Is your child preparing for the 11+ exams?

Is your child preparing for the 11+ exams?

It may be August and you are looking forwards to the summer holidays and the last thing
on your mind may be the 11+ exams. However the 11+ exams are fast approaching with the
date of the exams set as Saturday the 8th of September for the Birmingham area. Therefore
it is important to help and motivate your child to prepare for the exams, if you haven’t
already started.

Normally a child should take a steady pace and start his/her preparation 6-12 months
before the actual 11+ test. This lengthy timeframe will allow your child to slowly build their
knowledge and acquire plenty of experience and confidence before the exams.

However, not everyone will get the opportunity to start preparation 6-12months in
advance, thus the last month of August is crucial.

You should encourage reading at home, a variety of different texts and setting tasks for
them to do every day. These tasks could vary from a range of activities, from playing
educational online games, to completing workbooks and worksheets.

By completing a variety of different tasks it will give you the opportunity to grasp the topics
in which you child succeeds in, and identify where they may be struggling. In this way you
can focus your revision and preparation on the particular area in which your child may need
the extra time and help.

Here are some ways you can support your child prepare for the 11+:

1) Ensure that they are strong on the basics of Maths i.e firm foundations of
2)adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, tables, decimals. Fractions,
percentages – this will allow secure success on more advanced work
3) Develop their confidence with reading and writing at a stage above that expected of their age?
4) Particularly ensure that when reading they understand what they
read and are able to speak confidently and with insight
5)Basics of grammar, vocabulary and tenses are essential foundations for strong
creative writing
6)Work with them to ensure their vocabulary is varied and interesting
7)Practice verbal reasoning and non verbal reasoning papers with them so they
become used to the format of questions and the different types of questions
8)Encourage them to finish practice exams papers within the time limit