Table of Contents
- What the 11 Plus Exam Actually Tests (and Why It Varies by Region)
- Step 1: Assess Your Child’s Starting Point Before You Plan Anything
- Step 2: Build a Realistic 11+ Revision Timetable Around School and Life
- Step 3: Strengthen English and Maths Foundations First
- Step 4: Practise Reasoning Skills With Puzzles and Quizzes
- Step 5: Use 11 Plus Practice Papers the Right Way
- Step 6: Manage 11 Plus Exam Stress and Keep Motivation High
- Conclusion: Steady Improvement Beats Last-Minute Cramming
- Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated: October 14, 2026
What the 11 Plus Exam Actually Tests (and Why It Varies by Region)
The 11 plus exam is a selective entrance test taken by children in Year 6, usually aged 10 or 11, for a grammar or independent school place. It tests how a child thinks under time pressure across English, maths, and reasoning.
This is where most parents get caught out: the test is not national or standardised, so two children can sit different 11 plus papers on the same morning.
11 Plus Exam Subjects: What’s Covered in English, Maths, and Reasoning
Most papers draw from four areas:
- English: comprehension, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary
- Maths: arithmetic, mental maths, and multi-step problem-solving
- Verbal reasoning: word puzzles, codes, sequences, and logic with language
Some schools test all four; others drop non-verbal reasoning entirely, and a few weight English and maths far more heavily than reasoning.
Grammar School vs Independent School Formats: GL, CEM, and Local Admissions
Grammar schools in England typically use GL Assessment or CEM (now part of GL) papers, and each school or consortium sets its own pass mark. Independent schools often write their own papers and add an interview.
The practical takeaway: check each school’s admissions page directly, note the exam board, format, and date, then work backwards. UK government guide to school admissions explains how state school admissions and appeals work if you need the wider picture.
Step 1: Assess Your Child’s Starting Point Before You Plan Anything
A baseline assessment is the most useful thing you can do in the first week. It shows which topics are solid and which have gaps, so you revise where it counts.
Here is how to run one at home:
- Pick one full practice paper at the right level for your target schools.
- Let your child sit it untimed first, you are testing knowledge, not speed.
- Mark it and log every wrong answer by topic, not question number.
- Sort errors into three piles: did not know it, knew it but rushed, guessed correctly.
That third pile matters: a correct guess hides a gap.
Mark the paper yourself and write the topic next to each wrong answer. After two or three papers, you will see the same two or three topics repeating. That short list is your revision plan.
A diagnostic session with a tutor can map the gaps in one sitting and save weeks of guessing.
Step 2: Build a Realistic 11+ Revision Timetable Around School and Life
An 11+ revision timetable works when it fits around school, clubs, and rest. Families who burn out front-load everything in Year 5 and hit a wall by spring.
How Many Hours a Week Is Actually Enough?
For most children, 3 to 5 hours a week in short sessions beats one long weekend block. Twenty to thirty minutes at a time is plenty in Year 4; by Year 5, stretch to 45 minutes with a break. Little and often wins: 20 focused minutes beats an hour a child resents.
A Sample Weekly Schedule for Years 4 and 5
| Day | Year 4 (per week) | Year 5 (per week) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 20 min reading | 30 min comprehension |
| Wednesday | 20 min mental maths | 30 min maths topics |
| Friday | 20 min vocabulary game | 30 min reasoning practice |
| Saturday | 30 min practice paper section | 45 min full paper, timed |
| Sunday | Rest | Review mistakes only |
This schedule collapses the moment a school trip, illness, or birthday party lands. Build in one blank slot each week as a buffer; if nothing goes wrong, use it for a fun puzzle.
Step 3: Strengthen English and Maths Foundations First
Reasoning gets the attention, but English and maths carry the most marks in most papers. Fix the foundations first and reasoning scores tend to follow.
English: Comprehension, Spelling, Grammar, and Vocabulary
Comprehension is where children lose easy marks: they answer from memory instead of returning to the text. Teach them to underline the line that proves each answer. For spelling and grammar, short daily dictation beats long lists, ten words a day, tested properly, sticks better than fifty copied out.
