My approach to 11+ English/Verbal Reasoning
I don’t rely on 11+ practice papers. They are very useful in helping a child become familiar with the structure and content of an 11+ exam, but they will not teach skills. They are not being tested on whether they can take a test. There is a great deal of truth in the old saying: ‘You don’t fatten an animal by continually weighing it.’
Many of the candidates will be excellent at maths. The offer of a grammar school place will be decided on their English result. I create my own materials. This means that I can make the content more challenging than most children will encounter if they are just relying on practice papers.
Most children start to work with me at the start of year 4. This gives me the time to develop their skills. I have four key objectives:
Focus
Reading for Meaning
Knowledge (CEM) /Skills (GL)
Speed
As my students become stronger in all of these areas, their confidence increases. This means that they are less likely to panic when they are faced with the actual 11+ examination. If they’re panicking, they’re not thinking clearly. They’re still very young. It is not uncommon for some children to become so overwhelmed that they have to leave the examination hall.
Reading for Meaning (CEM/GL)
Most children look for the answers when answering comprehension questions. This is a low level technique. Relying on skimming and scanning will ensure that marks are lost. I teach my pupils to read for the answer.
When a child starts lessons with me, I give them a short comprehension test. 90% of them get 75% of it wrong. Is it a difficult text? No. I wrote it using only tier one words. (Words used in everyday speech.) Were the questions complicated? No. Not at all.
When I explain why they lost so many marks - and they are always shocked that they didn’t get it all correct! - it is a real light bulb moment.
Focus (CEM/GL)
If a child has poor focus, there is no chance of success. I have created a huge amount of material to help with this.
Only a tiny minority of children will have naturally developed the ability to sustain a high level of concentration at this age. My work speeds up the maturation process.
Overworking a child is an excellent way of blunting focus. Sometimes, very well-meaning parents will undo my careful preparation. This never used to happen. However, in recent years, parents have started to become desperate for success. Relax! The 11+ needs to be approached in a calm, considered manner.
I don’t over work my students. A calm, considered approach is best. No one is rewarded with a grammar school place on the basis of the number of hours they have worked. It’s the quality of the work that counts.
Knowledge (CEM)
I may be wrong, but I think the Knowledge section of the CEM 11+ was designed to thwart tutors like me!
It is felt that some children are at a disadvantage if their parents cannot afford private tuition to prepare them for the 11+. Therefore, the punctuation, spelling and grammar section, which is skills based, was replaced.
Instead, CEM tests children’s knowledge of synonyms and antonyms. Presumably the thinking was, that no matter how little a parent earns, they can afford to take their child to a library, so they can borrow a plethora of books which they can read to increase their knowledge of words.
I’ve had to use a certain amount of guile to come up with materials that include vocabulary that may be used in the exam.
SPAG (GL)
Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar (SPAG)
With thorough preparation it should be possible to secure 100% of these marks.
The bonus is that, whether a child achieves a place at a grammar school or not, they will start secondary school with a strong grounding in SPAG skills.
This is a very satisfying element of the 11+ to teach.
Speed (CEM/GL)
The 11+ is a race against time. A sprinter won’t beat his competitors by just running as many races as possible. In the same way, relying on preparing for the 11+ with practice papers won’t ensure a winning place.
The sprinter will undertake a variety of training methods to increase their speed.
I do the same thing.