1. 1 Eleven-Plus Exam Fall, 2006 EDCI658

2. 2 What Is Eleven Plus Exam ? ► The Eleven Plus was an examination given to students in their last year of primary education in the United Kingdom under the Tripartite System. ► The name derives from the age group of the students: 11+. The exam is still used in certain parts of England, and more widely in Northern Ireland. ► It examines the student's ability to solve problems using verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Contrary to its designers’ intentions, the exam came to be seen as determining whether a student went to a grammar school or to a secondary modern.

3. 3 Tripartite System ► The Tripartite System was the structure by which Britain's secondary education was organized between the 1944 Butler Education Act and 1976. ► Secondary schools were divided into three categories, Grammar schools, Technical schools and Modern Schools. Pupils allocated to each according to their performance in the Eleven Plus examination. ► It was the prevalent system under the Conservative governments of the 1950s and 60s, but fell into disfavor under the Labor. government after 1965. It was formally abolished in 1976, giving way to the current Comprehensive System

4. 4 Structure of Eleven Plus Exam ► Arithmetic – A mental arithmetic test. Set in a pre- calculator era, it was arguably more challenging than the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) mathematics non-calculator paper. ► Writing – An essay question on a general subject. ► General Problem Solving – A paper assessing ability to apply logic to simple problems and to test general knowledge.

5. 5 Current Practice ► Verbal reasoning ► Nonverbal reasoning ► Mathematics ► Writing

6. 6 Criticisms of Eleven Plus Exam ► Success was determined not only by ability, but by location and gender. 35% of pupils in the South West secured grammar school places as opposed to 10% in Nottinghamshire. ► Due to the continuance of single-sex schooling, there were fewer places for girls than boys. ► the impact of the test on later life: Children who developed later (so-called "late bloomers") suffered because there was inflexibility in the system to move them between grammar and secondary modern schools ► Critics of the eleven plus also claimed that there was a strong class bias in the exam

7. 7 Criticisms of Eleven Plus Exam Cont. Please note that these links are for websites against the eleven plus. ► http://www.casenet.org.uk/sayno/perform. html http://www.casenet.org.uk/sayno/perform. html http://www.casenet.org.uk/sayno/perform. html ► http://education.guardian.co.uk/secondarie s/story/0,12389,811843,00.html http://education.guardian.co.uk/secondarie s/story/0,12389,811843,00.html http://education.guardian.co.uk/secondarie s/story/0,12389,811843,00.html ► http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/featur es/mike_baker/2763973.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/featur es/mike_baker/2763973.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/featur es/mike_baker/2763973.stm ► http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2713 105.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2713 105.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2713 105.stm ► http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/sto ry/0,,1490391,00.html http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/sto ry/0,,1490391,00.html http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/sto ry/0,,1490391,00.html

8. 8 Resources for Eleven Plus Exam ► http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/welcom e.php http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/welcom e.php http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/welcom e.php ► http://www.11plus.newarchaeology.com/ http://www.11plus.newarchaeology.com/ ► http://www.learningtogether.co.uk/What-is- Eleven-Plus-Test.aspx http://www.learningtogether.co.uk/What-is- Eleven-Plus-Test.aspx http://www.learningtogether.co.uk/What-is- Eleven-Plus-Test.aspx

9. 9 Eleven Plus Reinforces Class Differences ► But 50 years of the 11-plus has kept one industry going across Northern Ireland - private tutoring. But at about £15 an hour, not everyone can afford it. ► Defenders of academic selection have argued that grammar schools offer bright children from working class homes a 'ladder of opportunity'. But new research has shed doubt on that: “Two thirds or more of the students in grammar schools are from middle class backgrounds and about two thirds or more of students in secondary schools are from working class backgrounds," said Tony Gallagher, Professor of Education at Queen's University, Belfast.

10. 10 References ► http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleven_plus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleven_plus ► http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/50532 7.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/50532 7.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/50532 7.stm ► http://www.11plusswot.co.uk/ http://www.11plusswot.co.uk/

11. 11 Are You Ready to Take A Test? http://www.11plusswot.co.uk/