11 Plus English Exams Help

Preparing for the 11 Plus English exams helps begin with understanding what to expect from the test paper. 11 Plus English exam papers might have several formats, depending on the organisation that administers the exam in your community.

The two primary 11 Plus exam boards vary in several ways that will impact how your kid studies for the 11 Plus English exam, even if their exam formats are somewhat similar.

The Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) exams may include standard and multiple-choice questions, while Granada Learning (GL) exams last 45 minutes and are multiple-choice. Cloze activities are a common feature of CEM assessments, concentrating on assessing vocabulary breadth.

Furthermore, some schools opt to run the 11 Plus English exams on their own; hence, the structure of their exams may change from standard exam board papers. The 11 Plus English exam, administered by a different assessment organisation for your child, will often evaluate at least part of the following components on the test papers:

  • Punctuation and Spelling
  • Grammar 
  • Words Knowledge 
  • Literature Understanding
  • imaginative writing

Top 11 Plus English Exams Help Tips to Pass the Tests

  • Create a Successful Study Plan

Commence early, as with any 11 Plus preparation. Work with your child to create a study schedule in the months before the test with designated days and hours for review. A wall planner or an Excel spreadsheet might be an essential study schedule.

Knowing your child’s strengths and limitations might be helpful before designing specific themes for particular days. As a result, you can dedicate more study time to the topics they most need help with.

  • Completing Your Homework

All the study you undertake for your child’s 11 Plus English exams help is homework, but specific questions and assignments arise more often than others. Frequently, you can provide your child with a set of sample questions, or you may get them online. 

Your child should practise answering these questions as terrific study advice. They may even be committed to memory. Remember to modify their responses to fit the exam’s question format.

  • Prioritise Core Learning Skills

The Key Stage 2 Curriculum includes many fundamental abilities to pass the 11 Plus English test. Your child should be well-prepared for the 11 Plus if they understand the KS2 English language components. Urge them to study curriculum materials and to focus primarily on their English homework and assignments. 

Throughout the year, reviewing your child’s schoolwork again could be beneficial to pinpoint any further weak points. Grade your child’s assignment carefully for spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary. Understanding English basics may help them answer exam questions in the traditional format.

  • Discover How to Say Words

Any study of English must include oral instruction. There are a lot of peculiar pronunciations in English. Therefore, the more they can learn, the better. For instance, “Towcester” is a little Northamptonshire town. A “toaster” is a culinary tool used to toast bread. Despite having quite different spellings, the two terms have the same pronunciation. 

Your child can learn the most commonly used pronunciations of sounds, even if they cannot master every unique pronunciation. Word collections like “serious” and “curious,” which are pronounced “shus” as in “conscious,” are easy to master and will improve their test score.

  • Vocabulary and Writing

Literacy abilities and vocabulary go hand in hand. Your child’s vocabulary can already be extensive if they are avid readers. However, encouraging your child to read challenging books can help them develop both abilities if they avoid reading literature.

Reading may assist your child with recognising and comprehending the several language techniques assessed in the English paper, including figures of speech like similes, metaphors, exaggeration, and onomatopoeia, as well as parts of speech like adjectives, pronouns, and nouns.

  • Consider Online Preparation

Various tutoring choices are available for children studying for the 11 Plus exams. Your child’s aptitude, level of preparation, and personality will determine which trusted 11 Plus English tutoring service to use. Online 11 Plus tutoring provides live classes, courses and one-on-one coaching to pupils preparing for admission tests. 

Many students may begin in a class or course and then go to one-on-one tutoring closer to the test date to uncover particular shortcomings. Parents often use expert guidance and tutoring to help their children succeed in exams.

  • Try Different Question Types

Students typically have to write from a personal viewpoint and convince, explain, or depict a subject in the 11 Plus creative writing exam. The subject matter itself varies greatly throughout schools.

The year 2020 was unique for the 11 Plus exams. Due to the pandemic, several schools switched to online exams. However, this may have helped children not prepare for tests before a screen. We advise students to prepare for any changes as exam formats and types may change frequently.

  • Promote Reading and Conversation

Children must study various texts and genres to pass the 11 Plus English comprehension tests. The easiest way to do this is to promote reading and conversation. However, if your child is not a reader, read a book to get them interested before discussing intriguing descriptive language and new terminology.

According to research, reading and talking to children improves language, cognitive development, and problem-solving. Studies indicate that this connection persists from early infancy until adolescence. Researchers say parent-child linguistic contact (reading, talking, etc.) may improve IQ and language development up to age 14.

  • The Essay on Creative Writing

Some 11 Plus English tests may include a creative writing component. Occasionally, the creative writing component won’t be graded as part of the total test and will only be used for 11 Plus appeals. But because every school is unique, confirm whether this assignment will count towards their overall grade.

Schools will continue to change their evaluation styles as they identify the best way to uncover top applicants over the next several years. Success requires mastering the essential 11 Plus English exams to help assist subjects. Students should practise multiple choice, standard responses, online questions, and answer sheets to prepare for any format on the day.

  • English Is Not the Only Thing

As we said at the outset, proficiency in the language is not the only factor in passing an English exam. It has to do with doing well on test day. A few pointers may be helpful. Give your notes a quick go-through on the morning of the test to make your child feel confident. Some energy comes from a meal at lunch or in the morning. 

Talking about their answers after the test is not a good idea. It is a human tendency to worry if our answers vary from those of other people, even though we are all aware that there are several ways to be accurate. Having enough resources and being early may help minimise worry.

Conclusion

Lastly, to succeed in the 11 Plus English exams, meticulous preparation, consistent practice, and valuable strategies are required. Your child may increase their chances of passing the exams by paying attention to these ten guidelines and taking a proactive study approach.

Leave a Reply