How to Prepare Your Child for Their 11 Plus Exams

The 11 Plus process can feel intimidating to those who are unfamiliar with it, and can prompt lots of parents to ask how to prepare your child for their 11 Plus exams. That’s why we have compiled this step-by-step guide for parents covering how the process works, and how you can give your child the best chance of success. You can also use the helpline below if you have any questions or queries for a dedicated 11 Plus support team.

11 Plus Parents Helpline: 020 4634 9455

Step 1: Get Informed

You will need to prepare yourself before you can help prepare you child. This means gathering the information that you need to facilitate the process. You will need to know the following (non-exhaustive) list:

• Schools for the 11 Plus in your area that you and your child are interested in.
• Whether any of your chosen ones are part of a school consortium.
• Key dates for admissions checkpoints like application form deadlines and exam dates (and locations!).
• Format and content of the 11 Plus tests (these differ between schools/consortiums).
• Where to get practice tests and revision materials from, such as a time- and money-saving school-specific 11 Plus kit).

Step 2: Provide Revision Resources

How to prepare your child for their 11 Plus exams will undoubtedly involve work outside of their time at school. This can involve reading and completing their homework, but should also include specific time devoted to 11 Plus preparation. Some 11 Plus tests will contain questions on topics outside of the school’s curriculum such as verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and so they will need to be taught how to complete these at home. You can find free resources for revising the 11 Plus online, with explanations on how to attempt different topic areas. However, it can save time to buy an 11 Plus essentials pack which contains both revision guides and practice papers on all the content (and only the content) relevant to your school/consortium. This way you know that everything your child needs to know is included, and saves money compared to buying entire revision packs which might contain irrelevant information. 

Step 3: Start Early

Even though 11 Plus tests are sat in Year 6, it is advisable to start preparation well in advance, in Year 4 or 5. This gives your child ample time to get comfortable with the content, and once the content has been covered you can take practice tests at home to become familiar with the exam environment. Cramming last minute is much less effective.

Step 4: Consider Tuition

The majority of 11 Plus revision happens at home, which can be challenge as a working parent with lots of commitments. If you are struggling for time because your child needs guided revision sessions, you might want to consider tuition. 11 Plus Tuition can be a great help if your child is struggling, as this dedicated 1-1 support can really make the difference in their understanding.

Step 5: Focus on What’s Important

Revising for the 11 Plus can become stressful for all involved, and it can be easy to forget what’s important. Try to reward effort rather than scores, and make sure your child is still taking time to rest and play. Entry into a grammar school is a great thing to aim for, and using the right resources will do a lot for their journey, but academically-minded children will do best in their exams and secondary school if they are calm and happy.

Step 6: Take the Exam

Make sure you have all the paperwork in place for them to take their test. Your 11 Plus tests will likely take place at the weekend at a specified location (which may not be the school you are applying to). Leave plenty of time to get there, especially if it’s an unfamiliar journey, and plan something fun for afterwards. It’s a lot of work for both of you to thoroughly prepare for the 11 Plus, so having something to look forward to can help everyone stay motivated.

11 Plus Revision Helpline: 020 4634 9455

Final Thoughts

The main things to remember for how to prepare your child for their 11 Plus exams are: ensure you are up to date on all admissions procedures; provide high-quality revision materials for them to work through either alone or with a tutor; and try to keep things fun and low-stress to help with motivation and exam performance. If you are concerned about helping your child revise for their 11 Plus, call the helpline above for support from a dedication exams team.

Written by

Pass GCSE Team

We help thousands of students each year with revision, courses and online exams.