Eleven plus

I took my scholarship exam on my own in County Hall in April 1954.A strict looking man sat there and looked at me all the time.

I had been in hospital for six weeks and missed a lot of school work,when I returned my teacher gave me a lot of extra tuition.

I opened the exam paper and found it was identical to the one I had the extra tuition on.The teacher thought I would get a different paper ! I made a couple of mistakes on the paper and passed with flying colours.

Ah yes It would have been 1955 when I took mine. English in the morning. Maths and intelligence tests pm. Our headmaster later revealed to the whole class who had passed. There were four who passed muster. Then there were two who got halfway. One (me) had passed English and a lad had passed maths. Mr.Clift, our rather terrifying headmaster laughed at us and remarked that perhaps we could get a place between us. The apparently brainy ones went to grammar school and the rest of us to the local secondary modern.

My parents were told by my junior school that I was very unlikely to pass my 11 plus so they were ready to send me to a boarding school rather than the local comprehensive.It turns out that the school was wrong as I not only passed but must have had a very high mark as we were streamed on arrival at grammar school and I was put in the A stream.Sadly from there it was all downhill as I never settled in or enjoyed that school and have wondered whether I psychologically felt that I shouldn't be there after knowing that I was expected to fail the 11+.

Henetha, I remember my Mum saying that I was “borderline” too, in 1955, but have no idea just what that meant. I know I had to go the Grammar School and be interviewed by the Headmistress, Miss Woodhead (!) and did get accepted. Not sure if everyone did or just we borderline cases.

I took the 11Plus in 1972 we weren’t told in advance, and we were just presented with the “booklet” type affair.

Anything that pertained to mathematics more complex than multiplication tables (we all learnt them by rote)
I would have given up on and those questions such as “If it takes a man a week to walk a fortnight; how long is a piece of string”

I didn’t pass our trendy male teacher said at the time “ to those who didn’t “pass” -it doesn’t matter -you will be fine.

I went on to a small private school anyway. We were much more challenged and tested there and they had very high expectations.

My memory about this is not that brilliant, but I do remember I passed one of the two parts and consequently went to the A stream in the secondary modern school
My poor brother was not fortunate, he scraped by and got into the grammar school, had an absolutely terrible time. He was not up to it in any way at all and he suffered a lot at school…😥

I failed my 11+ but that didn’t mean a thing I went to further education and got a my degree in my late 40s, don’t let anyone tell you you’re too old to learn, every days a school day.

It was called the 'Qualifying Exam', AKA 'the qually'. As far as I remember, the papers were taken in class time. There was an 'intelligence test' which, I think, was taken in Primary 6 before the Maths and English ('verbal reasoning'} in Primary 7. The teacher put the fear of God into my mother by claiming that if I didn't improve my maths, I wouldn't get into the A stream in the secondary school. As it happened, I didn't find the maths very hard - though I may have missed something there! And, with at least six of my classmates, I did end up in the A stream, which was the only class that learned Latin and I've always wondered why it was necessary to pass the maths test for that!

“First Aid in English” was a Friday morning treat after the week’s arithmetic tests and I actually looked forward to it - a sad reflection on the child I was. I spent two years in the top junior class, having been accelerated to make space, and remember that time with happiness. Mr Shapcott was firm but fair and introduced us to all sorts of interesting things like identifying birds and the novels of Sir Walter Scott. Our local authority did not allow early taking of the 11+, hence two years in the same class.

NotSpaghetti

I'm vague about the exam but Ashcombe is right... It's hard going from being a "big fish" in a small pond to realising you are very ordinary in a bigger pond!

I had to put a lot more effort in at my grammar school. Can't say I always did though!

It's even harder going from being a small fish in a small pond to being and even smaller fish in a big pond.

Gin

I do remember the book we had to work through to get us up to speed for the exam. It was called ‘First Aid to English’. I remember lists to of collective nouns and proverbs. Not very useful in late life to know a murmur of starlings or that a rolling stone gathers no moss!

I still have a copy. My HT found it in my cupboard and threw it in the bin. I fished it out of the bin!

Years later, she did an about turn and bought a copy for each member of the teaching staff. Some of the younger staff had no knowledge of correct grammar.

Thanks FGT. I think my other envelope was about fire enveloping a building!! Over active imagination?

I have two of those books. I loved them. Lists of homes were my favourites

I do remember the book we had to work through to get us up to speed for the exam. It was called ‘First Aid to English’. I remember lists to of collective nouns and proverbs. Not very useful in late life to know a murmur of starlings or that a rolling stone gathers no moss!

Oh Allira, I was utterly bewildered- and I had the answer book....

Chocolatelovinggran
The last few pages of the non verbal test were a total mystery to me. 😁 Practice makes perfect!

No 11+ here although I know some areas still have it, my DGN go to selective schools.

I remember having to go into the class above mine to sit a test or exam with them. I don’t recall any details of it or hearing anything further about it. I only remember being scared because I was frightened of that class’s teacher. Thankfully she left before I moved up to that class.

Allira, where I live, this test continues. The children take the tests in early September.
The papers are English, Maths, and two "IQ" tests - verbal reasoning and non verbal reasoning.
I would go to a nearby school to observe, to ensure that the regulations were followed.
The last few pages of the non verbal test were a total mystery to me.

Allira maybe lots of us took it "early". I'd never thought about this before.
I was one of three or four in my class - out of a class of just 21.

My husband took it and failed. He is way brighter than me!
(And twice as funny and better "read" too).

I vaguely remember taking the test and I remember taking the envelope home to my parents.

My mother was so chuffed that I had passed because it meant that i had a uniform with a hat and everyone could see, therefore, how superior we were. My best friend from next door failed but it didn't stop us being great friends to this day.

I remember sitting the 11+ exam - although we did not know beforehand; it was announced during registration in the classroom and we all had to walk into the school hall where tables and chairs were set out in rows.

The length of the exam fails me now but I do remember answering arithmetic questions and comprehension questions too. Afterwards, we were allowed out to play and of course the topic of conversation was the horror of what we had just endured apart from the class swat who stated "that was SO easy"!

The results, I seem to recall, came in the post to my parents. I did pass and went on to grammar school but a couple of my close friends failed and went to the secondary modern school.

I took the 11+ in 1964. It was just part of my last year at junior school.
We received our results on a school trip to the Isle of Wight.
I passed, second out of the girls, and went to a very good girl's grammar school.
It was a struggle for my parents to pay for my uniform but I think they were proud of me.
None of my 3 brothers passed.
There was no 'coaching' for the exam like there is these days.

I must have taken the ll plus in 1958 not 1959 and would have been 9 then, one of the youngest in the class.
I remember only one, from a class of nearly 40, passed the test, while so many on here did.

I think all those definitions of ‘envelope’ are the same, Jacky, just different uses of the same word rather than different meanings.

NotAGran55

I took my 11+ a year early in year 5, all alone in the headmaster’s study. I had a terrible cold that day and the teacher sitting with me gave me her own hanky!

It came out of the blue, I had no warning and was several months after the year 6 pupils had taken their exam. I was the only one to pass and was 10 when I started at the grammar school.

It was a small village school of 60 pupils and only 3 girls went on to grammar school whilst I was there, and just 1 boy.

Some of us took it a year early, we were only 9 at the time.
My friend passed, I didn't pass the first time so she was always a year ahead of me at High School.

The pass rate was dependent on the number of places available in any one area so it was very unfair.