How To Pass The Eleven Plus

Preparation

To be successful in the 11 plus you must prepare thoroughly. The first thing you need to do is set out a plan that is both realistic and tailored to your student. Depending on how much time you have until the exams, work on fully understanding the core concepts in all four subjects (Maths, English, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning). Then making sure every type of question has been covered thoroughly from both the CEM and GL publishers and lastly working on speed in test conditions.

The syllabus

Even though there is no official syllabus, most grammar schools send out a familiarisation test which provide an outline about the type of questions which may come up. Most of the syllabus, for maths and English are based on what the students will be taught by the end of key stage 2. The verbal and non-verbal reasoning type questions can be found in the eleven plus book publishers and online 11 plus websites. The CEM test is designed to be hard to prepared for, however past questions can be practised, and students can improve their results.

Eleven plus books and worksheets

Making sure you have the right resources is essential, you must have books which help you teach the basic methods and concepts involved in all four subjects (Maths, English, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning). Work through the questions with the student, break them down and explained as simply as possible. To ensure the student fully understands the concept, ask the student to explain how to solve the question.

Constant practice and testing

A lot of students fail the eleven plus because they don't finish on time. It is important to continue practising &time test to ensure that the student can handle the speed and pressure involved in the exam. Testing must be done in strict conditions, so you can observe the children's weaknesses and help them on their techniques to work as carefully and quickest in the test. Even though it isn't necessary to complete the test to pass, you greatly increase your chances.