11 Plus Exam Preparation

11 Plus Exam Preparation

11+ Exams grammar school entrance exams in the UK, and the complete list of topics under the four main subjects. Keep in mind that exact format and topics vary by region / exam board, so this is a general guide — always check the syllabus of the specific school or board (e.g. GL, CEM, others).

Main Subjects in 11+ Exams

Most grammar schools test up to four subjects in 11+ exams:

  1. Mathematics
  2. English
  3. Verbal Reasoning (VR)
  4. Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR)

Some schools also include creative / extended writing, or spelling / vocabulary / grammar & punctuation explicitly. (Eleven Plus Exams)

Syllabus: Topic Lists by Subject

Below are the topics usually covered under each of the main four subjects, drawn largely from the Key Stage 2 national curriculum (Years 3-6) plus VR / NVR extra reasoning material.

  1. Mathematics

Based on the KS2 Maths Programme of Study. (GOV.UK)

Typical topics include:

  • Number & Place Value
    • Reading, writing, ordering numbers
    • Comparing numbers
    • Understanding place value (units, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.)
    • Rounding numbers (GOV.UK)
  • Addition and Subtraction
    • Mental methods and formal written methods
    • Estimation
    • Solving word / problem-based questions (GOV.UK)
  • Multiplication and Division
    • Times tables (often up to 12×12)
    • Mental & written methods
    • Division with remainders, etc. (Twinkl)
  • Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
    • Equivalent fractions, simplifying
    • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing fractions
    • Converting between fractions, decimals, percentages (Twinkl)
  • Measurement
    • Length, mass, volume / capacity
    • Perimeter, area, sometimes volume
    • Converting units (metric and sometimes imperial)
    • Time – reading clocks, using time, calendars etc. (holywellschool.co.uk)
  • Geometry
    • Properties of shapes (2D and 3D), angles, symmetry
    • Position & direction: coordinates, transformations (translations, reflections), and sometimes rotations (holywellschool.co.uk)
  • Statistics
    • Reading and interpreting data (charts, graphs, tables)
    • Averages (mean, mode, median possibly)
    • Probability in some cases, depending on the test board (holywellschool.co.uk)
  • Ratio & Proportion (sometimes in upper KS2) (Twinkl)
  • Basic Algebra (very simple)
    • Patterns, simple equations

Missing number problems etc. (Grammar School Pathway)

Study
  1. English

Covers comprehension, vocabulary, grammar & punctuation, often some creative writing. Based largely on KS2 English grammar, punctuation & vocabulary requirements. (Grammar School Pathway)

Usual topics:

  • Reading Comprehension
    • Understanding passages: main ideas, inference, summarising
    • Literal vs implicit meaning
    • Answering questions based on texts (Grammar School Pathway)
  • Vocabulary
    • Synonyms and antonyms
    • Prefixes, suffixes, roots, etymology in some cases
    • Word meanings in context
    • Spelling rules, commonly misspelt words (11plusehelp.co.uk)
  • Grammar & Punctuation
    • Parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, conjunction, preposition etc.)
    • Tenses, subject-verb agreement
    • Sentence types (statements, questions, commands, exclamations)
    • Clauses: main vs subordinate, relative clauses etc.
    • Use of punctuation: full stops, commas, apostrophes, quotation/inverted commas, semi-colons, colons, brackets/parentheses, dashes etc. (GOV.UK)
  • Spelling (in some exams, or as part of English)
    • Common rules (e.g. doubling consonants, dropping the ‘e’, etc.)
    • Prefixes/suffixes spelling, irregular words etc. (11plusehelp.co.uk)
  • Creative / Extended Writing (if included)
    • Writing stories, essays, imaginative / descriptive writing
    • Organising ideas, paragraphs, style & tone, audience awareness (Grammar School Pathway)
  1. Verbal Reasoning (VR)

These are logic / reasoning questions using words. Not part of the national curriculum, so schools and exam boards vary more. Common topic types:

  • Analogies (word analogies)
  • Opposites / antonyms
  • Synonyms
  • Word meanings, vocabulary in context
  • Cloze tests (fill in missing words)
  • Codes & code words (simple ciphers)
  • Hidden words / missing letters
  • Word puzzles: making words from letters, rearrangements (anagrams)
  • Letter series / number-letter codes
  • Word-number connections (e.g. letters represent numbers etc.)
  • Following instructions with words, logical word problem statements (Education Quizzes)
  1. Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR)

These test spatial, pattern, and visual logic skills. Again, more variable between exam boards / regions. Common topic types:

  • Shape series (what comes next in a sequence of figures)
  • Pattern / abstract shapes
  • Matrices (figure matrices)
  • Similar shapes / matching / odd one out in shape sets
  • Codes using shapes / symbols
  • Rotations, reflections of shapes
  • Symmetry, mirror images
  • Spatial reasoning: fitting shapes, visual puzzles etc. (Education Quizzes)

Additional / Variation Topics

  • Some areas include numerical reasoning, separate from maths or VR. (Education Quizzes)
  • Some include creative writing as a separate paper. (PiAcademy Tutors)
  • Some local grammar schools may include verbal skills, writing assessment or vocabulary papers. (Education Quizzes)

If you like, I can put together the specific topic list for a particular exam board (e.g. GL or CEM), or for grammar schools in London / your area, so you have exactly what to study. Do you want me to do that?

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