Best 11+ learning tools
Boost vocabulary with flash cards
Created by a mum to help her own sons when they were preparing to take the 11+, Farquhar’s Vocabulary Flash Cards are designed to improve your child’s verbal reasoning skills by increasing their vocabulary.
Learning lists of words can be an extremely daunting, but necessary, part of 11+ prep (can your ten-year-old define the words miser, sage or contrite?), but the cards are very user-friendly, featuring a definition and synonyms. Small enough to fit into your handbag, each set comes in a very solid box, with a metal ring to organise the cards with.
Four sets are available, each containing 100 double-sided cards (Confidence building; Serious about vocabulary; Opposites – Synonyms and antonyms; Compound words), and all the words featured have been selected from recognised 11+ materials. Prices start at £12.99 + £3.99 postage for one set, or £40 + £3.99 postage for all four sets.
You can also download free 11+ vocabulary flashcards from TheSchoolRun.
Exam Papers Plus & TheSchoolRun
If you're looking for practice papers for your child's 11+, our partners at Exam Papers Plus have papers, courses and mock exams for each area.
And their Pretest Plus offers online tests and video courses to help your child succeed at CAT, ISEB PRETEST, CEM SELECT and UKISET examinations.
See practice questions for the 11+ exams in your area
The 11+ test is written by different exam providers in different areas – and the resulting tests can be very different in format and in what's covered. Make sure you understand exactly what kind of 11+ test your child will be sitting in September with TheSchoolRun's comprehensive local 11+ guides.
We also explain everything you need to know about GL Assessment.
You can download free 'mock' practice tests written in the style of the CEM and GL Assessment tests from CGP.
You can also download free ExamHappy sample papers and use their app to mark your child's answers.
Prepare Your Child For The 11+ Exam
- Essential 11+ English and maths skills
- Verbal and non-verbal reasoning questions
- Reading comprehension worksheets
- CLOZE test worksheets
Fit a quick practice burst into the everyday routine
Turn some of your child's screen time into 11+ practice time with the 11+ Apps series (maths, English, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and vocabulary building apps are available). We've yet to meet a child who doesn't feel that working on an electronic device makes everything more interesting, and it's easy to fit a few questions into your everyday routine.
Each app covers different types of questions and offers an explanation of each answer, as well as a progress meter to help track progress. Available for iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry; prices start at £2.99.
Put the fun into 11+ revision
Put the fun back into 11+ revising with Whizz Match games: Whizz Opposites, Whizz Match Synonyms, Whizz Match Vocabulary, Whizz Maths and Zoom Codes 11+ GL Verbal Reasoning.
Vocabulary and maths card games have been designed to make practice sessions fun, and the activities can be played individually or as a group. Ten-minute playing times also make it easy to fit in some revision when there isn't much time available.
Compare your child's results with those of other kids their age
The 11+ has no overall pass mark: it changes in every area, every year, and is set taking into account what children score on the test (so the pass mark for the year is higher if a large percentage of pupils do well and get high scores, and lower if many score low). That's where the 11+ Peer Compare™ system comes into its own, allowing you to get a feel for how well your child is performing in practice tests when compared to other children their age.
Peer-compare online practice books are available for Maths, English, Verbal reasoning and Non-Verbal reasoning, £11.99 each.
Use online feedback, marking and reporting tools
Unless you're an 11+ expert yourself, marking your child's practice efforts and explaining how to get the correct answer when they're having trouble can be very hard work.
Give yourself a helping hand with the new online 11+ courses from Learning Together, which allow you to review each individual practice attempt and get detailed feedback about how to answer each question. Correct answers are shown in green and incorrect answers are shown in red; specific and relevant feedback is provided for each one to support your child's learning (and give them a well-deserved pat on the back where appropriate!).
Prices start at £7.99 for one-month access or £19.99 for three-month access to a complete 11+ learning course in English, maths, non-verbal reasoning and verbal reasoning.
11+: starting preparation and revision
For more information about the 11+ read our parents' guide to the exam, plus the 8 facts all parents need to know about the 11+.
We also cover the basics of verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, and our subscriber-only learning pack, Verbal and non-verbal reasoning: an introduction, offers practice questions and techniques to start you on the 11+ preparation journey.
TheSchoolRun has also produced free 11+ vocabulary flashcards to download.
We also have a glossary of essential 11+ terminology you need to know.
NB: TheSchoolRun receives a small commission from sales made through Exam Paper Plus.
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