Our admissions testing services are designed for selective state and independent schools (and local authorities) who run admission tests to assess academic potential in children.
In addition to the 11 plus (and 13 plus) admissions assessment, we can also process paper-based university admissions tests, aptitude tests, and medical examinations.
The eleven plus exam (also known as the 11+, 11 plus, Secondary Transfer Test, and Common Entrance exam) is an admissions test sat by students in the last year (year 6) of primary school to test academic ability and identify pupils eligible for admission to grammar schools and other selective and partially selective schools. Our admissions testing services include:
We will design your answer sheets for each component e.g., Mathematics, English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, and Creative Writing.
These flexible form layouts contain a mix of multiple choice questions (MCQ) and/or short written responses. Additionally, the structured form templates are optimised for high-speed processing by data capture software later in the process, with cornerstones and ID blocks to reduce manual intervention.
Before distribution, we can pre-print the test takers information (name, school, date of birth etc.) onto the answer sheet. This information can also be encoded into a two-dimensional (2D) barcode for immediate recognition.
These personalised answer sheets will be despatched to each venue/test centre. Non-personalised answer sheets are available for contingency use in the event of lost or damaged originals.
At the end of the entrance exam, completed examination papers can either be scanned locally, on-site by yourselves, or despatched to our scanning facility for high-speed scanning.
Once scanning is complete, the test marking software will perform image processing, classification, mark/character recognition, and data extraction using handprint (ICR), machine print (OCR), checkbox (OMR), and barcode recognition technology.
Any exceptions will be queued for human verification based on bespoke rules. Examples include barcode not read, duplicate papers, more than one multiple-choice option marked, a value not within expected numeric ranges, and non-alpha or numeric characters found.
Once verified, we run reconciliation reports on the data, allowing us to spot missing, duplicate or other unusual cases that may require investigation.
We can also provide observations/analysis on the processing across the whole cohort, which can be used to highlight questions that may be poorly worded for example.
We provide a data export containing details of every candidate’s performance in each component sat. This can contain either the raw data (allowing you to grade later) or the final scores.
Scanned answer sheets – and verified data – will be made available to schools, allowing for answer papers to be searched for and viewed on-screen instantly. This allows for parent appeals, re-marking and future reference without the need to store bulky original paper copies.
The paper answer sheets can be securely destroyed after an agreed storage period.
We can supply question booklets and answer papers in enlarged formats. Other amendments can include larger pictures/fonts and coloured test papers (not black & white).
In terms of further modifications, we can work with you to make answer papers accessible and provide advice and recommendations on the assessment format.
Our team can help to provide documentation for exam officers on how to administer and invigilate the exam to ensure a smooth session.
We can provide guidance on capturing attendance registers/exception reports to aid session reconciliation.
We are happy to support extra test dates for those unable to attend the original date because of illness.
I would highly recommend ePC to other schools seeking an automated marking solution for the 11-plus exam. Our school has saved a significant amount of time during this year’s admissions process by outsourcing both the design of the OMR sheet and exam paper scanning with results issued to pupils in record time. We have greatly appreciated the personal contact and professional service provided; it has exceeded our expectations and my colleagues speak highly of it.
A.M. Robson, Chief Executive Officer, Reading School
