Eton Kings Scholarship results 2013 or past

[MerryM]

Hello all
Do any of you have boys who have sat the Eton Kings scholarship examination this year or in the past. My son recently sat his and was successful though not a kings scholar, I am trying to understand the grading system, as I have the impression that the exams are of GCSE standard or above?

[MerryM]

Yes it is but it is sat by the more able boys, prep schools normally select the boys who will sit this exam and not the common entrance. If they fail the exam (not necessarily if they are not successful in being one of the 14 kings scholars) then they will join the rest of the boys from their prep school to sit the common entrance held at a later date
My sons overall score was a 3 on a range of 1 - 6 where 6 is below scholarship standards, 5 is satisfactory, 4 is good, 3 is very good, 2 is (some latin phrase) and 1 are the kings scholars.
I was just trying to interpret their B, A, B-, C grades as I understand that they are not the standard grades

[IndridCold]

Still not quite sure what you are asking. Are you trying to find out what percentages your DS got in his papers? You could try asking the College Examinations Secretary perhaps. I would imagine that 2 are the Oppidan Scholars.

In any event, I assume he has done well enough to avoid CE. Well done to your DS, I hope he has a fab time at Eton!

[Amber2]

I was wondering how much additional prep is involved in the KS if anyone has a DS that has done it and succeeded-are we talking about prep two years before a child sits it ?... how much additional prep done by the prep school or outside school with a tutor ( I know some tutors advertise they "prepare" for KS, and i do think there are some papers that can be prepared for with a lot of hard work)? Also is there some compensation for a very strong performance in one area say Maths against a weaker paper in another subject? Any idea of numbers who sit vs numbers who succeed? Looking at the past KS papers it certainly looks beyond GCSE standard...

[yesbutnobut]

At my son's school the scholarship stream starts in year 7 so, yes, 2 years to prepare. These boys are in the highest sets at school and study greek as well as latin. They are applying for other schools not just Eton. Of course it's inevitable some parents will get tutors in as well even though prep schools prepare the boys. I believe it's around A level standard.

Your questions could be answered easily by contacting the school (and there may be information on the website). They are very helpful. I think it's a relatively small number who succeed.

[IndridCold]

It's the pretest that is supposed to be untutorable (is that a word?) but I read on an old thread that to have any realistic chance of winning a Kings Scholarship extra tutoring was essential, and I would imagine many of the keenest parents do so.

If you just miss out (I assume this is category 2 in MerryM's post) you can be made an Oppidan scholar, which is a feather in your cap. If you don't get either of these but still do well then you will be exempt from having to sit CE, which is a relief to your, by now, fairly stressed parents.

Boys who missed, or were unsuccessful at, the pretest (ie they don't have a conditional place) can sit the KS exam, but if they are not actually awarded a KS I wouldn't imagine that they will be offered a place elsewhere in the school. Any places that do come up between now and September would be offered first to boys on the Waiting List, and then to the C* list (which is a sort of waiting list for the waiting list).

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

Tigermam
You're best bet is probably to speak to the school directly, if you want to know if your DS has any chance of a place.

[IndridCold]

Tigermam I'm pretty sure that if your DS did not do the Eton assessment at 11 then the only way he would be offered a place is if he was awarded one of the various scholarships.

I would imagine that quite a few of the boys who take the KS have done the assessment and hold Conditional places. I know that some boys who got very high scores in the computer text but were rejected at the Assessment, also take it as a last chance. There may also be boys who are on the waiting list and who may win a promotion if they do well in the KS exams - this may be the source of the stories you have heard.

Chaz is right, you really need to speak to Admissions for definitive answers to your questions. You should ask them for more details about the Sixth Form Scholarships, it may be possible for your DS to try for that in 4 years time.

[Sarajevo1995]

My understanding is that there is a New Foundation Scholarship, whereby boys who attend a state school up through Y8 may sit an exam which is geared to what would be taught in the state system. The great news is that it is a full scholarship, meaning free, gratis, pay nada. I have met the scholarship boys at Eton and they are ferociously bright. Some may have been hothoused, but needlessly because they really are independent thinkers.

[grimupnorthLondon]

Have you seen the 2011 KS past paper which is going around twitter and is the subject of an article in the Times today?

Question 1(c) asks the boys to imagine that they are Prime Minister in 2040 and to write a speech justifying why the shooting of protestors by the army is both "necessary" and "moral".

The texts chosen are Machiavelli and Nietzche and (amusingly) one of the logic problems (4(e)) is lifted straight from Die Hard with a Vengeance. You couldn't make this stuff up. It's very telling that Eton has no problem making this stuff publicly available on their website.

Here is the link to the paper: www.etoncollege.com/userfiles/file/KS%202011%20General%20Paper%201.pdf

[Mendi]

I have no connection to Eton but just had a look at that KS paper out of interest. How old are the boys when they take that exam? 13? Wow. I am a Cambridge graduate and would find that paper challenging to complete in the time. I'm slightly awe-struck at the idea of children producing comprehensive answers to those questions. My DS (11) is currently interested in working out 'the real meaning' of songs by his favourite band, I don't think he could summarise Macchiavelli's ideas!

[BlissfullyIgnorant]

MerryM, did your letter not give you a breakdown of the different grades for each different paper? We got a full set of results which I still have (not sharing, though) The papers are indeed above GCSE, closer to AS/A Level but boys don't have to be tip top in everything to succeed - the exam is set to test ability, thought process and expression.

