How to prepare your child for 11 plus english

The first thing we recommend parents when starting on the journey of 11 plus is, an initial assessment of your child’s ability, to work out their weak and strong areas.  An assessment will give you a realistic idea about which areas require focus and attention – and how far your child is from the pass mark.

The 11+ English paper involves composition and comprehension that can be challenging for most adults, let alone 10-year-olds. Children need to be confident about creative writing and we always recommend writing from personal experience always helps in the beginning. In our experience, boys particularly lose marks when it comes to creative writing tasks.

An excellent way to improve verbal dexterity is to watch or read a story together and then discuss about it afterwards. Ask them to describe what they felt after the story was over and if they can retell it in their own way. Avoid too many distractions when doing reading  or writing tasks. Provide your child a calm space where they can think a bit as that will prove effective when story-telling and bring satisfying increase in marks. With many schools insisting on one or more pre-tests, it is important to know exactly what your child will be expected to do and when.

We take a strategic approach to the 11 Plus entrance exam and believe that effective preparation should start at least at the beginning of year 4 so that basic fundamentals of grammar, punctuation and spelling can be taken care of. Beginning of year 5 i.e 12 months before the exams allows plenty of time to develop storytelling and comprehension skills.