Disclaimer: We are not associated or affiliated with Piacademy in any way.
PiAcademy is a UK-based online and offline tuition centre offering a plethora of relevant services that parents seek for their children in the early years of education. Piacademy is managed by some brilliant tutors, and it provides quality educational services and content to support students for competitive exam preparations.
It helps children practise and prepare for 11 plus exams, catering to both grammar school entrance exam and independent school entrance exam, which include topics like verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths, and English. These exams are very competitive in nature. They gauge a child’s potential and are a good test of his/her cognitive abilities.
Thus, preparations for these tests require proper guidance. Pi Academy provides practise papers suitable for the year 7+, 8+, 9+, 11+, and 13+ exams. These past papers related to all the subjects including English and maths are quite useful in the run-up to the competitive exams. You can find past papers of all the years be it year 3, year 4, year 5, year 6, etc.
Pi Academy can help prepare your child for the grammar school exam as well as independent school exam from the comfort of your home. It is well versed with CEM, GL, and other formats of 11+ plus exams and boasts of a bunch of practice papers from different schools for English, maths, and other subjects. Please login to its website for more detail.
Contents
Pi Academy services (11 plus and more)
PiAcademy provides tuition classes, diagnostic assessments, mock exams, various courses, and practice papers. The papers are divided into different categories of exams. The range of competitive exams PiAcademy covers is vast. Its scope is broad. From SATs and 7+ to 11+ and 13+, it has offerings for all these competitive exams. Each category of an exam is listed with the practice papers. For e.g. 11+ exams practice papers are categorized in topic-wise bundles, i.e. English test papers, maths test papers, verbal reasoning test papers, and non-verbal reasoning test papers.
Independent school interviews
PiAcademy helps your child crack difficult 11+ interviews that are conducted in all the leading educational institutions. It helps to improve a child’s confidence by providing useful tips and tactics that help your child champion the tough interview process.
11+, 13+, and GCSE consultancy services
PiAcademy offers confidential consultancy services to its clients. This type of advisory assistance is personal in nature and covers 11+, 13+, and GCSE exams. Parents and children need tailor-made guidance from experts regarding the intricacies of these high-profile exams. PiAcademy provides services related to CEM, GL, and other formats of 11+ plus exams
Customized evaluation report
Take the diagnostic assessment, as PiAcademy calls it, to assess and gauge your child’s progress. Expert tutors examine your child’s work and provide detailed reports (with tips, suggestions, and advice) that will identify the weak spots and pinpoint the mistakes. They will also suggest a course plan and practice resources for your child to practice.
You can purchase the maths and English assessments each for £99.00 or you can purchase both as a bundle for £179.00. The evaluation is a vital instrument to see where your child stands. You can decide and prepare for further action based on the accurate reports from our tutors.
One-to-one tutoring services
PiAcademy houses proficient highly-qualified teachers who are adept at helping students ace the competitive exams of different years. It is important for a child of this age to reap the benefits of one-to-one tuition services. PiAcademy provides expert tutors with a lot of experience under their belt for the different competitive exams for both grammar schools and independent schools.
English, Maths, and Creative Writing
PiAcademy offers a lot of services related to English, maths, and creative writing. Apart from the big bundle of past papers, children can practice SPaG (spelling, punctuation, and grammar) papers and creative writing papers. You can also avail of some free sample papers as well for Maths, and English.
English and maths are the primary and common subjects that are present in all the competitive exams. So, you will find practice and past papers for SATs, 7+ exam, pre 11+ test, 11+ exam, and 13+ exam. All these papers have detailed step-wise answers for the benefit of the children. For the 11+ exam, you can also use practice papers that are in accordance with CEM, GL, ISEB, SET, CSSE.
Verbal reasoning & non verbal reasoning (VR and NVR)
These two subjects sometimes can prove to be a child’s headache. Often, a child needs tuition for VR and NVR. They form an important part of the 11+ exam, and you can use the practice papers provided by PiAcademy to master the subjects. These papers are segmented into different categories as per the topics.
Mock exams
Mock exams are a child’s best mate while preparing for such competitive entrance exams. PiAcademy offers exclusive mock tests that will make you exam-ready for 11+ tests. These mock tests are personalized, and they help the student familiarize with the nature and style of the exam. They are based on the different 11 plus exam forms like CEM, GL, ISEB, CSSE, etc. and emulate the type of questions asked by every school. You can buy any of the four packs on their website.
Disclaimer: We are not associated or affiliated with Piacademy in any way.
Pi academy alternatives
The three main competitors of PiAcademy are KidSmart, ExamPaperPlus and AtomLearning. All of these alternatives provides educational services to support grammar school and independent school entrance test i.e. 11+ plus exam. Covering all 11+ exam topics including maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, and Non-verbal reasoning.
KidSmart
KidSmart provides online services for academic excellence and competitive exam preparation for grammar school and independent schools. Students of Kidsmart have acquired scholarships at schools and achieved excellent performance. There is unlimited tutor support available for any subjects or topics including the past exam papers, any time during the day, for both parents and children. The service provides an online platform with unlimited worksheets, hundreds of exam past practice papers, expert creative writing lessons, and access to tutors covering all subjects such as Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, and non-verbal Reasoning.
Exam Paper Plus
Exam Paper Plus is an e-commerce platform selling study material and practice papers for various exams in the UK. They have a wide variety of practice papers, past papers and study material covering all topic areas such as Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning.
