Eleven Plus Help

My name is William.

My mother and father want me to pass the Eleven Plus examinations.

They keep talking about how important it is to go to Grammar School. They tell me that if I go to grammar I will probably be able to win a place at a good university. They have said that if I choose the right degree I will probably earn a lot more money. I would like to earn lots of money.

One of my friends does not want to go to grammar. He is better than me at mathematics. We are both in the top mathematics group. He says that if he goes to grammar he will have to work hard for years and years. He says that it would be much better to go to our local comprehensive, grow our hair long and make lots of money playing music.

I have another friend. His brother does go to grammar and he says that grammar is really good. He says that there are lots of sports and hundreds of different after school activities. He says that the work is all right as long as you organise your homework time.

I don’t really know what I want to do. We have an Eleven Plus group at our school – but I don’t want to go because it is on the same afternoon as football. I am a member of the academy where I am a goal keeper. I play for the district and for the county. A talent scout told my dad that he wanted to sign me last year. My mum says that going to the school’s Eleven Plus classes is very important. She likes me to play football but she wants me to go to grammar. She says that they will be more opportunities later in life.

My older sister goes to grammar and she comes home and does her homework. She never talks to us about what she does – she just goes to her bedroom and comes down for her meals. She does not have a TV in her room so I don’t know what she does. I know I don’t want to have to work as hard as that.

The trouble is that I like doing verbal and non verbal papers when I do settle down to do them. I can do the codes exercises very quickly. I find the Eleven Plus mathematics questions on paper very easy. I get stuck sometimes but I can usually work them out myself. My mother asks my sister to help me but she says: “I passed without any help, so why should I help you.” She does help sometimes but only when she is in a good mood with me.

I know that I should go but I just don’t like to work every single moment of my life.

Please help.

William