The Ultimate 11 Plus Exam Preparation Guide for Parents

Everything You Need to Know About Helping Your Child Pass the 11+ at Home

What is the 11 Plus Exam? Understanding the Basics

The 11 plus exam (also called the 11+, eleven plus, or grammar school entrance exam) is a selective entrance test taken by students in Year 6, typically when they are 10 or 11 years old. This standardised test determines whether your child can gain admission to grammar schools and selective secondary schools in the UK.

The eleven plus exam typically assesses four core areas:

• English comprehension and writing skills

• Verbal reasoning (problem-solving with words)

• Maths (mathematical reasoning and problem-solving)

• Non-verbal reasoning (visual and spatial problem-solving)

Different regions use different exam formats. Some areas use CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) tests, while others use GL Assessment tests. Each has its own style and emphasis.

Getting Started: Essential Principles for 11 Plus Home Preparation Success

Whether you have over a year to prepare or just ten weeks before the grammar school exam, certain fundamental principles will determine your success with 11 plus preparation at home.

1. Parental Commitment: The Foundation of Success

Your attitude as a parent directly influences your child's 11+ exam success. Children mirror the importance you place on their preparation.

What successful 11 plus preparation looks like:

• Starting study sessions on time, every single day

• Marking completed work promptly after your child finishes

• Being available to help and answer questions during study time

• Treating preparation as a non-negotiable priority

If you approach eleven plus preparation casually, your child will too. Success in the 11+ exam requires discipline and commitment from parents first, which then flows naturally to children.

2. Daily Reading: The Non-Negotiable Foundation Skill

Reading every day is absolutely crucial for 11 plus success. If your child isn't reading daily, they won't reach their full potential in the grammar school entrance exam, regardless of how much other preparation they do.

Why reading matters for the 11+:

• Builds vocabulary needed for verbal reasoning questions

• Develops comprehension skills for English sections

• Improves reading speed for timed exam conditions

• Enhances general knowledge and contextual understanding

3. Paired Reading: The Secret Weapon for 11 Plus English Success

Paired reading means reading aloud together with your child. This technique works remarkably well for improving:

• Reading fluency and speed

• Vocabulary development

• Comprehension abilities

• Confidence with complex texts

Many 11 plus exams include passages from classic literature with more sophisticated sentence structures than children encounter in typical schoolwork. Paired reading prepares them for this challenge.

How to do paired reading for the eleven plus:

1. Choose a book slightly above your child's current reading level

2. Read together, taking turns or reading simultaneously

3. Discuss unfamiliar words and challenging passages

4. Aim for 15-20 minutes daily

4. Balanced Subject Focus: Avoid the Maths Trap

Many parents, particularly those for whom English isn't a first language, concentrate heavily on maths and non-verbal reasoning for the 11+ exam because they feel more comfortable with numbers than literacy.

This approach leads to failure.

Here's why: Even if your child scores 100% in maths and non-verbal reasoning on the eleven plus, it won't compensate for weak performance in English and verbal reasoning. In most 11 plus exams, literacy skills (English comprehension and verbal reasoning) comprise 60% or more of total marks.

5. No Papers Too Early: The Right Sequence for 11 Plus Preparation

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is starting with past papers and practice tests too soon in their eleven plus preparation journey.

The proven sequence for 11+ success:

1. First: Build core skills thoroughly across all subjects

2. Second: Practice applying those skills in untimed exercises

3. Third: Introduce timed practice tests and past papers

What doesn't work: Using 11 plus practice papers as the foundation of preparation. Children who follow this approach inevitably hit a performance plateau, and by then it's often too late to go back and build the missing fundamental skills.

6. No Shortcuts: Choose Your Resources Wisely

You have two main options for eleven plus preparation at home:

• Structured 11 plus courses: Remove organizational burden and provide complete preparation pathways

• Individual 11 plus books: Offer flexibility but require significant time for planning and organization

Neither approach is inherently better, but structured courses work well for busy parents, while books suit those with more time to create customized study plans.

How to Prepare for the 11 Plus at Home: Creating Your Study System

Organization: Creating Your 11 Plus Study Schedule

Success in grammar school entrance exam preparation requires knowing exactly what to study and when. Create a clear weekly schedule that covers:

• English comprehension practice

• Verbal reasoning exercises

• Maths problem-solving

• Non-verbal reasoning training

• Daily reading time

• Paired reading sessions

Stick to your schedule consistently. This structure removes daily decision-making stress and builds productive habits.

