The Grammar School examination known as the eleven plus (also referred to as the 11-Plus or the 11+) is administered to students during their last year of primary school. What is on the 11 Plus exam, and in what areas should your child practise? We’ll let you know everything in detail.
Its primary objective is to identify the most exceptionally talented students eligible for admission to Grammar Schools. Rather than assessing academic proficiency, the questions in the 11 Plus are specifically designed to evaluate children’s intelligence.
What Does the 11 Plus Exam Include?
This examination is divided into four subjects:
As previously mentioned, these sections aim to measure intelligence. So, what do the questions in the 11 Plus look like? In what format are they presented, and how do they differ from more academically-oriented questions?
In the following sections, we will provide examples of 11 Plus questions, exploring each subject in detail.
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Maths
While not every region includes a maths section in their 11 Plus test, it is important to note that all sections are optional. However, having a strong understanding of maths can greatly aid in tackling the verbal and non-verbal reasoning questions on the 11 Plus exam.
The maths questions in the exam are designed to match the expected standards for exceptionally talented students in their final year of Key Stage 2. They cover topics taught in maths lessons at school, ensuring no unfamiliar concepts arise. Children who excel in maths should have no difficulties in this section.
To help your child practise and identify any areas of weakness, we offer engaging 11+ maths quizzes. Our quizzes cover various topics, from basic addition and subtraction to more advanced concepts such as number properties like squares and primes. Moreover, you can read the 11 Plus exam in detail.
What is the place value of 2 in 7,2184.211?
The value of 8 in the number 7,2184.211 is 8, representing the ‘tens’ place.
So intelligent 10-year-olds can easily answer such questions with a little practice.
Let’s see another example:
Which of the following numbers is a factor of 225?
5, 7, 8, 11
This particular question is not as straightforward. To determine if a number is a factor of another number, a candidate must have an understanding of what factors are and how to determine if a number qualifies as one.
In this example, the correct answer is 5, as it is the only number that has 225 in its times table (5 x 45 = 225).
The questions in the 11 Plus exam can vary, making it essential to ensure your child is well-prepared by familiarising them with every topic covered in KS2 maths.
English
Similar to maths, English may or may not be included in the 11 Plus exam. However, it is still valuable to practise these types of questions. A strong command of English will greatly benefit the verbal reasoning section of the test.
Bright students should have no trouble with these English questions, but some practice can always be beneficial.
Given the diverse range of topics covered by the end of Key Stage 2, it is not possible to illustrate all of them here. To discover the full scope of topics your child needs to understand, take a look at our 11 Plus English quizzes.
As always, the best approach to preparing for the exam is to familiarise yourself with the types of questions you may encounter.
For convenience, here are a couple of examples:
The correct punctuated sentence is:
“Whose is this book?”
Here’s another example:
Comprehension
While not a distinct section of the test, reading comprehension is an important aspect to mention here. It falls under the English category and holds significant value. To tackle the non-verbal reasoning questions in the 11 Plus exam, candidates must possess the ability to read and comprehend textual passages.
These questions aim to assess a child’s aptitude for deriving word meanings. Practising reading comprehension can be challenging, but encouraging your child to read extensively is the most effective approach. Increased reading builds their understanding of meaning. After they read a text, you can try asking them similar questions to reinforce their comprehension skills. For sample questions of this nature, visit our 11 Plus English section. We offer online comprehension tests.
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Verbal reasoning
The last section of the 11 Plus test, non-verbal reasoning, tends to evoke the most fear among students. The unfamiliarity of these questions can cause children to panic. So, you must prevent this from happening to your child; it is crucial to expose them to as many non-verbal reasoning questions as possible. To assist you in this endeavour, here is a link to our 11+ non-verbal reasoning course, where you can find valuable resources for practise and preparation.
Let’s understand this with an example.
This particular question can be easily solved by trying each answer option individually to determine the correct fit. Among the options “Anttroot,” “Pigtroot,” and “Codtroot,” none of them are actual words. Therefore, the correct answer must be “Beetroot.”
Non-Verbal reasoning
The last section of the 11 Plus test, non-verbal reasoning, tends to evoke the most fear among students. The unfamiliarity of these questions can cause children to panic. So, you must prevent this from happening to your child; it is crucial to expose them to as many non-verbal reasoning questions as possible. To assist you in this endeavour, here is a link to our 11+ non-verbal reasoning course, where you can find valuable resources for practise and preparation. Let’s understand this with an example.
The answer to this one is also “a”, but there is a detailed explanation behind it that you can learn from our qualified 11 Plus tutors in live one-on-one sessions.
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Conclusion
Now that you have learned what the 11 Plus exam includes, you must provide your child with resources aligned with the exam boards, such as CEM and GL Assessment. Moreover, we suggest you start your child’s 11 Plus preparation earlier for outstanding results.
For more information regarding the 11 Plus exam, feel free to contact us.