Eleven plus

I knew I had passed, because I was sent to the school office to help the secretary sort out the letters. There were two piles, those who had passed and those, who were not so lucky. I didn't see the letters, but was able to work it out from the names in teh piles.
They were then given out at home time.

I remeber there was a maths and English tests, but if I remember correctly, also what were termed intelligence tests.

I remember nothing about it can't even remember how I was told I'd passed. I do remember I was terrified of going on the journey to the new school.

I don’t remember anything about the exam but I do remember the Headmaster making an announcement about the results, and I had the highest marks. It was only a small village school though. I don’t know how my parents were informed.

I sat the 11 plus in January 1960. We were deliberately not told in advance when the exam was. We sat in our usual classroom to take the exam.

Not everybody in our class had to sit the exam, as we had done, so called, intelligence tests the term before.

My results arrived by first post early one morning during the Easter holidays. The local newspaper published the names of the children who had passed along with the school they had got into.

I remember it clearly. I thoroughly enjoyed doing it and felt fairly certain of a good pass. Modesty prevents me revealing what I was told (not an actual result as that was not given out but some kind remarks by the Headmistress). Anyway got the grammar school place much to my mother's chagrin.

I didn't do an 11+ as Scotland had moved to a comprehensive system of education by the time I was old enough. In the last year of primary school, the closest (not that close) private school set tests and offered a bursary to the highest scorer. Needless to say, twasnt I !

I sat the 11 plus in March 1954. I was 10 the previous December. We had to write an essay on dressing a doll. My mam had given me a cone of aniseed balls, and the bag burst all over the classroom floor, just as the exam finished. I too knew I had passed as I was called to the headmistress’s office and given a letter to take home straight away. I remember I was wearing wellies.

I don’t remember much about the 11+, except that I found it very easy and assumed I’d pass - I did. Oh, I do remember that one question was completing proverbs and clichés like “as fresh as a (daisy)”. Even at ten I thought it would be a much better test if our intelligence if we had been told to invent a new comparison.

The school I eventually went to had its own entrance exam as well as the 11+. It was much more challenging. I vividly remember when the results came, by letter to my parents. I felt completely sick with fear as they opened the envelope. I so desperately wanted to go to that school. Luckily, it was all right!

I don’t remember the actual test, but do the Chinese meal in a restaurant as a reward for passing, I took my best friend

I remember being told I would not be going to the grammer school with my friends!! That was awful. My parents were amazing no recriminations. Having ' said ' that I ended up with a first class degree from a good university.
Assessment is very subjective and to test such young children is utter madness!! How can a child be written off aged 11!? and sent to a secondary modern school to receive a sub standard education. Despite my loving parents I always felt a failure. I would hate to see a return of the 11 plus.

BigBertha1

I remember it clearly. I thoroughly enjoyed doing it and felt fairly certain of a good pass. Modesty prevents me revealing what I was told (not an actual result as that was not given out but some kind remarks by the Headmistress). Anyway got the grammar school place much to my mother's chagrin.

Why to your mother’s chagrin? I’m curious.

Mine was taken in April, I think, 1964.

Arithmetic, English, comprehension test, essay to write as I recall.

It was on a specific day, we knew it was the 11+.

My parents received a letter with the result. I went to the phone box to ‘phone a friend’ with it, her instructions.

I had passed, she had to go for an interview, so not a pass but not ‘fail’. She seemed thrilled at that, I didn’t say anything, but I would have been disappointed not to pass outright.

We still have the 11+ in our area, my DD didn’t pass, I admit to being disappointed at that. Our DS did pass, as have both his children subsequently.

So different, now they are all tutored to pass about a year in advance of the exam.

Rather pleased that neither of the GC were tutored, and both achieved good passes.

Highly competitive nowadays, I wouldn’t pass now as the ‘reasoning’ tests would be beyond me!

All I can remember about it is the room it was in; where I was sitting; and most of all, that I became desperate for a pee at some point and unable to carry on the test. I was too scared to ask to go to the loo, but somehow the desperation lessened at some point and I was able to finish the test. If I hadn't been, I would probably have failed and knew that at the time, so it remains one of my strongest childhood memories.

I can remember one English question was to write a sentence using ‘envelope’ with 2 meanings.

My cousin had been doing old 11+ exam papers almost daily and her family had been to order her uniform.
I passed and it was a total shock that she hadn’t.

I think we were lucky in our small town. Those that "failed" and went to the secondary modern also got a good education and several of them transferred over to the grammar school to do A levels. Those of us who went to the Grammar school were very happy with our lot,and although it was a tiny school, several went on to greater things.

