Eleven plus

The Eleven Plus was an examination given to students in their last year of primary education in the United Kingdom under the Tripartite System. It is still used in a number of counties, and in Northern Ireland. The test 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.

Importance

The eleven plus was created as part of the 1944 Butler Education Act. This established a Tripartite System of education, with an academic, a technical and a functional strand. Prevailing educational thought at the time argued that testing was an effective way of finding which strand a child was most suited for. The results from the exam would be used to match a child?s abilities and future career needs to their secondary school.

Related Topics:
Butler Education Act - Tripartite System

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When the system was implemented, the technical schools did not appear on the scale envisaged. Instead, the Tripartite System came to be characterised by fierce competition for places at the prestigious grammar schools. As such, the eleven plus took on a particular significance. Rather than allocating according to need or ability, it became seen as a question of passing or failing. This led to the exam becoming highly stressful and widely resented.

Related Topics:
Technical schools - Grammar schools

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