Consistency: The Daily Routine That Works

Establish a regular time for eleven plus study and maintain it religiously. Many families find success with this pattern:

Effective after-school 11+ routine:

1. Child arrives home from school

2. 30-60 minutes to change, relax, and have a snack

3. 11 plus study session

4. Evening meal and family time

This creates predictability and reduces resistance to study time.

Efficient Feedback: Where Real Learning Happens

Every 11 plus study session has three critical parts:

1. Your child completes the work

2. You mark the work

3. You discuss the work together

The third part delivers the most value. This is where actual learning occurs for the eleven plus exam.

Effective feedback for 11+ preparation:

• Review every incorrect answer together

• Ask your child to explain their thinking

• Work through the correct approach

• Identify patterns in mistakes

• Celebrate improvements and effort

Simply completing worksheets and receiving a mark teaches nothing. The discussion transforms practice into mastery.

Stress-Free Environment: Protecting Performance

Stress and anxiety are the primary causes of underperformance in the 11 plus exam. The impact is dramatic:

• Stressed children lose approximately 20% of mental maths ability

• Stressed children lose approximately 30% of vocabulary recall

These losses result in careless mistakes, slower working pace, and significantly lower eleven plus scores.

Creating low-stress 11+ preparation:

• Maintain calm, patient interactions during study

• Never compare your child to others

• Focus on personal progress, not absolute performance

• Avoid mentioning "failure" or dire consequences

• Keep perspective: your child's worth isn't determined by an exam

Reward System: Motivating 11 Plus Effort

Rewards work effectively when structured correctly. The key principle: reward effort and attitude, not results.

What to reward in eleven plus preparation:

• Starting study on time

• Maintaining a positive attitude during difficult work

• Working conscientiously and attentively

• Engaging constructively during feedback discussions

• Attempting every question (even challenging ones)

When children approach their work correctly, improved 11+ results naturally follow.

Your Role: Partner, Not Expert

Many parents worry they don't know the answers to 11 plus questions or can't explain concepts clearly. This concern is understandable but misplaced.

Your role isn't to be an expert tutor. Your role is to be your child's learning partner.

What this means for eleven plus preparation:

• Work through problems together when you don't know the answer

• Use answer books and online resources together

• Model problem-solving approaches

• Show your child that not knowing is normal

• Demonstrate that working through challenges together is valuable

Ironically, solutions you discover together often stick better than solutions simply explained by an expert. The collaborative problem-solving process strengthens learning and makes eleven plus preparation more enjoyable.

Different Children, Different Approaches: Tailoring Your 11 Plus Strategy

Preparing Bright, Self-Assured Children for the 11+

Common challenges:

• Temptation to skip fundamental skills work

• Child complains work is "too easy" or "boring"

• Rushing through practice without proper attention

• Making careless mistakes due to overconfidence

Solutions for 11 plus preparation:

• Demand 100% accuracy on all core skills work, no exceptions

• Add time pressures once accuracy is consistent

• Focus on perfection, not just completion

• Reduce rewards for each mistake made (example: start with five £1 coins, remove one per error)

• Don't let them move to practice papers prematurely

• Never extend beyond the eleven plus syllabus (teaching GCSE maths won't help their 11+ performance)

• If they excel at maths, do less maths and more literacy work

Remember: Many grammar school exams have minimum pass rates for each section. Excellence in one area cannot always compensate for weakness in another.

Preparing Quiet, Less Confident Children for the 11+

Common challenges:

• Reluctance to attempt questions without certainty

• Fear of getting answers wrong

• Saying "I don't know" instead of trying

• Withdrawing under pressure

Solutions for eleven plus preparation:

• Be extraordinarily patient and encouraging

• Praise every genuine attempt, regardless of correctness

• Consider reward systems

• Focus on building confidence, not applying pressure

• Do less work if necessary—quality over quantity

• Make it clear that you expect an attempt at every question

• Keep stress levels minimal

• Emphasize that life continues regardless of 11+ results

The good news: Parents consistently report that remarkable transformations happen with these children during 11 plus preparation. Once they start trying and receiving support, progress is often rapid and impressive.

Stress warning: Withdrawn children are particularly vulnerable to exam day stress. They can lose 30% of vocabulary recall and 20% of mental maths ability due to anxiety. Building confidence throughout preparation helps protect performance.

