BY NUALA MCALOON
As Primary Seven pupils throughout the county prepared to sit the final 11+ examination on Friday last, it was an extra nostalgic morning at St. Mary's Primary School in Killesher where invigilator, Betty Emo recalled sitting the very first exam back in 1948.
As she called time for the five pupils sitting the Transfer Test in Killesher, Mrs Emo took herself back 60 years where memories of the initial examination procedure came flooding back.
"It was the school year of 1947-1948," she recalled, "but I think I sat the actual exam in January 1948. I went to Magheraveely primary school but the test centre was in Lisnaskea. I was the only one in the class to sit the exam and I remember it was the teacher's decision, parents didn't even know it existed at the time.
"It took place over two different days and featured Maths, English and verbal reasoning, so it lasted a lot longer than today's exam. There were children from different schools sitting the exam at the one centre. I even remember going down the town for our dinner during the day and being late back and the teacher saying, 'at long last'. They were anxious to know where we had been!"
Mrs Emo recalls sitting three separate papers consisting of a composition, comprehension and grammar test for English while answering tough problem-solving questions for Maths. The verbal reasoning test she said was similar to an IQ test which assessed pupils' intelligence.
Unlike today, there was no grading system back in 1948, rather a simple Pass or Fail.
And with results going her way, a young Betty Emo moved up to Grammar School at the age of 12 rather than stay on in primary until the age of 14 or 15.
"I went to the Collegiate when I was 12 and stayed there for six years from 1948 to 1954 before moving on to Stranmillis Teaching College where I studied primary teaching."
After graduating, Mrs Emo went to complete a staggering 40-year teaching career. The first four years she spent teaching in Aughdrumsee Primary School before moving on to Florencecourt Primary School where she spent 13 years and then Stragowna Primary School where she worked for a further 23.
As part of her teaching career and since she has retired, Mrs Emo has supervised the 11 plus at a number of schools throughout the county. Before each paper commences, she talks to the children to help put them at ease.
And, while it may still be pencil and paper, Mrs Emo says there had been some notable changes along the way.
"Well it is a shorter exam today.
"We had two whole days and went down the town in Lisnaskea for our dinner. We were not in one bit hurried back either. There was no pressure then, some people hadn't even heard of it.
"There were very different types of questions then as well, and the maths was very advanced. I remember going to the Collegiate and studying the arithmetic, algebra and geometry and what I had learned from the 11+ got me through junior which was three years later, so I never had any trouble with it.
"People know a lot more about the exam now, and whether you do it or not depends on the family rather than the teacher.
"I never found it stressful because there was no pressure then and no expectations. My family didn't even want me to go on and teach. I had to fight to go. I remember when I was at the Collegiate, I had to cycle to Newtownbutler to get the train to Enniskillen."
Calling a day on the exam for the pupils at Killesher, Mrs Emo says while she never minded the 11+ personally, the future for pupils down the line still remained uncertain.
"I would say it's better to keep it on until some alternative exam is sorted out."
