The 11 Plus is a major milestone in most children’s education. It’s a gateway to selective schools (both state-funded and independent) offering a range of benefits including smaller class sizes, improved resources and facilities, and a challenging yet engaging curriculum.
For parents, however, the 11 Plus exam can be a source of stress. You naturally want your child to do well, but also don’t want to put too much pressure on them.
One way to help your child prepare for 11 Plus exams is mock tests. They’re an excellent way of helping your child feel comfortable and confident for the real thing, and identify any areas of improvement.
So, if you’re thinking of 11 Plus mock tests for your child – here’s all the information you need. We’ll explore the benefits of mock testing, the best ways to prepare and what to do once results are in.
What is the 11 Plus?
If you’re thinking about 11 Plus mock tests, you probably already have a fairly good idea about what the 11 Plus exam is. But for anyone unsure, the 11 Plus is a school entrance exam taken by children in their last year of primary education (normally at the age of 10 or 11). It’s used by grammar, partially selective and private schools to determine admission.
These exams typically include some elements of verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and english. Some schools might also have additional admissions criteria based on music, science or sports (for example).
11 Plus exams are designed to be challenging, as they assess whether your child will flourish in an academically-driven environment. But the good news is with adequate preparation – there’s no reason your child can’t succeed.
What are 11 Plus mock tests?
11 Plus mock tests closely replicate the 11 Plus exams your child will face. They’re arranged by independent providers (like us at Achieve Learning) and are an excellent way to help your child prepare for the real thing. These assessments take place in external test settings, helping children understand exam environments and overcome their nerves.
As well as the testing environment, the format of mock tests is as close as possible to the real 11 Plus – giving your child the opportunity to practise exam technique and build their confidence.
At Achieve Learning, our 11 Plus mock tests are fully unique and carefully designed to accurately reflect the real exams. For instance, our South West Hertfordshire Consortium exams replicate the maths and verbal reasoning papers your child will face for this group of 7 partially selective schools. Equally, our Queen Elizabeth’s Boys School 11 Plus mock tests reflect the school’s use of maths and english papers set by GL Assessment.
What are the benefits of 11 Plus mock tests?
There are so many benefits to 11 Plus mock tests. Just some of the advantages include:
- Overcoming nerves: Lots of children haven’t had any experience with external tests outside of their classroom environment. Mock tests help them overcome their nerves and perform to the best of their ability.
- Improve exam technique and confidence: 11 Plus mock tests help your child work on their exam technique and time management. This will build confidence, reduce anxiety and develop good habits for the day, such as taking toilet breaks before the test and answering questions in the correct format.
- Identify areas of strength and weakness: Practice tests are a great way of identifying your child’s unique strengths and weaknesses under formal testing environments. This gauges your child’s ability in relation to other students and helps you target revision and preparation effectively.
- Assessing stamina: Sitting multiple back-to-back exams can be exhausting for children. It’s very different from home or familiar school surroundings. 11 Plus mock tests assess your child’s stamina and improve their ability to sit (and concentrate) for extended periods.
- Understanding the exam format: A reputable provider will ensure the format of 11 Plus mock tests is as close as possible to real exams. This is invaluable for helping you and your child become familiar with the structure and format of your chosen school’s tests.
How can I help my child prepare for 11 Plus mock tests?
Just like the real deal, preparing for 11 Plus mock tests is essential. If you want genuine insights into your child’s strengths and weaknesses, it’s important to help them perform to the best of their ability.
Here are a few tips to bear in mind:
- Talk to your child: Explain the rationale behind 11 Plus mock tests and try to reduce any anxiety or pressure they might feel. Too much pressure can be counterproductive, so keeping things calm, quiet, supportive and positive is key!
- Practice papers: There are plenty of familiarisation papers available from GL Assessment, to help your child understand the exam format before their mock tests. You can often find sample papers on school websites too, so do check-in with the school you’re applying to.
- Don’t sit too many tests: Sitting too many mock tests can be draining for your child. As a rule of thumb, two or three papers in the few months before exams (starting roughly from June) is ideal.
- Work on key skills: Practise the key skills your child will need. As well as maths and english content, think about critical thinking skills and logic games to make learning fun. For instance, online quizzes (from sites like BBC Bitesize), and games like Scrabble, Bananagrams, sudokus and crosswords all help.
- Timing and techniques: As part of your work with past papers, don’t underestimate the importance of exam timings on the day. Help your child understand how long they can spend on each section and question. As part of this, establish a regular study routine (that doesn’t tire them out!) to help your child develop good study habits in the run-up to exams.
- Consider tutoring: Personalised 1-1 tutoring can be a fantastic way to help your child prepare for 11 Plus exams (whether mock tests or not!). Tutors will provide personalised instruction and help your child identify and address any areas where they’re struggling.
What can parents do after 11 Plus mock test results?
At Achieve Learning, we provide a full feedback report on your child’s mock test results (including revision tips and areas for improvement), emailed within five working days.
Once you have the results of your child’s 11 Plus mock tests, it’s time to identify key areas of improvement and formulate a strategy for moving forward. Creating a thorough plan and discussing results can lead to significant improvement – especially if your child’s score was impacted by exam day nerves, time management issues or misunderstandings on specific topics.
As well as practising timed papers (focusing on areas identified in 11 Plus mock tests), encouraging your child to develop a growth mindset is vitally important. A “growth mindset” is the belief that your abilities can develop through hard work and dedication. By instilling confidence in your child, you can help them stay motivated and engaged in their studies.
Finally, we’ve already talked about the importance of reducing anxiety, but it’s so important to keep everything in perspective. 11 Plus exams aren’t the end of the world, and there are still plenty of other great schools out there! Remind your child their worth isn’t determined by test results and there are many paths to success. If your child is really struggling with mock tests, don’t put too much pressure on them – and focus on finding a school that’s the right fit.
How Achieve Learning can help your child’s 11 Plus preparations
At Achieve Learning, we understand how important it is to support your children in achieving their academic goals. With over 18 years’ experience providing 11 Plus mock tests and one-to-one tuition, we’re perfectly placed to help your child prepare for their 11 Plus exams.
Our professional 11 Plus mock tests are designed to let your child experience the format and environment of the real exams, helping them overcome nerves and build confidence. Our experienced team carefully selects the tests, manages the day and offers valuable feedback – identifying areas of weakness and revision tips for helping your child improve.
In addition to our 11 Plus mock tests, we also offer individual consultancy services to help you and your child keep preparations on track. Our friendly team is always happy to provide guidance and support, so get in touch and book a mock test today.
