Written by: Danielle Baron, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
An initial and fundamental step in preparing for the 11 Plus English exam entails gaining insight into the composition of the test paper. The specific format of the exam paper can vary depending on the examining body responsible for administering the test in your local region.
There are two primary 11 Plus examination boards, and while their exam formats exhibit certain similarities, there are distinguishing factors that will impact the preparation approach for the 11 Plus English test.
Granada Learning (GL) tests typically have a duration of approximately 45 minutes and present questions in a multiple-choice format. On the other hand, CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) tests can incorporate both standard and multiple-choice formats. CEM tests place emphasis on assessing the breadth of vocabulary and frequently include cloze exercises.
Moreover, certain schools prefer to conduct their own 11 Plus English tests, resulting in exam formats that may deviate from the standard exam board papers.
Irrespective of the examining body administering your child's 11 Plus English exam, the test papers generally evaluate some or all of the following elements:
Spelling
Punctuation
Grammar
Vocabulary
Literacy
Comprehension
Creative writing
Strategies for Preparing for the 11 Plus English Exam
Similar to all preparations for the 11 Plus, it is advisable to commence early, preferably in Year 3, 4 or certainly at the outset of Year 5. Collaborate with your child to create a study timetable in the months leading up to the exam, allocating specific days and times for revision. A study timetable can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet or a wall planner. It may be necessary to reduce involvement in extracurricular activities closer to the exam. While exam preparation should be prioritised, it should not be at the complete expense of leisure time and enjoyment.
Before assigning specific topics to particular days, it is immensely beneficial to identify your child's strengths and weaknesses. This enables focused study on areas that require additional attention.
One of the most effective methods of determining your child's current abilities is to arrange an assessment with a tutor (like myself) who can provide a comprehensive assessment report. Additionally, having your child attempt some 11+ practice papers and discovering the initial percentage score can reveal their current percentage score and areas of weakness. It is essential to maintain a positive and calm environment during this period to safeguard your child's mental well-being. Many children find the exam process enjoyable when they receive support in a coaching and pastoral manner.
Emphasis on enhancing core skills
Numerous core skills essential for the English exam are covered within the Key Stage 2 Curriculum but are usually not advanced enough. If your child possesses a solid understanding of the components of KS2 English, they should have a strong basis for the 11+ exam. Encourage your child to read curriculum texts and pay particular attention to English classwork and homework. It may be worthwhile to revisit your child's coursework or sign them up for mocks throughout the year to further identify any areas of weakness.
When reviewing your child's homework, exercise particular vigilance while providing support in areas such as spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary. Proficiency in the fundamentals of English can significantly aid in addressing standard format questions in the exam.
Meticulous spelling verification
The significance of accurate spelling in the exam should not be underestimated. Dedicate time to ensure that your child is familiar with commonly misspelled words. Engaging in spelling games and tests can infuse the preparation process with enjoyment.
Additionally, it can be advantageous for your child to acquire knowledge of various literary techniques and the correct spelling of similar-sounding words. Concepts that you may want to revise with your child include:
Synonyms: Words with similar meanings, e.g., walk and stroll.
Antonyms: Words with opposite meanings, e.g., hot and cold.
Compound words: Combinations of words that convey a single meaning, e.g., flowerpot.
Homonyms: Words that sound the same but have different meanings, e.g., allowed and aloud.
Word groups: Words that can be categorised under a common theme, e.g., sports.
Appropriate usage of punctuation in the 11 plus english examination
A thorough understanding of proper punctuation usage is crucial, particularly for the comprehension and creative writing sections of the exam. Your child should demonstrate competence in various punctuation aspects, including:
Capitalisation
Commas
Apostrophes
Colons
Semi-colons
Ellipses
Drop-in clauses (hyphens, brackets, dashes)
Effective sentence structuring
Adequate sentence structuring is vital for your child to express meaning clearly. Ensure that your child comprehends the appropriate structure of different types of sentences, such as simple, complex, and compound sentences. Furthermore, they should be able to consistently write in the appropriate tense.
Vocabulary and literacy development
Vocabulary and literacy skills are intertwined. If your child exhibits enthusiasm for reading, it is likely that they possess a reasonably extensive vocabulary. However, if your child tends to avoid reading texts, encouraging them to engage with challenging books (or audio books) will enhance both their vocabulary and literacy skills.
Reading can assist your child in recognising and comprehending the various language devices examined in the English paper, such as parts of speech (e.g., nouns, pronouns, adverbs, determiners, adjectives, etc.) and figures of speech like similes, metaphors, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, etc.
It is important to consider your child's unique learning style when determining how they acquire knowledge. Seeking assistance from a qualified tutor who excels in understanding the psychology of children can be valuable in such a competitive environment. It is crucial to ensure that children feel comfortable with the test format, which can be achieved through practice. Additionally, if your child is neurodivergent, they may possess a distinct approach and learning style. However, this should not dissuade you from signing them up to entrance exams. As long as the well-being of your child remains paramount, you are on the right path.
Follow me on Linkedin for more info!
Danielle Baron, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Danielle catalyses children and adults to rise like a phoenix from the flames 🔥 and to reach their optimum potential. She is an entrepreneur, inspiring 11+ and 7+ entrance exams tutor, rapid transformational therapist®️, business coach for overachievers, a life coach for all, and an NLP Master practitioner, and she is also certified by the ILM.
One of Danielle’s much-loved abilities is being an overachiever because she thrives on the excitement and follows her passion, which is to help people live fulfilling lives.
Over the last five years of her tuition business, Danielle has become extremely popular and respected in the tuition industry and is a mentor and coach to other tutors to help them increase revenue in their businesses, but ultimately to be the best tutors they can be. Her own tuition service incorporates coaching for parents and children throughout the exam process and NLP classes for children to help them with lack of confidence, bullying, and anxiety and to help them focus on the imminent goal of exams and to visualise and believe in their success.
Danielle’s second business, coaching and therapy, has been a long time coming and her personal interest in people and psychology led her to invest in the most high-quality courses to be the best for her clients. For her rapid transformational therapy ®️, she had the privilege of personally being mentored by Marisa Peer, a world-renowned therapist. Rapid transformational therapy is a combination of NLP, CBT, psychotherapy and hypnosis.
It has been Danielle’s personal experiences that have led her to where she is today. At age four, her father died of suicide, which installed in her a determination to help prevent people from ever becoming despaired again. Her best friend passed away at fifteen, which solidified Danielle’s determination to live life to the full. Growing up with a single parent, they struggled with money, but Danielle was very inspired by her mother’s work ethic, which had a huge impact on her.
As a teacher in some schools, the politics and bullying amongst staff were toxic and she suffered from depression, stress and burnout and was treated badly at her most vulnerable time of being pregnant and having a newborn and that’s why she’s passionate about helping teachers. She wishes that she had someone to help her at the time.
She has been through the journey of setting up successful businesses on her own while undertaking childcare as a single parent of two after she divorced and strongly believes anyone can achieve anything they put their mind to with grit, focus, and passion.
