Wandsworth Test results/ Graveney

[petangyang]

Has anyone had their DC's results yet? It seems that the scores are much lower this year? Has anybody any idea what the final cut off was for Graveney for second or third round offers last year?

[basildonbond]

Nothing here yet but dd did one of the Saturday sittings so don't know if those get sent out later - she said it was much harder than the reasoning at Alleyn's simply because she had to work so fast

Presumably if all the scores are low that wont make any difference - it's the percentile that your child is in that matters not their raw score so if they did reasonably well but the majority merely performed ok then they should still be in the top 2-3% taking the test

[petangyang]

Good point. We had a note saying marks at our school seemed to be 15-20 points lower than previous years - I was just wondering if this was reflected in other schools.

[JustAnotherUserName]

There has been discussions about this in the past, and last year The admissions lady from Graveney posted this (on the 11 Plus Forum):

In most years, we are offering at 275 on March 1st, and around 270 by September 1st.

However, in 2013 something weird happened. Much lower scores got offers. I know someone who got in (but not on March 1st) with a score of around 250.

(These are not "raw scores" but a standardised score with a maximum of 280.)

I never understood why last year was so "abnormal". It can only be explained - I think - by the fact that many children who scored highest in the WT decided not to go to Graveney. But why was that, I wonder?

Anyway. When you were told that scores were 10-15 lower than normal, I assume that was on the standardised basis (ie out of 280)?

[Pushka2]

You can get the results now - 080 8871 7316. Will give you NVR/VR scores but not whether successful for Graveney.

[JustAnotherUserName]

Thank you. Typo in your number 020 (not 080) but worked that out.

Hmmmm.... So my DS got 240 (adding the two scores together). Don't think that would have been enough last year (in an easier year) and certainly not in the earlier years where 270 was needed. Ah well.

[Marni23]

Last year's cut-off on 1st March was 250, much lower than previous years.

[JustAnotherUserName]

Any idea what it dropped down to last year? As I posted above: normally it would have started at 275 then down to 270. So - given the bell curve and numbers of candidates on each point increasing as you get lower - presumably it would not have gone down as much ....

[Marni23]

No idea, sorry. I do wonder if they got the standardisation wrong last year though-seems a very big discrepancy with previous years.

[JustAnotherUserName]

Either way, I fear Graveney is not for us this year unless they get it even more wrong this year

[petangyang]

Yes, DC got 247 so not enough for Graveney.

[Teddingtonmum1]

We already have an offer we are happy with but would be interested to see how he done , do I have to convert it ?

[Teddingtonmum1]

217 not even close so I think we can safely say graveney isn't going to be an option

[JustAnotherUserName]

Petangyang, don't want to get your hopes up, but last year I know a girl who got in on 246 (eventually). The offers initially went out to 250 but waiting list places then took it down. I don't know though how low they eventually went (just that 246 was definitely enough).

But as said above, it really seems as if last year was a weird year. Normally, you'd have had to be over 270.

[pooziepuzzle]

Not enough for Graveney but my friends DS got 280 so 99%, very happy as first choice

[GraveneyLady]

Hi everyone - back again as I've just spotted this thread

In previous years GL Assessment standardised scores around a mean of 111 for each of the two papers. For 2013 entry, GL Assessment standardised scores around a mean of 100 for each of the two papers (and will continue to do so for 2014 entry and beyond)

Therefore, the standard required for 2013 onwards appears to be lower than in previous years, but this is a feature of the standardisation process. The range of raw scores remained the same as in previous years for the 2013 intake.

[JustAnotherUserName]

Welcome back.....

Ah - so are you saying that a score of 240 might actually be enough???? (Pretty please....)

What was the final cut-off score last year (I believe it was 250 on 1st March)?

Thanks...

[GraveneyLady]

No comment Username !

The final cut-off score on 1st September 2013 for entry under category 1 (selective) was 244.

[Marni23]

Thanks for the explanation GraveneyLady. The scoring in 2013 has puzzled me for 12 months! I thought it seemed odd that the standard could drop so far in the course of a single year but the change in standardisation makes perfect sense(ish...never could get my head round standardisation properly)

[petangyang]

Hi Justanotherusername, sadly that score was a typo, he actually got 242. but thanks for the good vibes.

[a2ihe]

Apologies for my question being slightly off key, but I was hoping to hear GraveneyLady's opinion about my child chances to get into extention set with 266 and coming from outside catchment on sibling rule. I assume you need to get into top 60 from coming to school from outside catchment with no brothers or sisters. Would it be correct to assume that to get into extention set (with guaranteed school place), you need to get into top 90? Many thanks.

[basildonbond]

Our experience of the streaming decisions was that the test score plays a very small part - we know children who got 100% in the test but were placed in Upper not Extension whereas my ds got nowhere near the required score on the test but is happily ensconced in extension and is in the top maths set

The decisions appear to be made on predicted SATS levels, current head's report and recommendation with test scores only playing a very small part

[a2ihe]

Thank you very much, basildonbond. I suppose it applies to catchment and siblings only, hence for us too. For those who a new to school and come from outside of catchment, you have to score high to get in, no SATs or headteacher reports are considered until AFTER you get in on a test result. For me the confusion was due to the fact that my first DD got in on a test and the second one is now getting in on a renewed sibling policy, so I have neither knowledge or experience of that. :)

[GoldenBeagle]

I think what BasildonBond is saying is that the criteria under which you get offered a place doesn't necessarily dictate the stream. That decision is made on a range of factors.

I know siblings in the extension stream, and occasionally a child who gets in on the test doesn't stay in Extension.

They move once there, too.

[basildonbond]

Children out of catchment/non-siblings have to score very highly to get into the school at all but once in the stream in which they're placed depends largely on SATS and head's report

There are several children in Upper who go in on the test and several children in Extension who didn't but were in catchment or had a sibling already there

[JustAnotherUserName]

Is this then an implicit admission by Graveney that tutoring works?? Ie top test scores does not equate to top ability. Find this strange. Why then select on the basis of these tests?