We sat the exam in our own school. The results were sent by post - as were our O Level and A Level results later.

We were coached. This was not official. Our class teacher told us to put away our work when the headmaster came round. I think he knew, though, and might even have instigated the process.
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Incidentally, why did the local authorities stop sending exam results, including GCES and A-Levels, by post? Very hard on the students to have to go to the school to read them along with all their classmates, some of whom might have done better. We could of course contact our friends but that was our own choice.

I took my 11+ in 1948 and failed. But I was apparently borderline and allowed to take it again a few weeks later, strangely, I passed that time and went to a truly lovely Grammar School where I was very happy.

I remember very clearly the day we took the exam. We all ran out of the assembly hall into the playground to be greeted by everyone telling us that ‘Kings dead’. Mr King was our headmaster and not a very nice man, so I was not dismayed but then someone explained, it wasour King, George VI. The date 6 February 1952 ( yes I am ancient!).
When we got the results everyone thought I had failed as I was in floods of tears but it was because my neighbour and best friend Monica had failed and we, usually glued together like peas in a pod, would be separated.

I remember vividly sitting the exam, the Headmaster was going up and down the aisles, he stopped at my desk, and just pointed to something on my paper. He moved away, I studied what I had written and amended it accordingly. I found it fairly easy.
I found out when I was in my fifties, from one of my brothers, that I had passed, but it had been kept from me. They would not have been able to afford the uniform, although two of my older brothers passed and were able to go.
So i ended up at the local comprehensive, where I felt invisible most of the time, got through it and left at 15.
Not had a bad working life, never earnt big money, but insecurity has plagued me all my life.

I knew absolutely nothing about the 11 plus. An army child, in my last year at primary school I spent one term in a school in Hong Kong. Then missed a term's schooling, a mix of quarantine for chicken pox and an unexpected move from Hong Kong to Singapore.

A few weeks into the new term at my new school, one of the teachers put their head round the classroom door and said 'Anybody here not done the Moray House? I put my hand up to ask, 'What is the Moray House?' 'OK' said the teacher, 'come with me. So off we went.

I was taken to another classroom and with half a dozen other children was given several test papers. One was English, two were maths and there was a 'verbal reasoning' paper.

I did them, quite enjoyed them, and went back to class and forgot them. A month later my parents got a letter saying I would be going to the army grammar school in the autumn.

Best way to do the 11 plus, know nothing about it, no practice, just being called out of the classroom one day and doing it.

I remember the letters being opened by my parents. I'd passed to grammar school, my twin had not. It was a dreadful time and it was even considered to send me to the comprehensive school too. I believe it has effected my twin immensely throughout their life. Dreadful.

Marydoll

I knew I had passed, because I was sent to the school office to help the secretary sort out the letters. There were two piles, those who had passed and those, who were not so lucky. I didn't see the letters, but was able to work it out from the names in teh piles.
They were then given out at home time.

I remeber there was a maths and English tests, but if I remember correctly, also what were termed intelligence tests.

Yes, there was definitely an intelligence test. I think I heard I had passed by letter, sent to parents. I also seem to remember there were two parts. My sister only passed the first part and went to a secondary school, while I went to grammar school.

We had to go to a different centre for the 11 plus. One of our teachers was walking around during the exam, looking at what children from other schools’ were writing, and I still remember her telling us that a girl from another school was writing about her ‘boodgie’.

Also still vivid is hearing that a girl from my form had turned over 2 pages of the exam booklet by mistake, and only realised when it was too late.
She ended up at the worst local secondary, the one that was nobody’s choice. 🙁. Interestingly, it was the one attended by Mandy Rice-Davies of the early 60s Profumo scandal, as I knew since a friend’s mother was a teacher there.

Needless to say, I related this story to dds whenever they were facing an exam - make sure you don’t do what that poor girl did!

I took the eleven plus in January, 1961 at a village school where the other pupils had the day off! We had tests in arithmetic, English and Verbal Reasoning (IQ). I still remember the composition for which I wrote about a barbecue party!

The results came by post during the half term holiday. We immediately drove to my grandparents so they could present me with a travel clock as a reward for passing! My parents were not well off so money had to be temporarily taken from my savings account to fund the expensive uniform required for the grammar school.

I was very proud to be going but my confidence never really recovered from finding that, despite being top of the class throughout primary days, some other pupils there were brighter than me! A happy memory is meeting DH there although we didn't get together until many years later after he contacted me on Friends United but that's another story ....!