Figure 1.--.
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Figure 1.--. |
The primary puropse of a British preparatory school is to prepare children to enter the public (private secondary) or as coomon referred to their senior schools. Many children and their parents have a school in mind. To facilitate this process, the children take the Common Entrace Examination (CEE). This is a test the children sit during the 6th Form at the prep school. The results are accepted at most public schools. A few schools continue to insist on their own unique tests, but most public schools now use the CEE. This is always a difficult time for the children. After taking the test they have to await the results for some time. Public schools use a variety of factors in selecting thir students, but the CEE is an important factor. Many schools have minimum standards for admission.
The first paper is the comprehension paper, testing the candidate's ability to read, understand, and to answer questions based on two different extracts. (The extracts usually have a common theme.) It is important that the children use their time wisely and make every effort to unserstand the question asked and to be neat and accurate.
The second paper is the essay or story paper. Five or six titles are given and the children are expected to write about one of them. The selection of a title requires careful thought: it is important to choose one in which the candidate can use his own personal experience as a basis; the examiner must be able to believe what is written. All too often children write a story which is too far-fetched. Other points to remember are that punctuation, spelling, paragraphing, presentation and handwriting, together, gain nearly half the marks on the paper.
It is almost impossible to revise for these English exams; it is important, therefore, that all the children get into the habit of writing neatly and accurately at an early age.
JRW, Great Walstead Magazine 1987.
