Preparing for the eleven plus school entrance test can be a daunting task, but with the right approach and resources, your child can excel in the test and secure a place at one of the top grammar schools or independent schools in the UK.

One of the first things to consider when preparing for the eleven-plus exam is the curriculum. The test covers a range of subjects, including maths, English, creative writing, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with the curriculum and to ensure that your child has a solid understanding of the material that will be covered in the test.

Another important aspect of preparation is practice.

Practice tests and past papers are an excellent way to familiarize your child with the format and style of the test. But only once your child has grasped and fully understood the style and format of the questions that are specific to the schools you’re targeting for them.

This is why some families will find their child has to prepare for perhaps only two subjects, eg VR and NVR, whereas to secure a place at a different school another child may need to study for tests in all five component parts.

Once a good level of understanding of the question style and format has been arrived at, along with a strong understanding of the actual syllabus, it’s then possible for your child to begin working through example papers or past papers.

This will help them to feel more comfortable and confident on the day of the test and less likely to be ‘spooked’ by unknown or unexpected questions or formats.

Preparing for the eleven plus

Practice without guidance, however, is often wasted time, so you need to identify the best way to keep them supported on their journey.

You should decide whether your child will be best supported by you preparing them yourself, whether to arrange for them to attend a group tutoring programme, or whether they will gain a deeper understanding from individualised one-to-one sessions with a tutor.

Another aspect to consider is; in what format will their eventual tests be, paper or online?

This is because whilst traditionally all entrance tests were paper-based, many independent schools now use online tests for some or all of their entrance tests.

So first of all, identify whether some or all of your target or dream schools set online tests.

If so you need to factor in time for your child to carry out some online practice so they’re comfortable with working online by the time they sit the actual tests sometime in September – January of their year 6.

There are various online resources available and we, or any other tutors, would aim to identify which is suitable for your child. They don’t need to be doing online preparation from day one, but by the time they are in year 5, they would need to start becoming accustomed to this.

Many tests now use a type of adaptive learning technology, which increases or decreases the difficulty of subsequent questions based on the answers already given.

A good start to the test can help your child to accrue higher marks more quickly, whereas a slower start, or one where they get the first few questions wrong could mean it’s harder for them to achieve a high score in the test.

Online or in-person tutoring

My wife and I had transitioned to 100% online tutoring prior to the Covid crisis, however, the problems of keeping a child’s studies moving forward during that long lockdown period expedited many other tutors into providing online tutoring, too.

For many parents, what started off as a ‘desperate grab’ for ‘something’ to keep their child’s education moving forward became an essential tool in their educational arsenal, once those parents realised the distinct advantages provided by online tutoring.

Those advantages include:

• You can choose from the best tutor for your child and their target school from a much wider range of candidates, rather than which tutors are ‘simply on your doorstep.’
• Health benefits – no bugs or sneezes transferred, either way.
• Flexible timing – finish the session and the tutor’s gone, so the family can switch gears and do other things thereafter.
• No need to take a child to a hall, wait around, and then collect them.
• Easier re-booking if a child’s sick.
• Ability to slot in additional sessions if and when required, eg pre-exam or to focus down on specific tricky parts of the syllabus.

So if you’re unsure about online or perhaps biased towards in-person, we’d recommend giving strong consideration to the online approach.

No one size fits all

My wife and I, along with many other tutors, believe wholeheartedly in online tutoring. We realise, however, there are some children for whom this methodology might not fit.

The best way to discover whether it works for you is to arrange some trial sessions. Or perhaps speak with a few online tutors and see about arranging a quick zoom call and see how all of you get on.

It’s also important to consider your child’s learning style and to provide them with the support and guidance they need to succeed. This may include working with a tutor or a study group, setting up a study schedule, and encouraging them to stay motivated and focused.

There’s no ‘one right way’ for eleven-plus tutoring, but there are many sub-optimal routes that will take you to the day of your child’s eleven-plus test – knowing which fits best for you and them will increase their chances of a good, strong score and thus a better chance of them securing a place at your dream school.

Nothing’s guaranteed in the world of eleven-plus testing, but one thing’s for sure, the best prepared are always at an advantage.

In summary, preparing for the grammar school eleven plus exam requires a combination of a solid understanding of the curriculum, practice and repetition, and the use of resources such as online practice tests and past papers. With the right approach, your child can excel in the test and secure a place at one of the top grammar schools or independent schools in the UK.

If you’d like to arrange a consultation or would like some guidance on the next steps for your child’s eleven plus preparation complete our contact form and we’ll be in touch.