11 Plus Tuition for Grammar School Entrance Exams

The 11 Plus (11+) is an entrance examination used by grammar schools and some other selective schools when assessing children for secondary-school admission.

There is no single national 11+ examination. The subjects, format and admissions arrangements depend upon the school or area.

Depending upon the examination, children may be assessed in English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal or Spatial Reasoning.

Some tests assess all four areas, while others use different combinations.

Always check the current requirements for your child’s target schools.

Grammar-school entrance examinations are designed to select pupils and can therefore be demanding.

Children may face unfamiliar question types, advanced vocabulary, complex mathematical problems and considerable time pressure.

Good preparation develops both underlying academic knowledge and examination technique.

There is no single correct starting age for every child.

Many families begin structured 11+ preparation during Year 1 or Year 2, giving children time to strengthen their underlying English and Mathematics before concentrating heavily on examination technique.

A child who already has very strong foundations may require a different programme from a child who needs to strengthen vocabulary, comprehension or mathematical knowledge before beginning intensive examination practice.

Starting earlier can allow preparation to be gradual rather than relying upon excessive last-minute practice.

One of the most important things for parents to understand is that there is no single national 11 Plus examination.

The entrance examination your child takes depends upon the grammar schools and areas to which you are applying.

Different selective areas and schools can use different examination providers, subjects, question formats, scoring systems and admissions arrangements.

Cherry Hill Tuition can therefore tailor preparation according to the appropriate examination where required.

No.

Achieving a qualifying score does not necessarily guarantee admission.

Grammar schools can be oversubscribed and may apply admissions criteria involving factors such as distance, catchment or priority areas and other published criteria.

Parents should always read the current admissions policy for every school they intend to include on their application.

Yes.

However, because schools and areas can use different tests, it is important to identify the target schools early.

Preparation can then concentrate on the relevant skills while avoiding unnecessary work.

Verbal Reasoning primarily involves reasoning using words, letters and language.

Non-Verbal Reasoning primarily involves shapes, diagrams, patterns and spatial relationships.

Both are designed to assess how children recognise relationships and solve unfamiliar problems.

No.

This is one of the most important things for parents to understand.

Different schools and regions can use different examination providers, papers, subjects, scoring systems and admissions arrangements.

Always prepare for the examination your child will actually take.

Yes. Mathematics is a core part of our 11+ preparation where relevant to the child’s target examination.

Preparation can include arithmetic, fractions, percentages, ratio, geometry, measurement, data and multi-step problem solving alongside examination technique.

Yes.

Our English preparation can include comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, punctuation, cloze exercises and other skills relevant to selective entrance examinations.