Eleven Plus (11+)
If you're hoping to sit your child for a school that selects students based on their performance in the 11+ test, you'll be looking for resources to support learning.
In this section of the site you'll find a beginner's guide to the 11+ test and loads of information about how to help your child prepare, as well as an area-by-area guide to the test format.
Our 11+ Learning Journey is a structured, year-long 11+ preparation plan that covers the English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning skills your child will need to have mastered before they sit the test.
For an introduction to 11+ skills see our Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning learning pack, and boost your child's vocabulary with some wonderful books as recommended in our 11+ Prep Reading Adventure.
Articles
Worksheets
11+ Learning Journey
The 11+ Learning Journey is a (subscriber-only) structured preparation plan, designed for you and your child to work through together over a year in order to prepare for the exam. It includes English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning worksheets, packed with step-by-step explanations, examples and practice questions.
In order to cover all the skills that your child will have to master by the time they sit the 11+ test either work through the worksheets in order or pick those worksheets that cover topics where you know your child needs some extra help.
You can also receive a weekly email, which includes recommended exercises in all four disciplines and tips and tricks from 11+ experts. To join this mailing list email [email protected]
Look through the 192 11+ Learning Journey worksheets now.
The 11+ test area-by-area
The 11+ is administered differently in each area where it's used, and the test itself will be produced specifically for that area or group of schools. Our parents' guides give you a detailed overview of what you need to know about the test in the area where you live. Start by reading our region-by-region guide to the 11+.
- The 11+ in Barnet and Enfield
- The 11+ in Surrey
- The 11+ in Yorkshire
- The 11+ in Lancashire
- The 11+ in Berkshire
- The 11+ in Cumbria
- The 11+ in Lincolnshire
- The 11+ in Liverpool and the Wirral
- The 11+ in Devon
- Trafford schools' entrance exam
- The 11+ in Wiltshire
- The 11+ in Dorset
- The 11+ in Essex
- The Hertforshire Consortium 11+
- The 11+ in Bexley
- The 11+ in Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton
- The 11+ in Birmingham
- The 11+ in Gloucestershire
- The Northern Ireland transfer test
- The 11+ in Redbridge (Essex)
- The 11+ in Warwickshire
- The 11+ in Bromley
- The 11+ in Kent
- The 11+ in Medway
- The 11+ in Buckinghamshire
Verbal and non-verbal reasoning: an introduction
Verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests are used in secondary school selection, and in some schools they are also part of CATs at the beginning of Year 7.
Reasoning skills are a form of critical thinking; the tests are designed to assess a child's ability with words, numbers, shapes and space. While these skills can be developed and practised, they are non curriculum-based skills, so aren't always taught as part of KS2. The Verbal and non-verbal reasoning: an introduction pack has been written to provide a general overview of these skills, including practical examples of the common types of questions, hints and explanations to help you understand the solutions and play-based ways to help prepare your child at home (be warned, though, you will have to participate - and might even enjoy it!).
Written by headteacher, parent and verbal and non-verbal reasoning expert Stephen McConkey of Learning Together, this 45-page pack is a great way to start planning for your child's move to secondary school. In the pack you'll find:
- Verbal and non-verbal reasoning: an introduction
- 10 steps to effective 11+ preparation and practice
- The no-textbooks way to prepare for the 11+
- Verbal reasoning practice: 45 questions
- Non-verbal reasoning practice: 46 questions
Your 11+ Prep Reading Adventure
Reading is the best way to boost your child's vocabulary and super-charge 11+ preparation time – the fun way!
TheSchoolRun asked secondary English teacher, parent and 11+ tutor Emma Larard to choose 40 books that are guaranteed to challenge your child and move their reading comprehension up a level. They'll fall in love with the stories they read – and pick up huge amounts of new, rich vocabulary as they immerse themselves in wonderful fictional worlds and classic texts. Your 11+ Prep Reading Adventure has been designed for Year 5 readers, but why not take on the challenge as an adult and plan a trip to the library to stock up on some of the suggested books? You'll enjoy it just as much as your child will.