PREPARING FOR THE NEW 11+ OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

The 11+, quite rightly, has a rather daunting reputation. Not only is it most girls’ first experience of a formal exam process but the volume of girls sitting it has raised the standard of the year group far higher than their brothers at that age.

This year makes the first of a new 11+ exam system which is “untutorable”. This is part of an attempt to reduce the hours of extra work and tutoring that young girls go through in addition to their homework and extra curricular activities, to prevent exhaustion.

However, the new exams will still feature Maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning and your daughter should be given many opportunities to become familiar with these skills ahead of January. Especially, they should have a good grasp of their English skills and comprehension, and everything they have done in Maths this year and last.

My recommendation is that, in addition to any tutoring your daughter might be having, she spends the Christmas holidays supporting these sessions with her own work. I strongly advocate the “little and often” approach to preparation. A focused 30mins every day is far better than two hours on a Sunday.

There are many examples of verbal and non-verbal reasoning books and apps that can help ( just ask the school or tutor to recommend some). Ones with timed tests work best. Make the 30mins part of her routine: immediately after breakfast or while lunch is prepared for example. Also, not only is it important that their work is marked (most books/ apps have the answers) but they need to go through their corrections so they can improve, instead of just practising questions they can already get right. If your daughter has a tutor then these practise sessions will help the tutor to identify the areas where she is weakest and needs extra help.

For the last week to ten days of the holidays, increase the length of time to one hour by offering her two different subjects back to back. This will let her practise concentration.

The biggest challenge is the level of vocabulary that these new exams require, especially in the verbal reasoning. Make sure your daughter is reading every day, something age appropriate which will bring her into contact with new words. Reading classics or books set in different eras will give better chances of increasing vocabulary. Encourage her to ask you about unfamiliar words, or challenge her to guess the meaning of unusual words you come across day-to-day.

Most importantly, please remind your daughters that, while the 11+ has relevance to their immediate future, a calm and happy student will achieve more than an anxious one. This exam shouldn’t define their opinion of themselves or their future and they have value regardless of their result. Ultimately, there are always enough places for everyone somewhere.