Maths
Spot the Low-Hanging Fruit
In every maths paper, there will be a few straightforward questions, such as converting a number written in words into digits, or rounding a number to the nearest 10. These questions are easy wins. Make sure your child knows how to spot them quickly, and that they’ve got these simple skills tucked firmly into their belt, so they can hoover up as many marks as possible before tackling the trickier stuff.
In every maths paper, there will be a few straightforward questions, such as converting a number written in words into digits, or rounding a number to the nearest 10. These questions are easy wins. Make sure your child knows how to spot them quickly, and that they’ve got these simple skills tucked firmly into their belt, so they can hoover up as many marks as possible before tackling the trickier stuff.
Taking two or three maths mock tests can help your child recognise which types of simple questions almost always appear, and making sure they can answer them confidently.
Know your Weaknesses
Your child probably already knows which topics are their weaker areas. If a question on one of these topics comes up, whether it be percentages or algebra, negative numbers or scales, they should skip it for now and come back to it later, if there’s time. The marks are the same for every question, so why spend five minutes trying to solve a tough one, when they could use that time to answer three simpler questions correctly?
Develop a Work-Smart Code
Encourage your child to mark up the question sheet (not the answer sheet!) as they work through it with ticks or crosses or circles, or whatever marks they fancy, to show which questions they’ve already done, which they’ve skipped for now, and which they might avoid altogether if they run short of time.
English
Slow Down and Check the Passage
In our experience at Club 11 Plus, most mistakes in the comprehension part of the English test happen because children don’t refer back to the passage before picking an answer. Without any evidence from the passage, they go with the obvious answer, which in the 11 Plus test, often isn’t the right one.
In our experience at Club 11 Plus, most mistakes in the comprehension part of the English test happen because children don’t refer back to the passage before picking an answer. Without any evidence from the passage, they go with the obvious answer, which in the 11 Plus test, often isn’t the right one.
Smart Strategy:
Time is usually quite generous in the English paper, so use it! Many children finish this paper early, but could have scored a far higher mark if they had slowed down, worked more methodically, referred back to the passage for evidence, and checked all their answers.
Master Punctuation Marks
In SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar) questions, mastering punctuation marks is a quick win. A little focused revision here can go a long way. Club 11 Plus offers modules on all the punctuation skills required for any GL test.
Do a Flick-Through
A word to the wise: always flick through the whole test before starting. Some longer papers include two comprehension passages, and you don’t want your child to be hit with that nasty surprise when they turn onto the final page!
Know your Terminology
Brush up on literary language like onomatopoeia, hyperbole, irony, and alliteration. These questions should be quick and easy to answer, as long as your child has learned the meanings of all the relevant terms. Club 11 Plus has modules covering all of the literary terms that can come up in any GL test.
Verbal Reasoning
Play to your Strengths
There are twenty different types of verbal reasoning questions, and it’s a very rare child who’s brilliant at all of them. But that’s fine - the key is for your child to be aware of which types of question they find easier, and prioritise those.
Each test will include a mix of questions, perhaps twelve different types, with six questions of each, plus maybe two longer word problems, depending on the length of the test. A quick skim through the paper right at the start will help your child decide where to begin.
If they love vocabulary-based questions and word puzzles, start there. If they struggle with code-breaking, leave those until the end – even if your child is accurate at the code questions, they do tend to be very time-consuming!
Remember that the goal is to gather as many marks as possible, as efficiently as possible. Your child doesn’t have to prove that they’re good at everything - they just need to maximise their score.
Non-Verbal Reasoning
Spot the Question Types
The GL non-verbal reasoning test now only includes eight question types (six main types and two sub-types). That’s good news, as it makes it much easier for your child to learn exactly how to approach each type of question, and to become expert at learning to spot which one is which.
If they are familiar with all eight question types, once they’ve spotted which type it is, they don’t have to spend time figuring out how to solve it - they can just dive in and do it.
Be Prepared to Guess
Occasionally, even the most experienced of us can be stumped by an NVR question (yes, even us Club 11 Plus boffins!). If the answer doesn’t pop out after about a minute, it’s best to make an educated guess and move on. Spending five minutes stuck on one question is a luxury no 11 Plus student can afford!
Work Smart, Not Just Hard
We’re not saying ditch the hard work - far from it. But all the revision in the world won’t help if your child spends too long on the hardest questions, or rushes through an English paper without checking their answers.
Think of this smart approach as a test triage: assess the apparent difficulty of each question, decide how much time to spend, and move through the paper with purpose.
Club 11 Plus Can Help
At Club 11 Plus, we teach not only the what of the test, but also the how. Every topic in every subject, maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, is covered in full, with hundreds of lessons and quizzes, allowing your child to become fully familiar with anything they could face on test day.
We offer mock tests too, but we recommend using them sparingly, and quite late in the process, to build confidence and technique. You can even ask our team to review your child's mock test results and book a free 30-minute chat to discuss how best to target the most crucial areas.
Final Thoughts: Strategy is a Superpower
The 11 Plus is a test of knowledge, but also of logic, resilience, and smart decision-making.
With the right approach, your child can play to their strengths, avoid common traps, and give themselves the best possible chance of success.
The best approach is to work both hard and smart - because savvy thinking can make all the difference.
Take advantage of the Club 11 Plus our 7-day free trial today!