Maths: Arithmetic, Mental Maths, and Problem-Solving
Mental maths speed frees up thinking time for harder questions. Practise number bonds, times tables, and quick conversions until automatic. Problem-solving is different: many children can calculate but cannot work out what is being asked. Read word problems together and ask what you are actually trying to find.
Skipping foundations to chase reasoning papers is a common mistake. A child who cannot do fractions confidently will lose marks on reasoning questions that quietly depend on them.
Step 4: Practise Reasoning Skills With Puzzles and Quizzes
Reasoning worries parents most: it looks unfamiliar and schools rarely teach it directly. It is a set of learnable skills, not raw intelligence, but generic puzzle books often miss the question types on GL and CEM papers.
Verbal Reasoning: What Actually Gets Tested
Verbal reasoning papers typically include a predictable set of question families:
- Codes and ciphers: a word is turned into a code using a rule, and the child must apply the same rule to a new word.
- Odd one out: four or five words are given, and the child identifies the one that does not fit the pattern.
- Word analogies: “cat is to kitten as dog is to ___”, testing relationships between words.
Vocabulary breadth is the biggest predictor of verbal reasoning success: a child who reads widely spots patterns faster than one who has only drilled questions.
Non-Verbal Reasoning: What Actually Gets Tested
Non-verbal reasoning uses shapes and patterns rather than words. Common question types include:
- Series: a sequence of shapes changes according to a rule, and the child picks the next shape.
- Analogies: “shape A is to shape B as shape C is to ___”, often involving rotation, reflection, or size change.
- Matrices: a grid of shapes with one missing, and the child identifies the rule across rows and columns.
Spatial reasoning improves with practice. Tangrams, building blocks, and paper-folding build the underlying skill before children meet the question types formally.
How to Practise Without Burning Out
Short, regular exposure beats marathon sessions. Ten to fifteen minutes three or four times a week builds familiarity in Year 4; by Year 5, extend to twenty to thirty minutes with timed sections.
A practical routine:
- Warm up with a familiar type your child already understands, to build confidence.
- Introduce one new question type at a time, explaining the rule before they try it.
- Practise that type for a week before mixing it with others.
- Review every wrong answer and ask your child to explain their thinking out loud. This reveals whether the gap is the rule, the vocabulary, or the timing.
Keep a running list of question types your child has mastered and those still shaky. Reasoning papers mix types, so a child who can do codes but freezes on matrices will lose marks even if their overall ability is strong.
When Puzzles Help and When They Don’t
Sudoku, logic grids, anagrams, and shape puzzles build underlying thinking skills, especially in Year 4, but they are not a substitute for exam-style practice. Once comfortable, move to GL or CEM-style questions so the format feels familiar.
If your child struggles with one reasoning type despite practice, slow down and teach the underlying skill rather than drilling more questions.
Step 5: Use 11 Plus Practice Papers the Right Way
Practice papers are the closest thing to a rehearsal for the real exam. Used well, they build timing, stamina, and confidence; used badly, they become a weekly source of anxiety.
How to Introduce Timed Practice Without Panic
Do not start with a full timed paper. Most children need a gradual build-up:
- Untimed sections first. Let your child work through one section at their own pace. The goal is accuracy and understanding, not speed.
- Timed sections next. Once accuracy is steady, introduce the clock for a single section, starting generous and reducing toward the real exam allowance.
- Full timed papers last. Only move to a complete paper under exam conditions when your child can handle a timed section without freezing.
A common pattern is to spend Year 4 on untimed and lightly timed practice, then move to full timed papers in the spring and summer of Year 5.
Pacing: The Skill Most Children Miss
Running out of time is a common reason children underperform relative to their ability. Teach these pacing habits:
- Know the marks per minute. If a paper has 50 questions in 50 minutes, that is roughly one minute per question. Some questions will take longer; some will take less.
- Do two passes. First pass: answer every question you can do quickly. Second pass: return to the ones you skipped.
- Never leave a blank. There is usually no penalty for a wrong answer on 11+ papers, so a guess is better than an empty box.
How to Mark and Review a Practice Paper
Marking is not just about the score. The review is where the learning happens.
