In 11 Plus English tests, the bar is set much higher - the “obvious” answer is often wrong, and red herrings are deliberately included to trip up the overconfident. The good news is that with the right approach, most children can raise their game significantly.
Here's a breakdown of the method we encourage our students to use:
Step 1: Read the passage carefully
We encourage children to read the whole passage through carefully once, before diving into the questions. Despite what some tutors suggest, we don’t recommend making annotations - time is more generous in the English test than in the other subjects, but it’s still precious, and is better spent reading and answering carefully, rather than covering the page in notes.
Step 2: Read the first question
Once they’ve read the passage, children should start by reading the first question, and then carefully look at all the answer options. They should underline any key words in the question, especially negatives like "not", or "least likely", as these small words change the meaning entirely, but can be easy to miss.
Step 3: Harness their inner detective!
This is the most crucial step, but it's the one that so many children fail to take!
At this point, children should go back to the relevant part of the passage and reread it carefully, at least once, but maybe two or three times. It can sometimes take a while to find the relevant sentences, but this is time well spent – in fact, it’s essential.
Even if your child feels sure that they know the answer without checking the passage, they must resist the temptation to simply put that little line in the box on the answer sheet, and jump impatiently to the next question. Before making any sort of decision, they need to search for the evidence to prove that their initial assumption was correct.
In our experience, it's missing out this step that causes by far the most mistakes in comprehensions. We encourage children to think like detectives and hunt for the clues in the text - they are always there somewhere! Underlining key words in the passage can help at this point, especially if it focuses the mind on what they’re searching for.
At this point, children should go back to the relevant part of the passage and reread it carefully, at least once, but maybe two or three times. It can sometimes take a while to find the relevant sentences, but this is time well spent – in fact, it’s essential.
Even if your child feels sure that they know the answer without checking the passage, they must resist the temptation to simply put that little line in the box on the answer sheet, and jump impatiently to the next question. Before making any sort of decision, they need to search for the evidence to prove that their initial assumption was correct.
In our experience, it's missing out this step that causes by far the most mistakes in comprehensions. We encourage children to think like detectives and hunt for the clues in the text - they are always there somewhere! Underlining key words in the passage can help at this point, especially if it focuses the mind on what they’re searching for.
Step 4: Eliminate any obviously incorrect answers
When they've read the relevant part of the passage again, children should now return to the question, and cross out any answers that are clearly wrong. This narrows down the field, and makes it easier to zoom in on the remaining options.
Then, they should re-read those remaining options, analysing them now in the light of the evidence from the text. Only now can they finally pick an answer, but if they're still not sure, they should once again jump back to the passage, to continue their search for proof. Guessing is a last resort, but at least having eliminated the obviously incorrect answers will have increased their probability of success!
Then, they should re-read those remaining options, analysing them now in the light of the evidence from the text. Only now can they finally pick an answer, but if they're still not sure, they should once again jump back to the passage, to continue their search for proof. Guessing is a last resort, but at least having eliminated the obviously incorrect answers will have increased their probability of success!
This process is like a forensic investigation: slow, steady, and based on proof, not guesswork.
As boring as it sounds, this same process should be repeated for every question!
A child’s instinct can often be to try to avoid such a long-winded approach, especially if they’re convinced that they already know the answer. Because of this, we find that it can take a while to convince our students to follow this method every time, but the results speak for themselves - it really does make a massive difference to their scores!
Some Extra Hints & Tips:
1. Tackle vocabulary questions carefully
Many comprehensions contain questions about the meanings of words "in the context of the passage". Children often answer based on the meaning of the word that instantly springs to their minds - but words change meaning in different contexts.
For example:
• “Light” can mean "the opposite of heavy", or it can mean "bright".
• “Bark” can be "a tree covering", or "the sound a dog makes".
Similarly, questions may ask about the part of speech of a word in the context of a sentence, but plenty of words can be used differently in different contexts. For instance:
• “Play” can be a verb (“to play a game”) or a noun (“I'm going to see a play this evening”).
• “Clean” can be an adjective (“a clean floor”) or a verb (“to clean the floor”), or a noun (“I gave the room a good clean”).
When faced with a question like this, it’s really important for children to check back to the relevant part of the passage to find out how the word is being used in that specific context.
2. Practice makes perfect
....well maybe not perfect, but it definitely helps! At Club 11 Plus, our comprehension resources include:
Bitesize comprehensions – perfect for when your child is starting out, and to encourage them to use this method. They are no easier than the longer comprehensions, but they are significantly shorter.
Short comprehensions – similar in length to the sorts of passages a child will be faced with if their English paper is part of a longer test, for example, a one hour test that combines English and Verbal Reasoning.
Full-length comprehensions – ideal preparation for a standalone 50-minute English test.
3. Keep a vocabulary book
Each time your child meets a new word, encourage them to write it down in a vocabulary book, along with a short definition. Online and printed dictionaries are both great for quickly looking up a definition. The act of writing down a word helps to store it away in a child's mind for future use.
4. Read, read, read!
Fiction, non-fiction, and poetry all build different skills. Exposure to a variety of styles and genres helps to develop resilience, flexibility, and a wealth of vocabulary that comes in very handy in 11 Plus tests.
Use your local public library – being able to borrow half a dozen books at a time allows children to discover new authors - some won’t click, but others may become their new favourites!
Helping your child to discover the joy of reading is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. Strong readers not only tackle comprehensions more confidently, but also gain skills that will last them a lifetime, and bring them tremendous pleasure along the way.
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