

[@wallythewondercorncake8657]

My primary school actually called it SATs funnily enough

[@vaudevillian7]

@@wallythewondercorncake8657there are SATS exams in the UK but they’re different

[@wallythewondercorncake8657]

@@vaudevillian7 I guess the terms were used sort of interchangeably at my school for whatever reason. Also, just to be a bit pedantic, the last "s" in "SATs" isn't capitalised, it doesn't stand for anything.

[@daveward4358]

You failed in the first 3 mins for cheating, asking each other for the answer.

[@paulinetill1043]

🤣🤣

[@chrisy8989]

I sat this in Scotland well over 50 years ago and it determined whether you went to a senior or junior secondary school.

[@kathrynmurphy8147]

“We got Tobys rhombus wrong”. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@matthewbishop9342]

Morning all. I hope you had a great weekend 👍👍

[@reactingtomyroots]

Thanks Matthew! We did--enjoying the crisp autumn weather finally. :) Hope you did as well.

[@matthewbishop9342]

@reactingtomyroots it was a tough weekend, mate. We had 4 tons of firewood dropped in the yard yesterday, so we spent the day shifting that lot, lol . I love autumn, too, although it's been very wet here in Worcestershire

[@LouiseGee-c1e]

My son recently did these as part of his prep for 11+. I think these were fairly easy! In our area they just do maths, English and VR. All in one Saturday morning, lasts just over 3 hrs. All the prep is done outside of school time and is pretty intense for 10 year olds! But it is of course optional. In our area they work out the pass mark to try to ensure most people who pass get a place. Results are also age weighted depending on when in the year you are born. Wasn’t something I did as a child as not in my area and I don’t really agree with it but locally I think the grammar is the best school for my son.

[@dalehepworth1647]

The 11+ exam isn't a compulsory exam, it is only used for students who wish to go to specialist schools with entry requirements, like a grammar school. The compulsory exams for 11 year old kids in school are called SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) these are the results used to help decide what level of classes you will start secondary school in.

[@kellyfoster1377]

This test determines whether children can go to a grammar school or not and also helps all schools see where the children are academically. Even if the children pass this test, which in 2024 needed a score of above 332, they don't have to go to a grammar school but can help the secondary school they apply to know where to place them class wise. My son passed but there were some grammar schools who want applicants to have even higher scores like 380 so it's sometimes not just about if they pass or not but if they get a high enough score to get into a particular school.

[@QuizzyWhizzy]

btw. the 11+ exam determines what TYPE of school you go to next - either Grammar school if you pass, or secondary modern school with all the failures. You only get one chance - but lots of "practise sessions" before the actual exam.

[@peterjackson4763]

Originally, there was supposed to be a third option.

[@penname5766]

For the rhombus one you don’t add the perimeters because two of the sides are joined and are effectively lost in creating the larger shape. The new perimeter has four sides instead of three. If they were equilateral triangles, each side is the same length, so 45 cm (the length of the perimeter) divided by 3 (sides) = 15cm (the length of one side). Then 4 (the number of sides on the rhombus) multiplied by 15 cm = 60 cm.

[@DrAllyGreen]

Not every county in the UK has a grammar school system

[@watcherzero5256]

Only a couple of counties still have grammar schools.

[@neilmcdonald9164]

​@@watcherzero5256mainly Kent and Buckinghamshire 🎩

[@mattlm64]

Most parts of the UK don't have the 11 plus any-more and children get put into the same state schools regardless of ability. I think the problem with grammar and comprehensive schools is that they aren't selective enough. Different children have different skills and so there needs to be more specialised education. Judging on a narrow set of academic skills alone is a bad idea.

[@alunlewis9714]

This test was abolished decades ago! (In Wales) secondary schools dont exist either. i was of age for this exam and cant recall it. I do remember our teacher the deputy had telling us that he held no hope for the whole class! (He must have been an excellent teacher).

[@Lily_The_Pink972]

In the English questions anout apostrophes, you are asked to fibd more than one sentence with correct apostrophes. Two sentences ae correct! Read the question!

[@shabashmaori]

I did the 11+ as a person who lived outside of the Borough the school was in. I went into a. room of 100 kids and did a set of these exams. The next week 50 kids, the next 25, the next 10 of us. Finally 3 of us were left and went to the school for an "interview". On arrival we had to do another of the bloody tests and were then interviewed. I got the place, the other 2 didn't. This was a long time ago. I am told now ( I still keep in touch with the school via the Old Boys network) it is much much harder to get into. In essence such schools, normally called Grammer Schools, offer a fee paying schools education for free. But every kid is bright. You will be in a class with every cleverest kid from all the schools in the area. You will NOT be the cleverest kid...it was a shock to be in class with actual geniuses.

[@frankdoyle9066]

Hi guys I sat the 11 plus and passed it so went to Grammar school. It was a great education in a brand new school but it was quite a devisive system leaving many kids who did not pass in less elitist education. They still went on to good secondary education but a grammar school place was the top 10% of the population. I still remember me and my parents, both working class mill workers being interview by the headmaster, Bother Anthony, it was a Catholic grammar school. He was explaining that the school did not play football or Rugby league but only Rugby Union. In those days Rugby League was classed as a northern game, where we lived and Union a southern game. I could see the steam coming out of my father's head as he asked why. Brother Anthony calmly said, "you have to remember that Francis, (me) will meet a far better class of person in the showers after a game of Rugby Union". At that point my dad's head looked like it was going to explode.

[@daveofyorkshire301]

The eleven plus went out with the Grammar School and CSE & O Levels... It used to define an academic or vocational/trade school selection.

[@vallejomach6721]

It still exists today in some regions, but not all. The old tripartite school system has obviously largely long since ceased to exist, but vestiges of it remain in some areas as does the 11+. However, taking it now is voluntary, as opposed to something that everyone did back in yesteryear.

[@daveofyorkshire301]

@@vallejomach6721 it was being phased out in the 80s. I'm surprised to hear it's still around.

[@bojo88]

It is still going strong in my area. We have 3 grammar schools in my town alone.

[@daveofyorkshire301]

@bojo88 if you don't say your area that's kind of irrelevant. It could be Singapore for all I know.

[@bojo88]

@@daveofyorkshire301 Definitely in the UK just not willing to disclose my location to a bunch of randos on the internet thank you! 🤣

[@andrearice2483]

Well done guys, when i sat 11+ you had to put a choice of 3 secondary schools if you passed you got to go to school of your choice , also you didn't have calculator and had to show your workingout on paper xx