After each paper:
- Mark it yourself so you see every error, not just the total.
- Log each wrong answer by topic, for example, “fractions,” “inference,” “rotation,” “codes.”
- Sort errors into three piles: did not know the content, knew it but rushed or misread, guessed correctly.
- Look for patterns. If the same two or three topics keep appearing, that is your revision plan for the next two weeks.
A high score on a practice paper does not guarantee a place, and a low score does not mean your child cannot pass. Practice scores measure current performance on that paper, not the final outcome. Use them to guide preparation, not to predict results.
Tracking Progress Over Time
Keep a simple log of every practice paper: date, paper name, raw score, percentage, and the top two or three error topics. After four to six papers, you will see trends:
- Improving accuracy on familiar topics, the revision is working.
- Persistent errors on one topic, the underlying skill may need reteaching, not more practice.
- Timing problems across sections, the issue is pacing, not knowledge.
A simple spreadsheet or notebook is enough. The goal is to make decisions based on patterns, not on a single paper’s score.
Mock Exams and Test-Day Readiness
A full mock exam, timed, in a quiet room, with only official breaks, is the best rehearsal. Aim for at least two or three before the real exam, spaced a few weeks apart.
On the day before the exam:
- Keep the routine normal. No last-minute cramming. A light review of familiar topics is fine.
- Prepare the practicalities. Uniform, pencil case, water bottle, and travel route confirmed.
- Protect sleep. A well-rested child performs better than a tired one who did one more paper.
On the morning of the exam:
- Eat a normal breakfast. Do not introduce new foods.
- Arrive early. Rushing raises anxiety.
- Use a simple breathing routine. Four counts in, four counts hold, four counts out, repeated a few times.
A practice paper you review properly, log, and learn from is worth three papers you simply mark and file away. The goal is not more papers, it is better use of the papers you do.
Step 6: Manage 11 Plus Exam Stress and Keep Motivation High
A child who is anxious cannot show what they know. Stress management is part of preparation, not a soft extra.
What helps in practice:
- Keep the routine normal. Sleep, meals, and play matter more than extra papers
- Talk about the exam as one option, not a verdict on your child
- Praise effort and strategy, not just scores
Watch for burnout: trouble sleeping, tears over homework, or refusing to talk about the exam. If those appear, cut the workload for a week, progress returns faster than you would expect.
Conclusion: Steady Improvement Beats Last-Minute Cramming
The families who do well are rarely those who started earliest or worked hardest, but those who assessed honestly, built a timetable that survived real life, and reviewed mistakes instead of hiding from them.
If you would rather not plan this alone, Naijatutors Konnect connects your child with expert Nigerian tutors for live online sessions.
Book an assessment with Naijatutors Konnect and give your child a steady, confident run at the 11 plus exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early should my child start preparing for the 11 plus exam?
Most families begin in Year 4 or early Year 5, giving 12 to 18 months of steady preparation. Starting early lets you build strong foundations in English and maths without cramming. If your child is already in Year 5, you can still make progress with a focused 11+ revision timetable that targets weak areas first. The key is consistency, not intensity.
How many hours a week should my child study for the 11 plus exam?
For Years 4 and 5, aim for 3 to 5 hours per week spread across short sessions of 30 to 45 minutes. This includes homework, targeted practice, and one longer session for 11 plus practice papers. Quality matters more than quantity, so avoid marathon study blocks. Adjust based on your child’s energy and other commitments.
What subjects and question types are included in the 11 plus exam?
The 11 plus exam subjects typically include English, maths, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning. Some regions also test creative writing. Question types range from multiple-choice questions to standard written answers, depending on whether your local grammar school uses GL Assessment or CEM style papers. Always check your target school’s admissions requirements.
How can I help my child manage stress while preparing for the 11 plus exam?
Keep the process low-pressure by celebrating effort over scores and sticking to a predictable routine. Build in breaks, outdoor time, and fun learning activities like puzzles or quizzes. If your child shows signs of 11 plus exam stress, reduce practice volume temporarily and talk through their worries. A growth mindset and parent support matter more than perfect mock results.
