How to Prepare for English Questions in the 11 Plus

What is tested in the English section of the 11 Plus exam?

There are 2 main exam boards that are used in the 11 Plus: CEM and GL. Generally, both exam boards are testing the same skills and knowledge, however there are some slight differences in the content of the exam. GL tests Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning/Spatial Reasoning whilst CEM tests Numerical Reasoning, Verbal Skills and Non-Verbal Reasoning/Spatial Reasoning. 

In CEM, the Numerical Reasoning questions may involve longer mathematical problems compared to the questions in the maths section of the GL exam. Not all GL exams will have a Spatial Reasoning section so make sure to check whether the exam does include this on the school website. Therefore, if your child is taking a GL exam, they can practise using CEM past papers, if they’ve run out of questions to complete, and vice versa but keep in mind the slight differences when it comes to questions.

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Comprehension

Although schools will practise numerous comprehension questions during lessons, some students may still struggle with this as it requires a much deeper understanding of the text and more sophisticated vocabulary. 

Students will be given a short passage, and they will be tested on their understanding of it. This will involve being able to provide evidence from the passage and answering questions related to the way characters/ settings are perceived. All answers must be in full sentences.

Therefore, in this section, it’s important to be able to understand how to analyse, interpret and retrieve information efficiently from the passage. Moreover, the student needs to have some knowledge of literary techniques and the way that could imply a certain tone about the character or setting.

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Vocabulary 

There is a vocabulary list that students need to be aware of, which can be found here. This list is essential for understanding as well as learning the spelling. It may be a good idea to practise 20 words from the list every week by looking up the meanings of the word, its synonyms/antonyms, as well as practising its spelling. 

Nonetheless, lists aren’t the most effective method of learning new words. Learning vocabulary through reading is much more worthwhile as it demonstrates to the student how these words can be used, and they will be more likely to remember the words and implement them into their own writing through this method.

SPAG  (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) 

There are several ways to improve your child’s SPAG. Reading is the most efficient technique as this will allow them to develop their vocabulary and their SPAG, as well as give them inspiration for the creative writing section of the 11 Plus exam.

Creative writing

As mentioned in the ‘11 plus creative writing‘ article, this is usually used to distinguish between two students with very similar scores therefore, it’s crucial to check how much emphasis your child’s target school puts on this section. 

In this section, students are required to write a short story related to the title/passage. For this, it would be essential to have an understanding of literary techniques (e.g. personification, metaphor), SPAG and be able to develop characters and settings. This is the main reason why reading is recommended to students who choose to sit the 11 plus exam; it aids them with building their imagination and gives them examples of excellent beginnings, which keep them hooked and an ending that leaves them wanting to read more.

Tips for the English section of the 11 plus

• Practice writing: Encourage your child to write and implement literary techniques and key vocabulary from the vocabulary list. Read their short stories, praise them for their effort and try to discuss the characters and atmosphere of the story, this will allow them to broaden their imagination, which will give them an advantage in the creative writing section as they won’t be stuck for ideas.

• Use the vocabulary list: Some words from this set of vocabulary have come up in previous exams and some students have struggled to spell the words. So it’s crucial to go through this list, practice spelling and synonyms/ antonyms with these words, which will help with other parts of the exam such as in the Verbal Reasoning section.

• Reading: Encourage your child to read different types of books and analyse a few pages. This will help guide them with the use of literary techniques and broaden their vocabulary.

Different types of texts students are encouraged to read:

• Poems: these types of texts usually have more hidden meanings and will encourage them to read between the lines hence improving their analytical skills.

• Magazines: this can be more entertaining for children than classic books and it’s important to keep them engaged throughout the whole process of practising for the exam

• Newspaper articles: these will usually contain more formal writing with more sophisticated vocabulary. It may be challenging for students at the beginning but it’s good to practise reading some non-fiction, formal writing as this may be the format of some passages in the 11 plus exam.

• Plays: these will have a large emphasis on the characters and their development so reading the script of a play will help them understand how to write better characters.

• Short stories: this will help their vocabulary and allow them to better understand the way literary techniques can be implemented.

Reading

For this section and the 11 plus exam in general, the importance of reading is heavily emphasised. Most students who pass the exam tend to be 2 years ahead of their national reading age. Therefore, it’s crucial to encourage your child to read regularly and at least 30 minutes everyday. The article ‘11 Plus Reading List’ gives a list of fiction and nonfiction titles that your child might enjoy.

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