About Us:
11+, 7+ & 13+ Exam Preparation
11 Plus Genius is based in Golders Green, North London. Our 11+ Tutor’s focus on the various entrance exam curriculum for both Grammar Schools and Independent Schools i.e. 11+, 7+ & 13+.
11 Plus Genius offers a warm and friendly environment where children are encouraged and motivated to achieve their maximum potential whatever their ability. Our aim is to build children’s confidence and motivation, to help them achieve high standards of work in an engaging and challenging environment.
Effective Preparation for Children
We provide courses to fully prepare children for the 11+ (Years 4 & 5), 7+ (Years 1 & 2) and 13+ (Years 7&8) Exams for both Grammar (11+ only) and Independent Schools.
Our 11 Plus tuition covers teaching in Maths, English, Verbal reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Science (13+ Only).
11+ Commencement
We recommend that 11+ tuition starts in Year 4 leaving ample opportunity to focus on exam practice in Year 5.
Starting sessions in Year 4 will ensure that the curriculum is completed early in Year 5 leaving enough time for exam practice, revision and exam preparation.
Grammar Schools:
The 11+ exams are taken by pupils in their last year of primary school who are looking to gain a state-funded grammar school place, the ’11’ in the name of the exam refers to the school entry age, so most pupils are 10 years old when they sit the exams.
There is no synchronicity to when the 11+ happens. However, state grammar schools must now give out initial results before the closing date for all secondary school applications in October – so in many cases you need to sign up by July of year 5, and exams often take place in September of year 6.
Grammar School 11+ Exams
Maths – pupils generally need to cover the KS2 syllabus to the end of year six as this will be the focus of most questions, although some of the questions are more challenging. It is therefore essential that your child is secure in their understanding of the math’s they are learning at school.
English– usually covers Reading Comprehension, Spellings, Grammar & Punctuation.
Verbal Reasoning – is the testing of problem-solving skills using words and mathematical skills. They generally feature the standard 21 question types. The most common reason for dropping marks at VR is weak vocabulary.
Non-Verbal Reasoning – involves the spotting of patterns within a series of shapes using visual reasoning in identifying relationships, differences and similarities between diagrams and shapes. There are several standard question formats children can work through which will teach them the core skills that are necessary.
Grammar Schools to consider for the North London area:
- Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School (Boys)
- The Henrietta Barnett School (Girls)
- St Michael’s Catholic Grammar School (Girls)
- Mill Hill County High School (Mixed)
- The Latymer School (Mixed)
- Dame Alice Owen’s School (Mixed)
For Grammar Schools, The QE Boys Exams focus on Maths and English whereas The Henrietta Barnett School Exams include all main 11+ subjects Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
The other main Grammar Schools for North London i.e. St. Michael’s Catholic Grammar School, The Latymer School& Mill Hill County High School have a mixture or all of Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Independent Schools:
Independent schools are schools which charge fees instead of being funded by the state and traditionally offer small classes, a high teacher to pupil ratio, good academic results and a disciplined environment.
Some Independent Schools offer Bursaries to encourage talented children of less well-off families to join their school. Bursaries can be worth up to 100% of school fees, though most are much less than this. The value of the Bursary is determined by means-testing a family’s financial circumstances (including income and assets).
Independent Schools offer Scholarships to attract the most talented pupils to their school. Scholarships are highly competitive.
Independent Schools 11+ Exams:
Independent fee-paying schools will either write their own entrance exam or use those created by the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB). These exams are also known as Common Entrance Exams.
Independent Schools 11+ exams focus on a mixture or all of Math’s, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
English exams include topics such as comprehension, vocabulary, punctuation and spelling. These exams tend to use classic English texts and are often not in multiple choice form. Most Independent school 11 Plus exams will also include a creative writing section.
Math’s exams tend to be school written but will cover the same ground as Grammar School exams. Where they differ is that there may be some difficult questions towards the end.
Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning Exams tend to be all bought in and tend to be all written by GL or produced themselves which are very similar to GL Exams.
There are a small number of ‘Elite’ schools for which you must apply many years in advance and sit an exam a year or two before entry. These include Eton, Harrow, St Paul’s, Westminster, Winchester and Wycombe Abbey.