Indrid is right, miss the Assessment and the only route then is Scholarship, miss out on the Scholarship and there's no place. I know someone who missed the Assessment and tried for a Music Scholarship but although he managed a Music Exhibition, it wasn't quite enough to get the place. Tigermam's DS might have got a Conditional Offer had he done the Assessment but as competition for places is so hot they don't bend their own rules - it's only fair.

Btw, they don't need both Greek and Latin - they choose which papers they do. My DS didn't do the humanities tri-partite paper and doesn't do Greek anyway.

Passing the KS is a success even if they don't get (or take up) the scholarship - they don't need to do the CE. My DS was somewhere in the top 20 (s'all I'm saying) and says he's glad he didn't get into College; the demands on the KS boys are far greater than on the others, and they are expected to be the best in everything. When they're not, there is a small amount of humiliation, I think...and he was none too keen on the religious bits, although he does do College Chapel.

I think it's the boy himself who earns the place - pushy parents cannot get their boy in with excess tutoring. It's their own drive and determination to succeed that gets them through the KS (or other scholarship exam). I always got the impression that what Eton were looking for could be learned but not taught!

[AnnaBBB]

Blissfully Ignorant

Well done to your DS for getting so close to the top, if you don't mind me asking, re the prep for the KS, did the prep school help with his prep entirely or did he have any private tuition or help from you at home? The KS just seems so advanced I just wondered how much work is involved and when your son started the prep...is he glad he did all that hard work anyway? I guess it sets him up well in any case for when he starts at Eton..

[BlissfullyIgnorant]

AnnaBBB, we had to employ a French tutor who was excellent, but apart from that he had some specialised sessions with the prep school head, who was very good as he'd prepped boys for Eton College before. The prep school maths teacher was also very good and supportive. The prep school French teacher was totally shite and denied there was an oral element of the test until I sent her a link to the Eton College website. The actual preparation itself didn't happen until the last knockings of the spring term and I really threw my toys out of the pram, telling them they ignored my Eton applicant in favour of the huge numbers of Merchant Taylor's hopefuls - I had a bit of an eppy at the deputy head telling her I was being lied to about past papers and all manner of stupid things.
Essentially, had it not been for the prep school head and the French tutor, with moral support from the maths chap, DS would have been so demoralised he would have fallen to the floor at the first hurdle. It took a lot of effort on my part to build up his confidence - which, really, was all there was to it for him - he, like the others, is a super brainy intellectual. The CE applicants also need to provide very good results; Eton expect better pass marks even at CE.
He's glad he's there, and glad he's in an Oppidan House. He's also pleased to be with boys like himself, not like the children he was at prep school with.
If anyone needs advice on KS, MS or any other application for entry, I would urge a thorough read of the website followed by at least three visits and clarifying everything with the excellent staff in the Admissions Department. They're always happy to advise

[AnnaBBB]

Thanks Blissfully Ignorant - that's useful.. so I think your DS did impressively well considering all - from the look of the old KS papers I imagined some had tutoring in more than one subject for a prolonged period just to have a fair shot at it but it seems the prep school does a fair bit of that (some I imagine are more experienced at KS prep than others) .

[BlissfullyIgnorant]

The only parent/boy I talked to highlighted how it is - he was so determined to get the KS he worked himself ragged over the Easter holiday. It worked for him as he achieved his goal.
There's much more to it than exam practice, too. Such things as reading newspapers (a wide range) as well as non fiction books, complex hobbies like electronics, making films, etc. all help towards becoming a really interesting boy.
Thanks for the "well done" btw, I'm massively proud he did so well and that he's achieved so much since being there.

[gbxpat]

Agree with Bliss from experience. Boy's own drive is very important. KS is tutorable because it places importance of academic knowledge, but in reality tutoring is both a grind and may not work on its own. Exam practice is not quite enough. It takes mentoring if you could describe it as that from a young age to nurture the creativity and curiosity in everyday life. Some boys are naturally that way but parenting style plays a big part too. KS parents are generally interesting people to talk to. Having said that intellect alone is not enough since Eton does test for academic knowledge well beyond CE although they do not admit that openly. So studying and practicing is a must. By comparison, for WinColl Election on the other hand, practice and studying is a waste of time except for modern and classic languages. Languages and maths Election are notoriously demanding for extent and clever use of vocab and maths problems which look very advanced but in reality require little academic knowledge and only a clear head. KS is similar in style to old A Level and S Level exams 80s and Election is similar to the old Oxford/Cambridge Entrance Exams. Having genuine wide ranging interest in everyday things (which can be nurtured easily over time) is critical. For most papers for both, there are no right or wrong answers. A good example is the Monte Hall problem. There is a stats based way (most A Level kids should know but probably can't do it) and there is a "pre-school" way. I suspect Eton would be impressed by either, WinColl would give you a hard time if you do the former to be sure you know what you are talking about. From experience, doing your own coaching/tutoring/mentoring if you can is far better than hiring someone else.

[peteneras]

?Eton Kings Scholarship results 2013 or past . . .?

Here they are, OP - the 2013 results of the legendary Eton King?s Scholarship exams.

Heartiest congratulations to the King?s Scholars-elect and Oppidan Scholars-elect!!!

Congratulations also to OP?s son and all those who attempted the KS exams. You should be very, very proud of your son(s) for competing against some of the very best in the world in what is reputed to be the hardest CE-level papers - the standard of an Oxbridge-level entrance exam.

The toughest s(he) had ever seen!, according to an Oxford don.

[omarac]

Hi all,
Does anyone know where to find the marking schemes for Mathematics A entry exam Eton KS?
Please advise
Thank you

[peteneras]

Not quite sure what you're asking, omarac; is it the grading scale of 'Mathematics A' paper that you want to know?