A 1 Year Learning Plan For 11+ English

Step 1: Know what you need to know

Entrance exams are notoriously challenging and what makes it harder, is that there is no standard format across the nation.

So, step 1 is to check the examination process for the school you are applying to.

Here`s why...

A couple of months ago, a parent approached me to tutor his son who was wanted to join Tiffin School (Kingston). He said that his son had been working on creative writing for the past few months and still struggling. He also needed support on verbal reasoning.

Cue the alarm bells! This parent hadn`t done his homework. Tiffin`s Stage 1 exam doesn`t include creative writing nor verbal reasoning!

However, the parent had made a common mistake since many other well-known schools, do.

Step 2: Plan the learning

There`s no denying that there is absolutely loads to cover but here`s the thing. Firstly, your child will probably know more about grammar than you think because of the need to be hot on this is primary school.

Secondly, you have a year to get prepared so, don`t panic!

Here is what I would suggest.

Let`s say you have to cover SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar), cloze (fill-in-the-blanks) and comprehension:

• Interleave the content: this is a teaching technique that works. Basically, instead of spending a heap of time on SPAG, and then cloze etc., intertwine the learning. For example, you could create a cloze exercise on different grammatical rules like, an adverb is an ___ that describes a verb.
• Research some books that will help. For instance, the Bond books have a great reputation BUT many report them to be far too easy for schools like Tiffin. Remember step 1, do your homework!
• Do a little every day - even if it is not written. What I mean by this is, if you are watching a film, ask your child how they think a character might be feeling after a certain scene. This helps them develop their inference skills without realising it!

In terms of learning strategies, start the clock early. Let your child get used to working under timed conditions so that by the time he or she gets to the real thing, they won`t feel the pressure.
Step 3: Save the practice papers for laterIt is tempting to practice exam papers from day 1. But, here`s the risk.
Your child will end up knowing some correct answers instead of mastering skills.
Mastery is the keyword here. If your child has thoroughly developed their grammatical knowledge, for instance, it doesn`t matter which question comes up in the exam. But, if your child has done more past papers than skills deveopment, you will need to hope that similar questions come up in the real thing.
Finally, if you are reading this, then here is a virtual high-five.You will be putting a smile on my face because you have started preparing early.
I am a firm believer in the enjoyment of education - it makes me sad that so many people associate examinations with stress. It really doesn`t have to be. And since you have started early, hopefully it will be stress-free for you too.
Give me a shout if you need any support.