11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi My DS is due to take the 11 plus in Sept. He has just done a couple of practice papers and he did really badly . Im not sure how to help, his school said he shouldn't have any problems as he has extra lessons at school for English, Maths and Science ( because hes so far ahead). How do I help him, do I just keep doing practice papers! Im confused to why he doesn't seem to understand them, especially the Non-Verbal when hes doing so well at school

Some children just seem to "get" NVR immediately; others don't.

I think your best bet would be to start with "How to" type books which lead you through exercises with increasing complexity. Try the AE Tuition Workbooks. Bond also publish a How to do Non Verbal Reasoning book which is a bit on the easy side but could help you get started.

For Verbal Reasoning the IPS Verbal Reasoning Method and Technique will cover most of the types of questions in the test.

P.S. I would start by doing them with him - it is so much easier to see where children are getting muddled if you work with them initially. It is also much less boring for them. Save the "just working through a practice paper" for after the groundwork and nearer the tests.

Thank you, Ive been reading the forum for about 2 hours! Its so confusing just trying to find out what DS needs to be learning. Hopefully we will get somewhere now I have an idea whats going on. Im just really pleased that the non-selective schools around here are good as well.