The 11+ comprehension involves a short passage of text followed by a number of questions. Students are expected to read and understand the passage in order to answer these questions correctly. Therefore, strong comprehension abilities are a must! So what helps a child better understand what they read?
Here are seven of our top tips to help improve your child’s reading comprehension.
It is important to keep in mind your child’s ability to manage this stress around their entrance exams. This is not always easy, for both child and parent, though it is crucial to their wellbeing and their ultimate success in their exams. Here are five things to keep in mind to help your child manage and reduce their 11+ related anxiety.
What are Greek and Latin roots and why are they so important for 11+ preparation? This is a vocabulary recognition method that may be especially useful in an exam setting. Greek and Latin words form the basis, or root, for many of the words we use in the English language. This is important because it can help us understand the meaning of English words, even when we have never encountered them before. Here are 25 examples from both languages that are in common use today. There are many, many more root words but these can form the beginning of your child’s study of them.
Many independent schools in the UK select their candidates for entry based not only on their scores in an entrance exam but also on their performance in an interview. These interviews can present a challenge for parents who often are not sure what exactly to expect for their child. Here are a number of our top tips for parents seeking to prepare their child for their entrance interview.
Children do often feel that the essay element of the 11+ is a monumental, insurmountable task, and parents preparing them for it can often feel the same way! The tough time limit and the unseen writing prompts can make the essay quite daunting. What’s more, it can be difficult to find the right resources to prepare effectively for the 11+ creative writing exam. That’s where we come in.
Films are often championed as a great way to improve English as a second language – natural pronunciation, everyday vocabulary, spoken grammar, idioms, slang and accents all play out as a part of an engaging story with helpful visuals. With all that in mind, are they a suitable way to prepare your child for the vocabulary demands of the 11+?
As the parent of a child taking the 11+ exam you will probably find the process quite stressful. Reducing stress where you can is essential to ensuring your child’s success in securing a place at their school of choice. Here we have compiled some of our top tips for easing the anxiety that seems otherwise inescapable as you begin the 11+ journey.
“Mock exams are a crucial part of 11+ preparation.” From our experience running 11+ courses, we know that no amount of tuition and home practice can prepare a child fully for real exam conditions. Children aged 10-11 generally have very little experience in exam conditions, as timed curriculum tests at school are far more relaxed and take place in familiar surroundings. Some children can even find mock exams intimidating and can get very nervous and have difficulty remaining focused when they attend a formal venue. We find that our own Year 5 students make greater progress with exam performance by sitting more mock exams and getting exposure to this environment.
Do online 11 plus mock exams resemble the real 11 plus? This week we are taking a look at the effectiveness of online mock papers, and how they might compare to a real 11 plus exam.
In most cases, the answer to “what should my child be reading” is a fairly obvious one: whatever they can be persuaded to! However, if your child is a moderately keen reader and is looking to take the next steps in improving their vocabulary, there are a few essential books they can add to their library.
We have compiled a selection of some of our favourite classic texts for years 3 to 5.