11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi,
My family and I are moving out of the U.K for a couple of yrs for hubby's work. We currently live in Bucks and will be renting out our place when we are away. Our daughter who is 7 yrs old is considered bright by her teachers (and of course by me too!) and I would like her to sit for her 11+ when we return to the U.K. Being away from the U.K we might not have access to 11+ tutoring or some of the materials. Does anyone have any advice on useful websites, online material or forums that could help? I appreciate the fact that a lot could change in the next few yrs time, but thought I would gradually prepare our girl for the 11+ rather than heavy duty prep at the last minute. Thanks a lot for any suggestions.

This is a good website, with an excellent forum!

info re preparation is here : http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/preparation" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - including materials

As far as I am aware, there is no other forum about the 11+, other than a few belonging to publishers of 11+ materials, and they all have tumbleweed blowing though them.

Your daughter will need to read widely to develop her vocabulary, so I suggest you buy her a Kindle (or similar), plus an electronic dictionary/thesaurus to look up unfamiliar words.

After that, Patricia's DIY thread on this section is your best port of call: http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 12&t=30079" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You can also download e-papers and various items of software from our Shop: http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/shop/home.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I would make sure you are back for the start of Year 5 if you can. You may want to check the new primary curriculum to make sure she is covering the right material.

Good luck; you know where we are if you need help.

I know plenty of bright children who returned to the UK in either years 5 or 6 and passed the 11+.
Downloading is so easy now - no international shipping fees.
Enjoy!

Thanks everyone...Appreciate all your comments. My girl loves reading and spends a lot of time reading but she hasn't tried the Kindle. She hasn't tried the electronic Thesaurus as well, just the traditional one. Guess it is time for us to go high tech!! Am not sure how easy it is to buy books that she might like so Kindle sounds very sensible. I am really glad I found this site. I have spent some time looking through and found it very informative. Thanks once again.

I suggest a Kindle Paperwhite. I have a basic Kindle, and I'm very jealous of DH's Paperwhite, which I bought him!

She will love the electronic dictionary/thesaurus. Around £20 - £25 on Amazon.

Edited to add: Although you can download a dictionary/thesaurus onto the Kindle, it's best to have separate items, because otherwise you spend too much time clicking back and forth between the two on the Kindle.

We moved abroad for work for 2 years when my daughter was 6 - she spent years 2 and 3 at the local elementary school and it was a great experience all round. We mainly concentrated on making sure she had covered the UK national curriculum work so she didn't have any gaps when she got home. We rented our house out too and managed to get a place in her old school when we returned and she fitted back in to the class very quickly. If you want to know more please just ask. She is 17 now and has good memories of the time abroad - it's a great age to go as they are old enough to remember the experience but not so old that it affects GCSEs and A-levels.

Sally-Anne wrote:I suggest a Kindle Paperwhite. I have a basic Kindle, and I'm very jealous of DH's Paperwhite, which I bought him!

She will love the electronic dictionary/thesaurus. Around £20 - £25 on Amazon.

Edited to add: Although you can download a dictionary/thesaurus onto the Kindle, it's best to have separate items, because otherwise you spend too much time clicking back and forth between the two on the Kindle.

New paperwhite kindle has the tap and hold word definition function, being of somewhat limited vocabulary myself I absolutely love this facility, it can make you lazy though, no straining the brain to work out a meaning through context, perfect for sleepy reading and great for little learners, so long as they try and work out the word first.