Going on with questions the parents have mostly asked due to the recent rumour about the SET changing its exam pattern and having received numerous phone calls with requests to provide correct and trustworthy info, PiAcademy has come with this article and SET English Practice Papers to cut the clutter over the SET exam pattern.
What is the SET?
First of all, let us know what the SET is?
The SET or the Selective Eligibility Test is the assessment test for admissions in the year 7, conducted by the selective schools or the Grammar schools in the Sutton region. SET is the first stage of the 11 Plus exam for the Grammar schools in Sutton and it includes only English and Maths and not Verbal or Non-verbal Reasoning.
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Where did the problem begin?
Recently, a new Sutton SET papers format was published for this year’s English paper as the parents for so long had been demanding for more openness in order to understand the exam pattern. But somehow that was perceived as a sudden and new change in the English paper format, which ended up creating panic among the parents and so the fuss.
The English paper of Selective Eligibility Test 2021 to have the following 4 sections:
Section A: Spelling
Section B: Text 1
Section C: Text 2
Section D: Comparison of Texts 1 and 2
Has it really changed?
The answer is ‘NO”
The change that is being pointed out is actually not a change. Because the Sutton SET in the years 2014-17 did have 2 passages. In 2018-20 there had been one passage only, though a long one. However, multiple answer questions had been there every year.
Through all these years the paper format had not been the same and every year the focus of the paper had been different ranging from vocabulary to root words and grammar to punctuation.
Does the child need to start afresh?
Again ‘NO’
The English SET has been so far and will always assess the students on their language and inference skills. They are looking at how gifted a child is in English and how well they can do comprehension as doing one passage or two involves the same technique and skills.
Moreover the English SET is multiple-choice and hence any analytical explanation, inferences or viewpoints will be provided to your child making it easy for them to choose the right answer.
Had the Sutton SET published this format at the start of the academic year, all this enigma would not have surrounded all this and the move would have been welcomed.
Where to find help?
To begin with, we are continuously suggesting to parents not to panic. As far as any help regarding the Sutton SET is concerned, PiAcademy has been continuously providing effective tuition and practice resources for Sutton SET.
How can I help my child with this?
The newly published SET format has only helped the papents and the children by giving the required clarity to understand and prepare better. Although the published guidelines do not mention about Grammar, Vocabulary, Cloze and Punctuation, it is wrong to say with certainty that these will not be the part of the test because in all the previous years, these have been tested. So unless they categorically announce that these will not be tested, you must assume that they will. So, encourage your child to practice Comprehension Papers, Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar, Vocabulary.
Are the 11+ SET practice papers useful?
Yes, of course the practice papers are totally useful and should be continued to be practiced. It's the skill and the technique of the child is what they are testing. So to sharpen the skills your child must continue with their practice.
Also, keep in mind that the time given is only suggested time and there won't be any constraint in any section so take your time and try to answer every question with focus.
Our 11+ SET experts have designed SET new format 11+ English Practice Papers for your child to understand the latest exam format and practice full length paper under timed conditions.
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