Frequently Asked Questions

2024 Hall-based Mock Tests - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

These FAQs and related answers form part of our Terms and Conditions. By making a booking, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions and agreeing that we may store your personal details for the purpose of processing your application and delivering the products and services that you have booked with us.

1.     My child is not in Year 5 - can they sit the mock tests in 2024? No. The mock tests are designed for children in Year 5 who will be sitting their 11+ entrance exams in autumn 2024.

2.    Will my personal details be shared with other organisations? No. We will only use your personal details to administer your account and to provide the products and services that you have requested from us. 

3.     Can I book hall-based mock test sessions for a friend’s child? No. The email address that you use to register and book with will be the only email address with which we can correspond. This includes dealing with any queries that you have, confirmation of candidate number(s), arrangements for the mock test session(s) booked and any other reminders that we send out.

4.   What if my child has special educational needs or a medical condition? If your child has special educational needs or a medical condition, it is your responsibility to notify us.Please refer to sections 2 and 3 of our Terms and Conditions. Any new medical issues on the day must be communicated when checking in your child at the door.

5.    Can I apply for additional access arrangements for my child? Yes. Please refer to section 3 of our Terms and Conditions for details of the process that you will need to follow and the documentation that you must supply for SGSPTA Ltd to consider your request. Please note the closing deadline for this documentation.

6.    How many mock tests can I book? We are running two hall-based test sessions called A and B. You should only book one test A and one test B session per child. Cancellation of duplicate bookings will incur a £20 administration fee for each test session cancelled. In addition, you can book our online test session. Please refer to our online FAQs for details of what this entails. All three test sessions contain different questions.

7.     What does Test Session A include and when will the tests be held? Test Session A includes a multiple-choice English paper and a multiple-choice maths paper, each approximately 40 minutes long. The mock tests will be based on Key Stage 2 material and will cover a broad range of topics in a variety of ways that may be tested in the 11+ exams. The papers do not mimic the exact format of any particular school’s exams as a school can change their format at any point in time. Feedback includes your child’s actual and standardised score as well as an indication of how your child has performed in key areas for both maths and English. These sessions cost £50.00 and will be held on the morning and afternoon of 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th , 25th and 26th May 2024.

8.   What does Test Session B include and when will the tests be held? Test Session B includes a multiple-choice maths paper (approximately 40 minutes), a multiple-choice English paper (approximately 35 minutes) and an English writing task (approximately 30 minutes - see details below). The tests will be based on Key Stage 2 material and will cover a broad range of topics in a variety of ways that may be tested in the 11+ exams. The papers do not mimic the exact format of any particular school’s exams as a school can change their format at any point in time. Feedback for the multiple-choice papers includes your child’s actual and standardised score, as well as an indication of how your child has performed in key areas for both maths and English. See Q.9 below for what to expect with the writing task. These sessions cost £60.00 and will be held on the morning and afternoon of 27th, 28th and 29th July; 2nd, 3rd and 4th August 2024.

9.    What is the English writing task? Children will be asked to read, plan and produce their answer. We will not give out any additional information in advance as to what the task will involve. This test is not marked by us but instead, your child will bring home an envelope containing their answer so that you can see how they performed under exam conditions. The envelope will also contain a document providing useful guidance on how to assess your child’s performance. This document will include some sample student answers with constructive comments as to the kind of things that schools are likely to be looking for in such a written task. We are unable to provide copies of any of the items within the envelope so please ensure that you keep these somewhere safe. 

10.  Can I cancel and get a refund? Refunds are possible provided we are able to resell your space to another parent and all processing, including their new booking, is completed by no later than two weeks before the session is due to be held. After this time, no refund will be given. There is a £20 administration fee payable per cancelled test session. If you wish to cancel a session, please email mocktests@sgspta.com. Refunds will only be processed back to the card that was used to make the original booking.

11.  What if I am too late to cancel? We do not give refunds at this late stage. If your child is unwell and you provide us with a medical certificate, we will do our best to offer you an alternative session if there are spaces available.

12.  Can I change my date or time? Once booked, we are not able to change your date or time and the booking is non-transferable. Please check dates of any holidays, school trips, sports fixtures, friends’ birthdays and other entrance tests etc. before booking your mock test session(s). If you find your child can no longer attend their booked session, you can cancel it provided that you meet the conditions above (see Question 10 above). To attend on a different date or time, you must book and pay for the session that you now want provided it is available.

13.  Can I transfer my space to another child? No. Due to potential health and safety issues, we do not allow you to transfer your space. 

14. Can I just drop off at the school gate? No. For child safeguarding reasons, there is no drop-off facility by the school gate or within the school premises. You must accompany your child and queue with them until they are checked in.

15.  Where can I park? On the test date, there will be free parking on the Sutton Grammar School site on a first come, first served basis, which must be accessed via the Greyhound Road entrance. Once you have entered the school premises, you must park your car where instructed and it must remain parked for the entire test session. The school gates will be closed during the test session and reopened once all the children have left the exam hall. The pedestrian gate will remain open throughout the test session to allow you to come and go on foot. If you do not wish to use our free parking, please do not obstruct the school’s neighbours' drives or local roads; we suggest you use the council car parks close to the school. Please be aware that parking wardens frequently patrol the area outside the school gates. 

16.  Do I have to remain with my child until they enter the exam hall? Yes. You must remain with your child in the queue until we have checked your details. Please be patient as it is important that we check everyone in and allow each child time to use the toilet before they are seated in the exam hall. Children arriving without an adult will not be admitted.

17.  What happens if we are late? The tests will start promptly so please allow plenty of time to arrive and park your car. If you arrive late, your child will not be admitted to the exam hall and no refund will be given.

18.  Will I be able to settle my child in the exam room? No. Once checked in, your child will be taken into the exam hall by us and you will leave.

19.  Will my child be given a break between the tests? Yes. All children are given the opportunity to visit the toilet before they are taken into the exam room and are given a break part way through the session to go to the toilet and stretch their legs. They may bring a water bottle with them but no food.

20.  May I see my child's papers? We do not give out any of the maths or English multiple-choice question papers or answers. However, if your child is sitting our B test session, they will bring home the envelope referred to in question 9 above. 

21.  Is my child eligible for a free mock test? Applications for a free mock test must be made before booking; credit cannot be applied retrospectively. If your child is entitled to free school meals, you can apply for a credit to be used when booking one mock test session (either online or hall-based (A) test session). These credits are limited in number. They do not guarantee you a test session but can be used to book a test session provided our spaces have not all sold out. Please email mocktests@sgspta.com for details of the documentation that we require to support your claim.

22.  When will the results be available? Once all the tests for each session are over, results are standardised and posted on our website which can be accessed at www.sgsptamocktests.com. The results from Test Session A should be available from mid-June and Test Session B by mid-August. These results will remain on the website until the end of September 2024 when they will no longer be available. We do not keep records past this date.

23. What is 'standardisation'? A standardised score is a recognised mathematical process that is used by setters of any large test to indicate the performance of any candidate against the others who took the test. It takes into account the difficulty of the test and the spread of scores so that the results on different tests are directly comparable. We do not age-standardise our results.

24. Are the results a reflection of how my child will do in the real exams? Not necessarily. Results from the mock test must be considered in conjunction with other factors such as teachers' views, how well your child coped on the day and other relevant factors including how much progress was made in the time between the mock tests and the 11+ exams.

25.  What happens if an exam session is cancelled? We reserve the right to cancel a session due to circumstances beyond our control or other reason. In this event, our liability will be limited to the amount that you have paid us for the cancelled session. We exclude liability for damages for any claims in law including contract, negligence, tort, statute or otherwise.