11+ Exam: Our 10 Top Tips To Pass!
With fierce competition for places and little uniformity between schools, 11+ exam preparation can be daunting. Whether you are applying for grammar schools or independent schools, the sheer volume of resources available can make it difficult for parents to know where to start.
Think Academy UK wants to clarify the system, and give simple, straightforward advice to help you and your child feel more confident about approaching the 11+ exam.
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How do I help my child prepare for the 11+ English exam?
- Make sure your child is reading every day. Practising past papers alone is not enough to guarantee success; students should be reading a range of fiction and non-fiction in order to learn new words, understand inferences, and give them ideas for their creative writing. Many independent schools use extracts from older texts, and so it may be worth familiarising your child with shorter Victorian novels like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, H.G.Wells’ The Time Machine, or any of The Sherlock Holmes series. This will help them to feel more confident when deciphering more difficult language.
- Remember to revise spelling, punctuation and grammar. Students will be marked on the accuracy of their work as well as the content of their ideas, and so it is well worth consolidating basic skills such as capital letters, commas, full stops and speech marks. They will not be penalised for spelling difficult words incorrectly, but regular spelling tests on common mistakes like homophones would be helpful. Schools will also be looking for evidence that they know how to paragraph correctly.
- Practice writing stories regularly. Some students fall into the trap of memorising a stock answer that they use for any creative writing piece, but if they simply ‘copy and paste’ a description they have already written they will lose marks for irrelevance. Instead, it is better to attempt a range of creative writing tasks and come up with word banks for common topics such as animals, thoughts and feelings, the natural world, the man-made world and the weather.
How do I help my child prepare for their 11+ maths exam?
- Check schools websites very carefully. Most schools upload specimen papers for students to practice, but many schools, such as City of London School for Boys, including helpful checklists of all the topics a student will need to be familiar with for the exam. These can be very useful for planning your child’s revision and ensuring they have covered the curriculum.
- Consolidate learning before moving onto testing. It can be tempting to rush to completing practice papers, but this can actually hinder rather than help. Many students struggle with the time allowed in an 11+ Maths exam because they are not comfortable enough yet with core aspects of the Maths syllabus, for example, times tables, graphs and basic algebra. Unless you focus on solidifying these topics, then your child’s performance in practice tests will plateau; this is why our tutoring focuses on mastering knowledge and skills rather than rote learning.
- Read the question carefully and show your working. Many questions in the 11+ are two-step or multi-step, and students often make silly mistakes when rushing. Some of the most common mistakes include decimal place confusion, mental maths miscalculations, switching between units (for example pence and pounds), confusing the horizontal and vertical axes on graphs, and misreading the question. Encourage your child to slow down, show their working, and try to identify these mistakes themselves.
How do I help my child prepare for their 11+ interview?
- Practice asking your child some of the most common interview questions. This may include: why do you want to go to this school? What do you like to read / what are you reading currently? What hobbies or extracurricular activities do you enjoy? What’s your favourite subject? Remember that students should not just robotically repeat pre-learnt answers; the conversation should feel natural and spontaneous. Most interviewers will ask questions based on the child’s responses, and the more detail your child can provide the better.
- Help your child to feel confident with social skills. Body language is important; simple gestures like shaking hands, making eye contact and sitting still can go a long way in making a good first impression. Many schools will also ask students to take part in a group activity to gauge how well a pupil works with others; reminding them of the importance of taking turns, listening and teamwork are all skills that can be fostered through Think Academy’s group tuition programme.
When should I start preparing my child for the 11+ exam?
- Remember that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Most people start their preparation for the 11+ around Christmastime of Year 5. Last-minute cramming – even with a private tutor – is unlikely to be effective, and can be very stressful for students. Instead, it’s better to practice little and often, and build up to practice papers over a period of time. Our 12-week courses are designed to boost children’s confidence for the long-term, and many students prefer the group format as it is less intimidating. Plus, it’s more cost-effective for parents!
- Make it about quality, not quantity. Students will invariably perform better if they are happy, relaxed, and familiar with the exam format. Forcing your child to revise against their will benefits no-one, and so it is important to make learning as varied, engaging and accessible as possible. Our interactive Maths games and online resources are the ideal way to reinvigorate your child’s love for learning and mean that preparing for the 11+ is not something they have to do but want to do.
If you have any questions about the 11+ exam, please get in touch with a member of our team who would be happy to guide you on the best preparation courses for your child.
Perfect for Covid catch-up, KS1 & KS2 SATs or 11 Plus exam preparation, Think Academy is offering affordable online maths tuition for children at £8.00 per class. New classes are available for January 2021. Easy-to-use, minimal supervision required. Free 1-hour taster sessions are also available.
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