11plus, 7+, 9+ & 11+ Entrance Exam Tuition & Coaching for Public School Exams

What does the exam consist of?

That depends upon the school that your child is being tested for. You should have had this information from them when you registered your application to sit the exam. If you have not been told, contact them immediately and they should tell you what areas of Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning they propose to test. Please note that schools don't necessarily cover all of these areas - they may just test one or two.

What do I need tuition for - the school says I don't?

Yes, they all say that, including the 'target' school! The facts here are clear - it is highly unlikely that the school your child attends at the moment prepares him or her in any substantial way for the exam. The Maths and the English that will be in the exam will undoubtedly be ahead of that being studied at the present school. The other main difference is that the exams your child has faced so far have all been in the nature of tests - they are relatively informal affairs that have little or no bearing on your child's future (yes, even the dreaded SATS). Suddenly, your child has got to take an exam under full-blown exam conditions which will have a profound effect on their future. Even if the student understands the material thoroughly, they still need preparation for the exam itself - the rules, set-up and protocol. Nerves on the day (or worse) could spoil everything - a lot of pressure for an 11-year old. One thing we have also noticed over the years is the number of parents who come to us after the fact saying how much they wished they'd organised tuition as all of the other parents seem to have done so. This is not sales hype - we usually end up with more students than we've got tutors as it is! By the time we get to the exams each year, our main 11+ coaches are usually working at least 6 days a week with lessons going on to late in the evenings.

What will the tutor do?

This depends upon how much time you have given us! Ideally, we need a minimum of 6 months (about 25 lessons) although some parents start as much as 2 years ahead. Sticking to our minimum timetable, the tutor will spend the first three lessons assessing the child by establishing their current level of knowledge, teaching them some new work and then re-assessing them to ascertain the rate at which they can comfortably and reliably learn. Having established (or otherwise) that the child is capable of being ready for the exam, the tutor will start the theory work in earnest. As the child masters a section, the tutor will test them on it introducing the need for accuracy and checking work (thus slowing the child down) and, at the same time, bringing in the concept of time pressure (causing the child to make more mistakes). Thus the child gradually learns to judge time, work under pressure and to be critical about what questions they tackle. Eventually, when all of the theory is covered, the tutor will start them on complete papers under exam conditions, teaching them about what to expect on the day, how to behave etc as well as making sure that they read all of the instructions on the paper.

What can I do?

Get the lessons booked up before the panic starts. if the exam is in Winter/Early Spring, a good time to start is over the Summer holidays. We are relatively quiet then and a 'kickstart' can easily be applied if necessary. Once the tuition has started, realise that this is a team effort and the child will need your support between lessons. Test them on their spelling, tables, long division. Encourage them to do logic puzzles, keep a diary and read books, quality ones - they may well be asked questions on what books they have read.

When should I start doing past papers?

Ideally don't, let the tutor do it. If you really feel you have to, leave it until the theory work is well underway. The worst thing that some parents do is to let the child see the paper too early. This technique of terror is ideally suited to a 'laid-back' A-Level student needing to pull their socks up by shocking them into realising what the end exam looks like but it serves only to intimidate (even terminally so) a nervous 10 year old.

What sort of pass mark should I be looking for?

This depends on three factors - how difficult the papers were, how popular the school is and, finally, how 'free' a place you want. Some schools offer assisted places where the fees are reduced on a sliding scale depending upon the mark attained by the candidate.

Where do I get past papers?

Get them from us - click here to go to the page and get up-to-date material and prices. 11+ and SATS papers at High Street prices delivered to your door plus revision guides and study material.

What kind of tutor will I get?

Someone who knows the type of material that will come up. The tutor will not necessarily be a primary teacher as (sadly) not all primary teachers possess the necessary standards of Maths (this is usually the killer) and English.

We have 3 different price structures for tuition - all are top quality individual coaching as you would expect from a major agency like ourselves.

Wherever you are in the country, the UK's major private tuition agency has Entrance Exams tutors.

Call us on 0870 777 0420 - Mon to Fri - 09.00 to 20.00 (9am to 8pm) / Sat - 09.00 to 17.00 (9am to 5pm), or click here for more information about Anysubject Ltd and its wide range of tutoring services.