If you have grammar school aspirations for your child, you’ll want to give them the best possible chance of succeeding when the time comes to take their 11 plus exam.
As a parent, you play a pivotal role in helping to inspire your child to succeed, and for the 11 plus, preparation is key.
In order to test your child’s academic suitability, grammar schools and selective schools in England will test primary pupils when they are in Year 6.
We recommend starting around a year in advance, as according to academic research Brendan Bunting and Eugene Mooney, conducted in 2001, sustained coaching for a period of at least nine months can have a substantial impact on results.
To understand how best to support your child ahead of the test, it’s important to understand what the 11 plus exam will include.
Four key parts can be incorporated, including verbal reasoning – a test of vocabulary and grammar based on word sequences and written text – and non-verbal reasoning, where problems are presented involving pictures and diagrams.
Maths and English can also be tested, with the former often involving a range of maths skills and concepts, and with the latter being focused on creative writing.
All concepts examined for these two subjects will come from the Key Stage 2 parts of the National Curriculum, meaning it should be a case of refining skills, rather than introducing them.
It’s also important to note that the exact make-up of the 11 plus will vary depending on where your child goes to school, as different education authorities have their own rules for their respective regions.
Tutoring can help your child to know what to expect from the 11 plus exam, helping to build familiarity with the types of questions that might be asked.
This helps to boost their skillset more generally too, as they can be encouraged to take a more critical mind set to activities from a younger age.
Tutoring services can assist with the maths and English elements too, and especially in instances where time management is important, such as when writing quick essay style answers.
In these scenarios, understanding how to swiftly plan and structure an answer, while still having time to create a balanced piece, will be critical to your child achieving higher marks.
There are numerous techniques and approaches which can be used, and practice often makes perfect – if you don’t have the time to help, it’s when a tutor can step in.
To explore the wide range of fully qualified teachers available for 11+ tuition support, please search here and start accelerating learning today.