Atom Learning
Atom provides a platform for schools and for children to practice for 11 plus exams on topics such as Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and NVR. Atom does not provide past exam papers.
Twinkl
Twinkl is a great source of academic resources that can be downloaded and printed. If your child like printables and colouring exercises then there are plenty of such resources available. Twinkl has hundreds of worksheets on almost all KS1, KS2, KS3 topics (like Maths, English etc) but no practice papers or past exam papers. They do not provide tuition options.
IXL
IXL is a platform to help children practice Maths, English, and several other subjects. IXL is provides generic material and good for fundamentals and strengthening the basics. They do not cover a specific curriculum or cover exam topics for grammar schools and independent schools 11 plus exams. There is no concept of past papers or practice papers in IXL but do have unlimited worksheets practice on subjects like Maths, English, etc.
Pi Academy price comparison
What do PiAcademy and other similar alternative learning platforms have to offer? Parents need to have a full understanding of the available resources and the prices to evaluate the best option for their children. It’s important to know what the competitors are offering before making a choice. Let us draw a comparison among PiAcademy, KidSmart, Atom Learning, and Exam Papers Plus.
Past papers
PiAcademy offers 141 Maths 11+ exam past papers with answers at £59. 41 English 11+ exam past papers with answers at £54.
KidSmart offers a new unique feature with their past papers, which is quite valuable for parents and children. You receive unlimited on-chat tutor support for your kids where you can ask any query you have with the questions/answers and obtain ready-made solutions. Apart from this, you gain access to performance and progression reports that help a parent delve deep into the kid’s learning process and regularly gauge his improvement.
At KidSmart, you obtain access to papers related to different types of 11+ exam forms viz. CEM, GL, ISEB, CSSE, etc. Free samples are also available. Click here to access the past papers. Following are the details.
Maths – 160+ solved past papers at £42
English – 180+ solved past papers at £42
All papers – 350+ solved past papers at £62
At Exam Papers Plus, you can get access to many past papers as they have segregated the papers into different packs. (both independent schools and grammar schools) Past papers have been divided on the basis of per subject and per topic. Here, you can use different papers belonging to CEM also. Each individual set is priced at £20. The complete guide sets are priced at £59.
Mock exams
At PiAcademy, you can opt for GL, CEM, and ISEB style 11+ mock exams. Each pack is priced at £59.
At KidSmart, you can select mock tests that are divided as per suitability. These mock tests cater to different schools and they include CEM, GL, etc. styles. You can book a mock test for £45. You can also get a tutor review for an additional £15 and a revision lesson for £20.
At Exam Papers Plus, the mock exams are categorized alphabetically like Mock Exam A, Mock Exam B, etc. Here, you will find 7+, 8+, and 11+ mock exams. There is a particular date on which the booking opens. You can subscribe to their email list or call them directly.
At Atom Learning, there are three modes that you can purchase – Basic, Standard, and Premium. You need to purchase the premium option for £59.99/ month or £575.90/ year to gain access to the mock tests along with all the courses. You can book a free trial as well.
Courses
Creative writing or revision courses are important aspects of 11+ preparation or higher studies. These learning platforms offer excellent summer courses that will greatly benefit your child.
At PiAcademy, you get Maths and English Group tuition that is a 20 weeks’ course for £1499. Other specific courses are available at either £299 or £349. The creative writing mastery course is priced at £349 and is 5 weeks’ course.
At KidSmart, you can avail yourself of a variety of creative writing courses. Click here to check the collection of courses that it is offering you. The 11+ creative writing complete course is 3 months’ course and is priced at £720. You can also opt for personal one-to-one creative writing tuition at only £35 per session.
You can find useful revision crash courses where you can continue to excel in creative writing and refresh your knowledge. The creating writing revision course is priced at £350 and lasts for 5 days. You can find other important crash courses at £299. Click here to access them.
At Exam Papers Plus, there are specific dates for the course that you need to know. The next courses on offer will take place in April 2021. The English and Maths courses are priced at £390 + VAT each. The revision courses are valued at £975 + VAT. You will need to pay £295 + VAT if you want to book the pretest revision course.
FAQs
What is the difference between a grammar school and an independent school?
A grammar school is state-funded whereas an independent school is privately owned. Independent schools have more flexibility and scope regarding subjects that are taught and other extra-curricular activities, but the fees are also quite high.
What is the ideal time to look for tuition/tutors when I am planning for 11+ exams?
Generally, it is advisable to start preparing your child for 11+ from the age of four. Years 2 and 3 are too early for preparations, and it’s best to develop his skills gradually over the course of years. You must take care of your child’s mental well-being first.
At age four, you can start thinking about tuition, especially creative writing and maths tuition – the ones where many children struggle in the beginning. KidSmart offers an array of excellent creative writing courses, tailor-made for your child. Click here to book them. You can also try its free assignment evaluation also.
What books or worksheets should I be using for 11+ exams?
You can use several books available in the market, which are dedicated to 11+. Worksheets, word wheels, word mats, quizzes, etc. are fun ways of learning and children love spending time with them. These worksheets improve a child’s vocabulary and reasoning skills. You can find several worksheets on the KidSmart learning app.
How do practising past papers benefit me?
Practising past papers makes your child exam-ready. It gives your child the feel and experience of a real exam. Time the papers likewise. When the paper is finished, match the answers and note down the mistakes. It is a tried and tested formula that has benefited many students. Continue practising throughout the year and finish as many as you can to know all the questions styles and patterns.