7-year-olds’ quiz stumps parents
JUST six per cent of parents got full marks in a homework test for sevenyear-olds, research revealed yesterday.
Three “simple” maths, English and science questions were given to 1,000 mums and dads with children in Year Three – aged seven and eight.
All were taken from the Key Stage Two syllabus which primary school children are expected to know.
Just 38 per cent of puzzled parents were able to figure out that 23/6 as a “mixed number” – essentially a fraction – was 3 and 5/6ths.
And just 22 per cent correctly identified “and” as a “subordinate conjunction”.
Only 40 per cent knew that “tadpoles hatch” was a “key feature” of the life cycle of amphibians.
Just six per cent of those quizzed got all three questions right.
Older parents struggled most, with those aged 35 and over most likely to get all three questions wrong.
But 18 to 24-year-olds did better, with 12 per cent getting all three right.
Just a third of parents said they felt confident helping their children with homework.
Embarrassed
Oxford Home Schooling, which carried out the study, said: “We found that 23 per cent of parents said they felt pressurised when their child asks them for help, while 31 per cent feel embarrassed when they’re unable to answer a question.”
The study found three-quarters of parents had to turn to the internet for answers to homework questions – with 11 per cent asking Alexa or Siri to help.
The average Year Three pupil spends five hours a week on homework. Five per cent spend more than 11 hours.
Dr Nick Smith, of Oxford Home Schooling, said: “The results of the survey are quite surprising, but they will probably resonate with many parents.
“For some, a large amount of time will have passed since they were in the education system and so they will be unfamiliar with the current curriculum.
“Our research has found that over a third of primary school parents think their children are stressed because of work, so it is important that they strive to help out where they can, using assistants like Google if needed.”
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Identify the subordinate conjunction a) Both b) And c) Up d) Never
Identify the preposition in this sentence: The rabbit jumped over the green hill a) Over b) Green c) Jumped d) Hill
Identify the correct spelling: The children did there/their/they’re homework a) There b) Their c) They’re d) I don’t know
Identify the relative pronoun in this sentence: The boy, whose bag was black, quickly walked to school a) Black b) Quickly c) Bag d) Whose
What is 43,274+5,824=? a) 49,091 b) 49,101 c) 49,094 d) 49,098
What is one third of 24? a) 4 b) 8 c) 6 d) 9
What is 543 a) 181 b) 190 c) 178 d) 183
3=?
What is 23/6 as a mixed number? a) 2.6 b) 2 5/6 c) 3 5/6 d) 3.8
What is the process called when a liquid turns into a solid? a) Boiling b) Distilling c) Hardening d) Solidification
Give a key feature of the life cycle of an amphibian? a) Tadpoles hatch b) They hibernate c) They carry eggs inside the body d) They change from carnivores to herbivores
Fill in the gaps: Opposite magnetic poles ........ and similar magnetic poles ........... a) Leave/attract b) Repel/attract c) Attract/repel d) Counteract/repel
What is the difference between an incomplete electrical circuit and a broken circuit? a) An incomplete circuit contains a switch that is turned off b) A broken circuit must have two batteries c) A broken circuit contains a switch that is turned off d) They are the same