11+ English Exam Practice

Many private schools write their own English test papers altering the content each year to keep the papers different year on year and to help reduce the possibility of question types being “leaked” to parents. GL Assessment and CEM (Durham University) set many of the exams that schools do not create themselves.

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The 11+ English exam requires practice and revision of all areas of English. Much of this work will have been taught and learned as part of your child's everyday school curriculum. However additional revision and preparation on all aspects of English is essential for any child taking this important exam.

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It is likely that state primary schools will place less emphasis on 11+ preparation than private or preparatory schools.

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Comprehension and grammar

Question types vary but there will almost certainly be a traditional reading comprehension based on a variety of texts such as poems, fiction or non-fiction. This comprehension will be followed by a variety of question types such as understanding the meaning of words used in the text, grammar-based questions on pro-nouns, verbs, prepositions, plurals, adverbs and adjectives etc.

 

Other question types may involve punctuation and the use of capital letters, exclamation and question marks, apostrophe or quotation marks. A clear knowledge of punctuation, verbs and their tenses, suffixes, prefixes, nouns and pronouns, adverbs and the use of the apostrophe are all essential skills over which a child must have full mastery. Accurate spelling is essential and a child may be asked to spot spelling errors in a sentence or to place words in alphabetical order.

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Other question types such as selecting words with similar or opposite meanings are English based but also appear in 11+ Verbal Reasoning exams. 

 

Cloze procedure

Sometimes children may have to complete “A Cloze procedure” question. This sounds complicated but your child will have to fill the spaces left in a written passage so that the passage or sentence makes sense. They may be asked to choose from three or four possible answers in order to fill each space.

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There is also the possibility that they may be asked to complete a writing task requiring them to write a creative story, write a diary entry or perhaps even a letter. Other versions of this written question type are not only possible but are very likely.

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Areas of the country and private schools where demand for grammar school places is very high often set an English test. Having a good quality glossary of English terms will help your child to learn the various parts of English grammar.

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Reading and vocabulary

Crucial to success in the 11+ English test is that your child must have a very wide vocabulary. This will be developed if your child reads widely and is an avid reader. They should read a wide range of texts as this will expose them to different forms of writing and different contexts for using English. These reading texts should include fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, leaflets, magazines and brochures. These are all different forms of writing and all employ the English language in a diversity of ways.

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You should also be aware that 11+ verbal reasoning, which almost all areas and schools use, makes huge demands on your child’s knowledge of the English language.

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(The 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning tests do not rely so heavily on understanding and using English.)

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This 11+ English Book provides 10 English tests with each test containing 50 questions based on all the above aspects of English. A comprehensive glossary and answers are included.

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