11+ Tutoring: English and Verbal Reasoning

I teach 11+ English and Verbal Reasoning one to one, online, for 7+, 11+ and 13+ entrance exams. Lessons are on Zoom, in the UK timezone.

If you would rather talk than read, book a free 15-minute call.

The first thing we do is work out what your child is actually sitting

This sounds obvious. It is skipped more often than anything else, and it is where most wasted preparation comes from.

There is no national 11+. What your child sits depends entirely on your local authority and the schools you apply to, and the differences are not cosmetic:

  • Some areas set no English paper at all. Walsall, Lincolnshire and Wirral test reasoning and maths only.
  • Some set no reasoning. Sutton and Wallington's test is maths and English.
  • Some merge the two into a single "Verbal Skills" paper, so the paper titles tell you very little.
  • Format varies. Multiple choice on a separate answer sheet in most areas, written answers in Essex and at many independent schools.
  • Practice books labelled "CEM" are preparing for a test no English grammar area now sets for Year 7 entry.

So the first conversation establishes which authority, which papers, which format and which provider, and then we work on the components that actually carry marks. The full picture is in the free 11+ English and Verbal Reasoning guide.

Who I work with

  • Children preparing for grammar school tests in any English selective area
  • Children preparing for independent school entry, including ISEB Common Pre-Tests, Common Entrance at 11+, and school-set papers
  • 7+ and 13+ candidates as well as 11+
  • Children who need English rather than exam technique, covering comprehension, writing and vocabulary, whether or not an entrance exam is involved
  • EAL students sitting entrance exams, where the language demand and the reasoning demand need separating

What lessons cover

English. Reading comprehension, which is the most heavily weighted element wherever English is tested. Spelling, punctuation and grammar, including the "no error" option that catches children out. Vocabulary, which is the one thing that pays into comprehension, sentence completion and verbal reasoning at the same time.

Verbal reasoning. The question formats, such as hidden words, letter series, codes, word pairs and analogies, and, more importantly, how to recognise which kind of puzzle is in front of you. Verbal reasoning is not a reading skill and does not improve much through reading; it improves through format familiarity and vocabulary breadth.

Writing, where it is assessed. Independent schools and Essex mark continuous writing; most state grammar tests do not. We spend time on it if your child's test needs it, and not if it does not.

Timing and technique. Most lost marks at this age are unfinished papers rather than wrong answers. That includes practising on a separate answer sheet if the test is multiple choice, which is a distinct skill with its own mistakes.

Throughout, new language and new question types are met in short tasks that make a child do something with them rather than watch an explanation: match, correct, sort, spot the odd one out, decide whether two things mean the same. Small tasks, repeated, with the child working.

Background

I have been a qualified teacher for seven years and have taught online since 2019.

  • PGCE with QTS and a 120-hour TEFL qualification, Institute of Education, UCL
  • Linguistics graduate and Applied Linguistics postgraduate, Birkbeck, University of London
  • Currently teaching French, English as a second language and KS3 English at an independent online British school

More on the about page.

How it works

  1. A free 15-minute call. Which test, which papers, where your child is now, and what would make the most difference. No obligation to book anything.
  2. A short written plan. What we will cover, in what order, and what to do between lessons.
  3. Lessons. Booked in blocks of five and used at whatever pace suits you.

Pricing

Single lesson Block of five
30 minutes £22.50 £100
55 minutes £45 £200

Blocks of five work out at £20 and £40 a lesson. Rescheduling is free with at least 24 hours' notice.

For this age group, consider the shorter lesson. The Education Endowment Foundation's evidence on one-to-one tuition found that short, regular sessions tend to work better than long, infrequent ones: around 30 minutes, several times a week, over a defined period. Two 30-minute lessons a week is usually a better use of the same money than one hour, and it suits a ten-year-old's concentration better.

See all 11+ lesson packages

When tutoring is worth it, and when it is not

Being straightforward about this, because a lot of money changes hands in this market on the basis of anxiety.

The evidence, honestly. The Education Endowment Foundation rates one-to-one tuition as making around five months' additional progress, describing it as moderate impact, moderate cost, moderate evidence, and finds that lower-attaining pupils benefit most. That is general tutoring evidence, not 11+ evidence. There is no robust study showing what 11+ tutoring specifically achieves, and anyone who tells you there is has not read one.

It is probably worth it when:

  • There is a specific, identifiable gap, such as comprehension inference, vocabulary or a reasoning format, rather than general unease.
  • Your child is running out of time on papers rather than getting questions wrong.
  • You do not have the time or the inclination to sit with them, and the alternative is nothing.
  • Your child's test involves marked writing, which is hard to self-assess.

It is probably not worth it when:

  • You have not yet found out which papers your child is sitting. Do that first. It is free, it takes an afternoon, and it may change everything.
  • Your child does not want to do it. Ten-year-olds are not good at pretending, and an unwilling student is a waste of your money.
  • The test is in three weeks and the hope is that intensive work will close a two-year gap. It will not, though technique can still be improved.
  • Your child is already comfortably above the qualifying standard in mock papers.

Several admissions authorities now say in their own words that intensive coaching is neither needed nor encouraged. That is worth weighing.

Common questions

What age do you start with? Seven upwards. For 11+, most families start in Year 4 or early Year 5, which is also when registration opens, and that deadline matters more than the preparation.

How early should we register for the test? Earlier than most people think. Registration for state grammar tests opens in the spring or early summer of Year 5 and closes before the end of that summer term, a full year before your child would start Year 7. Closing dates vary by nearly four months between areas. Missing it is usually final.

Do you teach maths or non-verbal reasoning? No. English and verbal reasoning only. If your child needs maths too, you will need someone else for that part, and I would rather say so than pretend otherwise.

Can you tell me whether my child will pass? No, and be wary of anyone who says they can. I can tell you honestly where they are against the standard their test sets.

Do you set homework? Yes, where it is useful, and it is designed to take a manageable amount of time. A child preparing for an entrance exam still has school.

Do you teach other subjects? Yes. French from beginner to A Level, English and EAL, and Morisyen.

Free first

There is a lot here that costs nothing, and some of it may be all you need:

Start with a conversation

Book a free 15-minute call. Add it to your basket and check out, the total is £0, and you will receive an email with the link to choose a time.

Or send me a question first if you would rather write.