11+ & Common Entrance
11+ and 13+ tuition for selective school entrance
One-to-one online 11+ and 13+ preparation from £45 an hour. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning, English, Maths and the school-specific papers set by independent and grammar schools, building confidence along with the skills.
The facts
- Grammar schools
- Test in the September of Year 6. You register the summer before, or there's no test.
- Independent day schools
- Most use the ISEB Pre-Test, online and adaptive, sat once for all of them. Then their own papers and an interview in January.
- London girls' schools
- One shared Consortium test in late November or early December.
- Sessions
- 45 to 60 minutes with Will, Sai or Cyrus, from £45 an hour.
Three different things people mean by the 11+
Grammar schools test in the September of Year 6, and registration closes the summer before. Most independent day schools use the ISEB Pre-Test, which is online and adaptive, covers Maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and is sat once and shared with every school on your list. Then come their own papers and an interview in January. The London 11+ Consortium girls' schools share one test in late November.
Adaptive means the questions get harder as your child gets them right, and there's no going back. Children who've only practised on paper find that unsettling, so we practise on screen. For grammar schools we use whichever style your area sets, GL or CEM.
How we work with a nine-year-old
Forty-five to sixty minutes online, with your child writing on a shared whiteboard and you nearby for the first few if you'd like. Will, Sai and Cyrus teach this age group. Two parents of Year 4 pupils told us their children's reading, spelling and confidence in class picked up noticeably with Will.
Reasoning is mostly vocabulary and pattern, and it can be learned, so we teach the skills first and exam technique second. Reading widely does more for verbal reasoning than any workbook. Timed mocks start about three months before the test.
Three different things people mean by the 11+
Grammar schools test in the September of Year 6, and registration closes the summer before. Most independent day schools use the ISEB Pre-Test, which is online and adaptive, covers Maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and is sat once and shared with every school on your list. Then come their own papers and an interview in January. The London 11+ Consortium girls' schools share one test in late November.
Adaptive means the questions get harder as your child gets them right, and there's no going back. Children who've only practised on paper find that unsettling, so we practise on screen. For grammar schools we use whichever style your area sets, GL or CEM.
How we work with a nine-year-old
Forty-five to sixty minutes online, with your child writing on a shared whiteboard and you nearby for the first few if you'd like. Will, Sai and Cyrus teach this age group. Two parents of Year 4 pupils told us their children's reading, spelling and confidence in class picked up noticeably with Will.
Reasoning is mostly vocabulary and pattern, and it can be learned, so we teach the skills first and exam technique second. Reading widely does more for verbal reasoning than any workbook. Timed mocks start about three months before the test.
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Questions
- How early should we start?
- About a year before, so the start of Year 5. If you're looking at grammar schools, check the registration date now. It closes in the summer term of Year 5. Before Year 4, honestly, the best preparation is reading and enjoying maths.
- What does adaptive mean for my child?
- Every question depends on the last answer, so a child who's doing well sees harder questions and can't go back. Practising on screen, and knowing that harder is good, takes away most of the shock.
- How many schools should we apply to?
- One Pre-Test covers all the independent schools, so the limit is how many January interview days you can manage. Three or four is common. Grammar schools are ranked on the council form.
- What do 11+ interviews ask?
- About your child. A book they're reading, something they made, a puzzle to think through out loud. Schools want curiosity, and a child who can talk about their own thinking. We practise, but we don't script.
- What about 13+?
- Most senior schools now pre-test in Year 6 or 7 and confirm the place with Common Entrance in Year 8. Our tutors stay with pupils right through.
How early should we start?
About a year before, so the start of Year 5. If you're looking at grammar schools, check the registration date now. It closes in the summer term of Year 5. Before Year 4, honestly, the best preparation is reading and enjoying maths.
What does adaptive mean for my child?
Every question depends on the last answer, so a child who's doing well sees harder questions and can't go back. Practising on screen, and knowing that harder is good, takes away most of the shock.
How many schools should we apply to?
One Pre-Test covers all the independent schools, so the limit is how many January interview days you can manage. Three or four is common. Grammar schools are ranked on the council form.
What do 11+ interviews ask?
About your child. A book they're reading, something they made, a puzzle to think through out loud. Schools want curiosity, and a child who can talk about their own thinking. We practise, but we don't script.
What about 13+?
Most senior schools now pre-test in Year 6 or 7 and confirm the place with Common Entrance in Year 8. Our tutors stay with pupils right through.
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