Preparing Children from Non-English Speaking Families for the 11+

Critical reality: Literacy skills matter more than numeracy in virtually every eleven plus exam. Typically, English and verbal reasoning comprise 60%+ of total marks.

Common mistake: Parents focus heavily on maths and non-verbal reasoning because they feel more comfortable with these subjects, while avoiding English and verbal reasoning.

This approach usually results in 11+ failure.

Even if your child scores 100% in maths and non-verbal reasoning, it typically won't compensate for underperformance in literacy sections.

Solutions for eleven plus success:

• Make literacy preparation your top priority

• Spend more time on English and verbal reasoning than feels comfortable

• Make jokes about your own language limitations—humor reduces stress

• Remember: you're a helper, not an expert

• Consider structured courses that correctly balance literacy and numeracy

• Focus on vocabulary building daily

• Do extensive paired reading together

The good news: You don't need perfect English to help your child succeed in the 11 plus exam. Your role is to work alongside them, encourage them, and ensure they complete literacy practice consistently.

Understanding Different 11 Plus Exam Types

Different regions use different eleven plus formats:

GL Assessment 11 Plus:

• Separate papers for different subjects

• Tests English, maths, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning

• Multiple choice and standard written formats

• More predictable structure

CEM 11 Plus:

• Combined papers mixing different question types

• Less predictable format

• May include verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning

• Tests don't carry equal weight (literacy usually weighs more heavily)

Important: Don't be misled by test naming. A CEM exam covering "Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, and Non-Verbal Reasoning" doesn't give equal weight to each. Literacy skills still dominate.

Creating Your 11 Plus Preparation Timeline

Long-Term Preparation (12+ months)

• Focus heavily on building core skills in all four areas

• Establish daily reading and paired reading habits

• Work systematically through skill-building exercises

• Introduce timed work only in final 3-4 months

• Complete past papers only in final 8-10 weeks

Medium-Term Preparation (6-12 months)

• Accelerate core skills development

• Maintain daily reading without exception

• Introduce some timed work in final 2-3 months

• Complete past papers in final 6-8 weeks

Short-Term Preparation (10 weeks or less)

• Focus on areas of greatest weakness

• Do daily practice across all areas

• Introduce timed work earlier by necessity

• Prioritize literacy if choices must be made

• Manage stress carefully—you have less time to build confidence

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Common 11 Plus Preparation Mistakes to Avoid

1. Starting with practice papers instead of building skills

2. Inconsistent study schedules

3. Focusing on maths while neglecting English

4. Creating a high-stress environment

5. Comparing your child to other children

6. Skipping the marking and feedback process

7. Rewarding results instead of effort

8. Teaching content beyond the 11+ syllabus

9. Moving too quickly without ensuring accuracy

10. Forgetting that parents set the tone

Key Takeaways for 11 Plus Success in this 11+ Guide

The eleven plus exam is challenging, but with the right approach, most capable children can achieve their potential. Remember:

• Your commitment and attitude set the standard

• Daily reading is non-negotiable

• Literacy skills matter more than maths

• Build core skills before attempting timed papers

• Feedback creates learning, not just doing worksheets

• Stress destroys performance—keep preparation calm

• Every child is different—adapt your approach

• You're a partner, not a tutor

• Consistency beats intensity

• The process matters more than the outcome

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Next Steps in Your 11 Plus Exam Preparation Journey

Now that you understand the fundamentals of eleven plus preparation at home, your next steps are:

1. Identify which 11+ exam format your area uses (GL, CEM, or other)

2. Choose between structured courses or individual books based on your available time

3. Create a realistic study schedule you can maintain consistently

4. Establish your daily routine for 11 plus preparation

5. Begin with core skills work in all subject areas

6. Start daily reading and paired reading immediately

7. Focus on creating a positive, low-stress environment

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The 11 plus exam is just one milestone in your child's education journey. With proper preparation, realistic expectations, and a supportive approach, you can help your child perform at their best while maintaining their love of learning and sense of self-worth.

Remember: Your child's value doesn't depend on grammar school admission. The preparation process itself builds valuable skills, work habits, and resilience that will benefit them throughout their education and beyond.

This information is given in good faith and parents should use it to suit their own child as all children are different. Contact your child's school for more details. Our website accepts no liability whatsoever for how you use the content.