Being prepared for the 11+ takes practice – and that’s where trusted guides come in, reducing stress and building confidence and familiarity. We speak to the revision gurus at Collins
Parents often dread the 11+ more than their children. Little wonder, since it’s the first exam milestone, often determining secondary school options and all that follows. There’s no getting round that fact, but it can be greatly relieved for the exam takers if parents support measured preparation and practice well ahead of time.
That’s certainly the approach many parents take when it comes to revision and preparation guides, says Clare Souza, Associate Publisher at Collins and steward of its comprehensive 11+ portfolio. “It’s pretty standard to buy a year ahead but some people are preparing way in advance of that.” Collins even has an activity puzzle book to familiarise much younger children with the approaches and themes of the 11+.
“It’s particularly important to have that expert input from 11+ tutors who know exactly what they are doing with those tests”
This is one of the great challenges with the exam – it places big demands on children, and a lot of that is down to its unfamiliarity. Getting to know questioning styles, what is being tested, and the time-management requirements can make a huge difference – which is where Collins books come in. “For instance, the non-verbal reasoning is pretty specialist,” says Clare Souza. “It’s a particularly tricky one to grasp for those that are sitting the 11+.”
Collins is a tried and tested name in exam preparation and revision – with guides from KS1 up to A level. Many parents will have used its books in their own journey through school (sometimes under the Letts name, which came into the Collins fold a few years back).
Alongside the name recognition, parents like the fact that Collins’ 11+ material is comprehensive and practical – paper based and with extra elements such as flash cards. “These are a physical thing that’s really portable and easy to use on the go,” says Clare Souza. A paper-based method of practice and revision is popular with most, who don’t want to add yet more screen time to their child’s day. And, of course, writing down answers with pencil and paper supports information retention.
The Collins Complete Revision & Practice range for the 11+ covers all the exam components – Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning – in each case with revision, practice and test-style papers in one book. Both GL (more common) and CEM 11+ tests are covered in different books. There is ongoing expert input to keep material current. To ensure that, Collins works with a team of specialist tutors and teachers. “It’s particularly important to have that expert input from 11+ tutors who know exactly what they are doing with those tests,” says Clare Souza.
Material is designed to be as accessible as possible – friendly fonts for this age group laid out with plenty of space to help children digest and understand material. Practice papers are, of necessity, somewhat different. Clare Souza says that familiarity with the look of the actual test papers is really important, as is grasping the exam technique. “A lot is getting used to the timings – a snappy answer within a set timeframe. Practice papers are mimicking real tests, so at that point children are building up to sit those tests.”
While 11+ is a big milestone, all that preparation is not time wasted – developing thinking skills and the ability to assess what information a question is looking for. There are much tougher exams down the line, so this is a good introduction. And the best support parents can provide is to empower their child by giving them tools and tactics to help them succeed. “Let them have all the confidence they can have ahead of the exam,” adds Clare Souza.
Collins Revision Guides collins.co.uk/
Further reading: Simply Learning Tuition on the value of hiring a summer tutor
You may also like...
