Preparing for the 11 plus exam can be challenging for both parent and child, especially when you are clueless about the dos and don’ts. Many parents resort to expensive tutoring to give the best to their children, while some try to learn more about the exam to adopt 11 plus DIY tutoring and help their children themselves.
This blog is to help such parents to understand how they can help their children and prepare them for their 11 plus exams without expensive private tutors. While we believe that hiring a private tutor can sometimes be a viable option for many parents to get their children into the selective school of their choice, it is not a necessity. More importantly, many grammar schools use tutor-proof tests for which parents can help their children prepare for the exam without a professional tutor.
Now let’s get started.
Contents
Find the exam board that will administer your child’s 11 plus test
To help your own children with their 11 plus exam the first and foremost thing to do is to know what exam board will administer the 11 plus test of your child. Based on the area and the choice of your grammar school, different schools have different exam administration boards. You can check our comprehensive list of grammar schools and consortiums by GL/CEM/CSSE/SET/ISEB to know what exam board the secondary school you are planning for follows.
Generally, there are two exam boards the CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) and GL (Granada Learning). Although the exam format for both the tests are quite similar, there will be a difference in material that your child will need to study. You can read more about the difference between the GL and CEM Assessments.
Start early preparation
Preparing for the 11 plus exam can put a lot of pressure on your child, and preparing under such great pressure will result in distraction and lack of retention. To prevent such scenarios and help your child prepare better and gain confidence before the 11 plus exam we recommend you start early preparation.
According to the 11 plus exam timeline, pupils have to sit for their 11 plus exam when they are in year 6 (generally in September). Ideally, this means that people need to start preparing for their 11 plus exam at starting of year 5 or even better if started from year 4, as early as better. For Diy tutoring, you can allot 20 mins to half an hour every day for the preparation for your child’s 11 plus exam and increase this time during their summer holidays
Determine their strengths and weaknesses
To prepare your child effectively for their 11 plus exam you need to find their strengths and weaknesses, especially when you opted for DIY-tutoring. You can do this by discussing it with their primary school teachers, conducting tests. You can check their previous test results. After finding out the strength and weaknesses of your child you can prioritise and target the area your child struggles with.
You can also use 11 plus worksheets and past papers to test their score and find your child’s strengths and weaknesses. With kidSmart 11 plus past papers, your can mark your child’s response and generate their performance report to identify what areas they need to work on.
Moreover, we provide detailed answers for each of the questions so that it’s easier for you and your child to understand what they are doing wrong and how they can make it right.
Apart from this, we also provide unlimited tutor support so that if there are some topics you are having trouble teaching your child, you can take external help from experts without any extra charge.
Prepare a good study schedule
The next important step for DIY tutoring is to prepare a good study schedule including all the topics that your child needs to work on. You need to prepare a study schedule for your child that is not that stressful for them but still covers all the 11 plus exam topics. Regardless of which exam board administer your child’s 11 plus test, they will both include the same subjects that are
- English
- Maths
- Verbal Reasoning
- Non-Verbal Reasoning
English
Your child’s study schedule must cover all these topics. For English, your child needs to work on spelling, punctuation, grammar, comprehension, vocabulary, sentence structure, and literacy. You can improve these skills of your child through reading exercises.
Maths
For the Maths section, your child should be well versed with the topics covered in the Key Stage 2 Maths curriculum. You can further check out the important maths topics your child needs to prepare for the 11 Plus Maths Exam.
Verbal reasoning
When it comes to the verbal reasoning section of the 11 plus exam, there are many different types of topics based on the exam format your child is sitting for. You can know more about what topic your child will face on their 11 plus exam verbal reasoning section based on their exam format and how to prepare for it in our 11 plus verbal reasoning guide.
Non-verbal reasoning
The non-verbal reasoning section of the 11 plus exam is one of the most important sections, it tests a child’s ability to analyse and understand problems through given visual information and use it to solve their using visual reasoning and critical thinking.
Your child can improve your child’s non-verbal reasoning skills of your child through math games, brain training games and apps, puzzle books and 11+ practice books. Learn more about what topics are included in the 11 plus non-verbal reasoning section and how to prepare for them.
Take help from 11 plus books
When it comes to DIY tutoring, it is very helpful to take help from 11 plus preparation books. Many parents include these books in their study schedule as these books can turn out to be very helpful to prepare children for topics they have not faced before. Bond books are one of the popular series of 11 plus books. We have added more information about the bond books in our Bond 11 plus blog, you can further check which 11 plus bond books you should buy according to your child’s need. We suggest you to try these books before you decide to hop into a few papers.
Apart from this, you can also read other books to develop your child reading, writing, comprehension and vocabulary skills. Here is a list of books your child can read to enrich his vocabulary for the 11+ exam. building vocabulary
Add worksheets to the schedule
Worksheets help children to test their preparation and get familiar with the question format. Try to add worksheets to your child’s study schedule as much as you can. You can also enrol on our 11 plus prep app and get access to unlimited worksheets.
These worksheets are gamified to make the learning process fun for your child. The additional benefit of these worksheets is that you can also track your child’s progress and review their performance. Start your 5-day free trial and get access to unlimited worksheets.
Make learning fun
Preparing for the 11 plus exam over a long period can be tiresome and children may lose interest. You must make the learning process fun for the child. You can add vocabulary games, books, fun worksheets, to their study schedule from time to time.
At KidSmart, we promote gamified learning so that kids can enjoy their learning process. This not only helps them concentrate better in a long run but also help in retention. Enrol on our 11 plus prep app and help your child prepare for the 11 plus exam in a more fun way.
Create a revision schedule
Preparing for the test without checking your child’s progress can be a big mistake. Regular revision and tracking your child’s process is one of the important parts of determining whether your child is progressing or not. Discuss with your child when they would like to give the revision test of what they have learned so they make time for at least 1 revision test each week and stick to it. You can also track the improvement in their performance over time by comparing their previous worksheets or past paper answer sheets with the current ones.
Use past paper and practice papers
Past papers are one of the most recommended 11 plus preparation tools, these past papers and practise test papers help kids get an idea of what they are going to face in the 11 plus exam. These practise papers further help them familiarise themselves with the type of question and discover their weak areas.
You must schedule these past papers, in your child’s revision schedule. You can also register to kidSmart and get free access to our past paper weekly plan.
Mock tests
At last, once you have completed your preparations and revisions. You can ask your child to appear for mock tests a few weeks before their 11 plus exam. These mock tests give them the real feel of the exam and help them understand the areas they can perform better. You will further get an idea of whether your child will achieve the pass mark in the real 11 plus exam or needs more improvement.
You can visit our mock test page and schedule a mock exam for your child. .
