11+ Entrance Exams
Preparing for the Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School Entrance Exam
The Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School entrance examination is GL Assessment in style and is taken when children begin Year 6.
The examination consists of three areas:
- English
- Mathematics
- Verbal Reasoning
For many children, the 11+ is very different from the work they are used to seeing in school. This is particularly true of Verbal Reasoning, which can include letter codes, sequences, word relationships and other types of questions that children may never have encountered before.
That is why my tuition is about much more than simply teaching English and Maths. Throughout the year, students become familiar with a wide range of 11+ question types while developing the knowledge, confidence, speed and test technique they need to tackle the examination effectively.
They learn how to recognise different question types, choose efficient methods, work accurately under time pressure and make sensible decisions when they meet a question they find difficult.
Building confidence as well as ability
The competitive nature of grammar school entrance exams can make the whole process feel quite stressful for both children and parents.
One of the most important parts of my job is making the examination feel familiar rather than frightening.
Children have plenty of opportunity to practise the types of questions they are likely to encounter, complete timed activities and papers, use multiple-choice answer sheets and develop strategies for dealing with difficult questions.
I monitor students’ progress throughout the tuition year and, where I spot an area that needs more attention, I can recommend additional practice and work with parents to help address it.
By the time the entrance examination arrives, my aim is for children to feel that they know exactly what they are walking into.
Many of my previous students have come out of the examination saying that it felt surprisingly straightforward because they were so familiar with the format and had practised so thoroughly beforehand.
I can’t promise their parents find the morning quite as easy!
Having had four of my own children sit the entrance examination, I know only too well that the weeks leading up to the test — and the wait for the results afterwards — can sometimes be harder on the parents than on the children.
Find out more about my current 11+ tuition, timetable and availability.
What is covered in the GL Assessment-style 11+?
11+ English
Strong reading and language skills are essential for the English element of the 11+.
Students practise areas including:
- Reading comprehension
- Retrieval and inference
- Vocabulary and word meaning
- Spelling
- Punctuation
- Capital letters
- Grammar
- Sentence structure
- Choosing the most appropriate word
- Understanding words in context
Comprehension questions can be particularly demanding because several answers may initially appear possible. Children learn to look carefully for evidence in the text, distinguish between very similar answer choices and avoid choosing an answer simply because it ‘sounds right’.
A broad vocabulary is also extremely valuable, so vocabulary development forms an important part of our work throughout the year.
11+ Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning is often the least familiar part of the entrance examination when children first begin tuition.
Question types can include:
- Synonyms and antonyms
- Letter codes
- Letter sequences
- Number sequences
- Alphabet work
- Hidden and missing words
- Compound words
- Word relationships
- Analogies
- Number and word codes
- Logic and problem-solving questions
…and many more.
At first, some of these questions can look rather mysterious! Once children learn how the different question types work and have practised reliable methods for solving them, they become much less daunting.
11+ Maths
Children need a secure understanding of the four basic operations:
addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
However, 11+ Maths is not simply about being able to do calculations.
Children also need to be able to apply their mathematical knowledge, particularly in unfamiliar and multi-step problems.
Students work across the KS2 Maths curriculum and gain experience of the wide variety of ways in which familiar mathematical ideas can be presented in an 11+ question.
Some topics that can appear in entrance examination material may not yet have been covered fully at school when children begin Year 5 tuition, so we make sure children meet these areas in plenty of time and have repeated opportunities to practise them.
Just as importantly, children learn to read questions very carefully. Often the calculation itself is not the difficult part — identifying what the question is actually asking them to do is where marks can be won or lost.
Multiple Choice, Timing and Test Technique
Knowing the subject matter is only part of succeeding in an 11+ examination.
Children also need to know how to take the test.
The BRGS-style examination uses multiple-choice questions, and children need plenty of experience using separate answer sheets accurately. Under pressure, it is surprisingly easy to place an answer on the wrong line or lose your place when several sections of an answer sheet look very similar.
We practise this carefully so that using an answer sheet becomes completely familiar.
Children also learn how to use the multiple-choice format to their advantage.
For example, in Maths it may not always be necessary to carry out a long calculation to the very end. Looking at the possible answers can sometimes allow a child to estimate, eliminate impossible options or choose a much quicker method.
In comprehension, reading the questions strategically can help children recognise important information when they encounter it in the passage.
Pace matters
One of the biggest differences between ordinary schoolwork and an entrance examination is the time pressure. A child can understand every topic on the paper and still lose marks simply because they spend too long on a handful of difficult questions.
Throughout tuition, students learn how to:
- Keep moving through a paper
- Recognise questions that are taking too long
- Make an intelligent guess when necessary
- Leave themselves enough time for questions they can answer
- Return to difficult questions if time allows
- Ensure that they do not unnecessarily leave answers blank
As the examination approaches, students complete timed papers and practise under increasingly realistic test conditions. By the final weeks, the format, answer sheets, timings and style of questions should all feel very familiar.
The aim is simple: when children walk into the entrance examination, there should be as few surprises as possible.