11+ exams: Creating an 11 Plus Preparation Plan

Once you know the subject/s that your child will be assessed on for their 11+ exam and the time that is available before the exam, it is easier to devise a preparation timetable that will provide your child with the best chance of success. What is the optimum learning plan for your child? Here are some ideas that I hope will help:

How to prepare child for 11+ exam:

Nature and Learning Style

Some children prefer an intensive learning experience over a short period of time, as they struggle with a long-term learning approach. Other children prefer a totally stress-free environment with a little and often approach regardless of how long it takes. Many children fit somewhere between the two. I have seen fantastic results with both approaches so don’t feel under pressure to push your child in one particular way.

Time

Ideally you will have plenty of time before the 11+ exam so your timetable can be based on your child’s nature, but if not, don’t panic. Even if your child only has the opportunity to work through a couple of test papers, this will offer far more benefit than going into an exam with no knowledge at all.

Activities

The broader the range of activities you can offer your child, the better. If you are trying to build vocabulary skills, think of as many ways as possible to help your child: parrot-fashion learning, wordsearches, spelling the word while bouncing a ball, using flashcards, defining the word while skipping, testing your child with a quiz, or using the word in conversation will all help in preparation for the 11+ exam preparation.

Some activities suit learning better than others, but a mixture keeps it all fresh and engaging. A broad education includes everyday family activities, such as board games, sports, holidays, cultural experiences, sporting and artistic events – anything where your child is engaged in experiences that provide learning and knowledge.

Reading is proven to be a key component of academic development – encourage your child to read for pleasure and to read a broad range of fiction and non-fiction. If they struggle with reading, take time to read with them, read to them, and have them read to you. Reading is essential for developing a good vocabulary as well as for learning to feel comfortable with different styles and understanding the world around them.

Variation

Practice across a range of topics and question types keeps preparation interesting and develops flexibility – a key focus of the 11+ exam is flexibility of thinking, which is why most entrance exams will have papers across a variety of subject areas and include critical and reasoning approaches. Don’t just work on the areas your child enjoys or the ones they find more challenging - trying different questions develops an adaptable approach and balances the confidence in topics they know well with the others they are less comfortable with.

Some exam boards use predominantly multiple-choice questions and others favour standard format. Multiple choice involves selecting the correct answer from four or five options, sometimes in an answer booklet that is separate to the question paper. Standard format involves writing the correct answer in the space provided. You should research the schools you are applying to, to find which exam board they use and what sort of formats are involved and then you can work with practice materials that build familiarisation with the realistic question types and formats they will be facing – though it is also important to get used to both types of question as schools do sometimes change the exam board they are using and exam boards sometimes thrown in question styles that your child might not be expecting.

Practicing with both print and online resources is also important – some exams, such as those offered by CEM, are now only available as online tests, whereas others use a paper booklet. Good preparation resources will give your child valuable practice, whatever format they are written in and whatever your child will be tackling in the actual exam, but practice of both print and online tests will stand them in good stead, whatever the exam throws at them.

Balance

Pushing your child to do too much is ineffective, so creating a timetable with plenty of time for rest, exercise, and hobbies is critical. Although it can be tempting to push your child for “just one more” the reality is that one practice test completed when a child has energy, enthusiasm and a clear head is better than two done under duress. If your child understands there are both study sessions where they have to work and time when they can relax, it makes it easier for them to see that their 11+ timetable is balanced and achievable.

Consider a Tutor

If you child is struggling with 11+ preparation or practice is impacting on your relationship with them, you might like to consider hiring a private tutor. There are many benefits to a tutor: your child has their undivided attention; their experience means they can accurately assess and tackle your child’s needs; your child may be more likely to concentrate and work hard in the company of a different adult. 11+ tutors are often in high demand, however, and it can be hard to know where to look for one. Recommendations from other parents whose children have already been through the 11+ can be a good place to start and you should look for a tutor with a provable, strong success rate. Tutoring is, of course, an extra expense that is not always accessible to everyone.

If you plan to work with your child at home yourself, choose practice materials created by reputable publishers or tutorial sites and which use questions by experienced tutors or teachers who really know the exam and how to prepare for it. Much of what 11+ exam prep does is familiarise your child with the types and formats of questions they might face, so that when they sit down in the actual test, they can focus their energy on answering the questions, rather than trying to understand them.

Logical Progression

Some parents will start their 11+ preparation by buying the final book in a range and then complain that it is too difficult or their child is not intelligent enough. It is all about small steps, starting with the easiest material and building up in difficulty gradually as your child’s confidence and ability grows. Likewise, the process of consolidation is also important so make sure you build in plenty of time for revisiting knowledge and skills already learned.

The Timetable

Working with your child on this is a good idea as it helps them feel like you are working together in the 11+ process. Allow them to pick their free time and their work time, building as much variety as you can. Place the revision timetable where a child can easily see what they are doing and when, so that they can prepare themselves in advance.

I hope the advice here helps you to devise a balanced revision 11+ timetable for your child. I have created learning plans for children that don’t work perfectly first time round and do have to be finely tuned until they work, so never worry if your timetable needs changing. It is much easier making a timetable fit around a child, than to make a child fit around a timetable!

Michellejoy Hughes