With 11+ exams coming in the autumn, it’s never too early to start thinking about how you can help your child succeed! We’ve asked our team of expert teachers about their top tips for both pupils and parents.

1. Preparation is key. It’s never too early to start thinking about the 11+ exams, even if your child has not covered all of the content in school there are still plenty of ways they can begin to practice the core skills required for the exam. For verbal and non-verbal reasoning, as a parent, you may also find that these types of questions are not practiced within the classroom, so your child will need to develop their ability on their own. Our teachers have plenty of experience walking students through the 11+, by working with the pupils to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and develop their exam technique, particularly in more challenging areas, such as non-verbal reasoning. 
2. Practice good exam technique. A very important aspect of good exam technique is time management. If your child is getting stuck on questions, encourage them not to waste too much time on the ones that they can’t do, but instead focus on getting correct the ones that they can do. Ensure that your child knows long the exam is, and get them to practice exam papers within the allotted time to get used this. If the pupil has extra time at the end of the exam they can always come back to the questions that they missed out, but it’s important that they do first the ones they are confident they can succeed with. 
3. Mark practice papers and highlight key areas of development. It is not just about getting the student to do the questions, but also when marking the paper, our teachers will always ensure that they explain to the pupil where they have made an error, and try to identify with the pupil where this error has come from. This ensures that students are not making the same mistake twice. Also, get your child in the habit of checking their answers – this is really important to avoid those frustrating silly mistakes! 
4. Don’t panic. For students of this age, it can be very intimidating if a question type that they haven’t seen before comes up in the exam. Make sure that your child is aware that this is a possibility, but that they should try not to panic if they don’t quite understand the question at first. It is very important that your child is not thrown off by curveball questions, and remind them that if they are not sure how to do a question they can leave it and come back at the end. Additionally, try not to put too much pressure on them – we all want our children to succeed and try their best, and the best way to bring out your child’s abilities is to support and encourage them in all their preparation. 

At our tuition centre we offer support for a wide range of abilities and are happy to cater lessons to your child’s unique learning needs. Contact us now to find out more, and book your FREE assessment!