11 Plus English Exam – Year 5

A list of schools/areas this advice applies to is at the bottom of the page.

Skills development and exam preparation – Year 5

If preparing at home you have a choice between:

1. Using a structured course

2. Using books

In summary, if you choose a structured course all the planning is done for you, everything is included and you just have to print it out and do it. On the other hand, if you choose to buy books you would need to do the planning yourself and decide what to do when.

Please download our FREE 11 Plus English preparation guide which gives detailed explanations of how to structure a preparation programme at home and how to use the resources we have recommended below.

1. Using Structured Courses for Preparation

2. Using Books for Preparation

Step One (see guide) – Skills development and practice

English tests contain many different elements so we recommend a variety of materials to suit. Where books come without answers this is noted.

General English skills books

Bond – No Nonsense English 9 – 10 (answers included)

Bond – No Nonsense English 10 – 11 (answers included)

OR    

Schofield and Sims – English Skills 5   (answer book can be bought separately)

Schofield and Sims – English Skills 6   (answer book can be bought separately)

Additional English

Use both books

Schofield and Sims – Springboard 7

Schofield and Sims – Springboard 8 (excellent books but no answers available)

Grammar and Punctuation

Letts – Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (answers included)

Vocabulary and Spelling

OR

11+ Vocabulary in Context Book 2

11+ Vocabulary in Context Book 3

11+ Vocabulary in Context Book 4

Kit’s Educational Publishing – Complete Graded Spelling Lists years one to six

Comprehension

ⓘ Editor’s Pick- Learning Street’s 11 Plus Comprehension Course is perfect for children preparing for independent school exams as, unlike books, it covers written comprehension questions, not just multiple choice.

OR use books

Schofield and Sims – Comprehension Book 3

Schofield and Sims – Comprehension Book 4

Schofield and Sims – Comprehension Teachers Guide

Step Two (see guide) – Exam technique development and practice

Use both or one depending on time you have available.

CGP – Practice Book 9 – 10

Bond – 11 Plus English Assessment Tests 10 – 11

Step Three (see guide) – Exam skills development using 11 Plus standard tests

Use a selection of these to help your child apply their skills flexibly.

Where you are studying for a GL written exam (in Kent or Buckinghamshire for example) then these two packs of English papers are more important than the others. They are not in exactly the same format as the exam will be but they are written by the supplier of the actual exam papers.

If you only have time to do a few papers then do these.

GL Assesment- English 11 Plus Multiple Choice Pack 1,  Multiple Choice Pack 2 and Multiple Choice Pack 3

AND/OR

Letts – English Practice Papers Multiple Choice

Bond – 11 Plus Test Papers English Standard Pack 1

Letts 11+ Success English Practice Papers

 Step four- Do some realistic Mock Exam Papers at home

Suppliers are now producing realistic mock paper packs. These are very useful because unlike the papers in step three they are structured in the same or similar way to the exam itself. Not all schools and areas are covered as of yet but most are. There are two main suppliers of these and we recommend the one below as they offer much better value. These papers are more expensive than mass produced /one size fits all but they are also about 80% cheaper than doing a hall based mock.

We’d recommend doing perhaps 4 of these ( one every weekend) as you near the exam to really sharpen up that exam technique. You can also do them in advance of doing a hall based mock so you get best value from that larger investment.

This link will take you to a listing of the 11 plus mock exam papers available

Schools/areas this advice applies to:

Buckinghamshire – all schools

Devon – all schools

Dorset – all schools

Essex – all schools – apart from Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Gloucestershire – all schools

Greater Manchester – all schools – apart from Sale Grammar School

Kent Medway – all schools

Kent – all schools

Lancashire – all schools

London Barnet – all schools

London Sutton – all schools

South West Hertfordshire- all schools

Wiltshire – all schools

Wirral-Liverpool – Calday Grange, West Kirby, Wirral Grammar School for Boys and Wirral Grammar School for Girls.

Dame Alice Owen’s School – Hertfordshire

Tiffin Girls’ School – London Kingston-upon-Thames

St Olaves Grammar School – London Bromley

Skipton Girls’ High School – North Yorkshire