Preparing for the 11+ mathematics benchmark examination in a private tuition class

Abstract

The aim of the study was to shed light on private tuition in the final year of primary school. With this in mind, we opted for a case study approach in which we explored a private tuition class that prepares students for the mathematics benchmark examination. Using a combined research methodology, we collected data through: (i) non-participant observations in the private tuition class; (ii) a questionnaire that was administered to all the students in class; (iii) semistructured interviews with the private tuition teacher, the students and their parents; and (iv) pertinent documents. The thematic analysis of the data suggests that the launch of the benchmark examination system, which is supposed to explore students’ learning as different from selecting students to different types of secondary education, has not terminated the existence of private tuition in Year 6. On the contrary, in the ‘new’ examination system that has retained an element of high stakes, the teaching of mathematics seems to have remained examination-oriented and parents and their children continue to see in private tuition a desirable route to examination success.