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Preparing your child for 11+ entrance exams can feel overwhelming. With so many resources available, how do you know which materials will truly make a difference? The answer lies in starting with a solid foundation – and that’s exactly what our 11+ Core Practice Papers in English (Grammar & Independent), Mathematics (Grammar & Independent), Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning provide.
Why 11+ Practice Papers Matter
Practice papers serve a unique and crucial role in 11+ preparation. They act as diagnostic tools that reveal exactly where your child stands and what needs attention. Think of them as a status check for your child’s academic readiness – they show you the full picture and provide a starting point, before you dive into intensive preparation.
Practice papers provide four key benefits that are impossible to replicate through other study methods:
Diagnosing Weaknesses: Rather than guessing where your child might struggle, practice papers pinpoint specific areas that need targeted development. This saves precious time and ensures your preparation efforts are focused where they’ll have the greatest impact.
Exam Technique Development: Knowing the material is only half the battle. Practice papers help children develop the timing, stamina, question interpretation skills and strategic thinking that highly academic schools demand from candidates.
Progress Tracking: Regular use of practice papers provides concrete evidence of improvement across different subjects, giving both you and your child confidence as the exam approaches.
Realistic Exam Preparation: Nothing prepares a child for an exam quite like practising with the types, styles and difficulty level of question that will come up in an exam. This reduces anxiety and builds familiarity with the format and pressure of the actual test.
Want to go a step beyond Practice Papers for exam preparation? Consider signing your child up for our 11+ Mock Exams. These offer unparalleled insights into your child’s test taking capabilities and provide realistic exam environment familiarisation.
Why Our Core Collection Should Be Your Starting Point
While school-specific papers have their place, our 11+ Core Collection Practice Papers should be your first port of call. Here’s why this approach works so effectively:
Broad Foundation First: Before narrowing your focus to specific schools, it’s essential to build a comprehensive understanding of your child’s strengths and areas for development across all key subjects. Our core collection covers English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning – giving you the complete picture. For example, our maths section supports 11+ maths revision by blending arithmetic, logic and multi-step problem solving.
Current and Relevant: Our 11+ Core Collection Practice Papers are regularly revised to align with current practices and the level of difficulty expected by Independent and Grammar schools. This means you’re not wasting time on outdated materials that don’t reflect what your child will actually face.
Expert Design: Every paper is expertly crafted to develop the focused, accurate and high-quality responses that academically selective schools are looking for. This isn’t just about getting the right answers – it’s about demonstrating the thinking process that top schools value and building core foundations.
Complete Learning Support: Each paper includes full written working and/or explanations for all questions plus video walkthroughs for each question. This transforms practice papers into comprehensive learning tools that will help both you and your child understand not just what went wrong, but why and how to improve.
Need additional support? Explore our Video Masterclasses or one-to-one Online Tutoring for top-quality, personalised support without location limitations. In addition, check out our blog for top study techniques for grammar and independent school exams.
How to Use Practice Papers Effectively
Getting the most from our Core Collection requires a strategic approach. Want to know how to use 11+ practice papers effectively? Start by using the papers diagnostically – let your child attempt them without pressure to identify areas that need attention. All of our 11+ exam papers come with worked solutions, so you can understand both correct and incorrect answers. Use the detailed explanations to understand not just the correct answers, but the reasoning behind them.
Create a regular practice schedule that incorporates papers alongside other study resources.These could specific subject or question based Skills Packs (like Sequences, for example) to work on weaknesses; attending an In-Person Course or an Online Clinic; or watching a couple of Video Masterclasses. Our Core Collection fits perfectly into any structured 11+ study plan – adaptable and trackable. The key is consistency rather than intensity. The best way to build exam stamina for children is through short, timed sessions using realistic materials. Regular, shorter sessions with timed Practice Papers will build confidence and competence more effectively than occasional marathon sessions. We also provide advice on how to support your child through 11+ exam stress with mindset tools and pacing strategies.
Most importantly, use the insights from our Practice Papers to guide your overall preparation strategy. If Mathematics consistently shows weaker areas, you’ll know to allocate more time and resources there. If your child excels in Verbal Reasoning but struggles with timing, you can focus on technique development. Our Core Collection Practice Papers are the foundation of smart 11+ test prep — they diagnose, develop, and build confidence. These are 11+ Practice Papers that actually work, refined through years of parent feedback and exam success stories.
Then, once you have studied with our Core Collection Practice Papers, building the foundations, you can move on to School-Specific Practice Papers.
Always Regularly Updated
Since all of our Papers and Skills Packs are regularly revised to stay current with evolving exam standards and school expectations, they offer several key advantages that static materials simply cannot match. Our updates ensure that question styles reflect the latest trends in 11+ examinations; that difficulty levels remain accurately aligned to what schools actually expect; and that relevant content emphasises the skills that candidates need to acquire.
Regular revisions allow us to incorporate feedback from parents and successful candidates, so that we continuously refine our papers to ensure that they remain the most effective preparation tools on the market. Additionally, our updates help us stay ahead of any curriculum changes or shifts in educational focus that might impact entrance exams. For all these reasons, it’s important to ensure you’re working with the most recent versions rather than older copies that may have been shared amongst parent networks – outdated materials could inadvertently prepare your child for yesterday’s requirements rather than today’s realities.
The Bottom Line
When you’re serious about giving your child the best possible chance of success, the quality and relevance of your preparation materials matter enormously. Our 11+ Core Practice Papers provide the foundation you need – current, comprehensive and designed by experts who understand what schools are looking for.
Remember: Effective 11+ preparation isn’t about cramming as much information as possible into your child’s head. It’s about building genuine understanding of the knowledge needed over time, developing exam techniques and creating confidence through thorough, targeted practice. Our Core Collection equips you to do exactly that. It is the perfect starting point to build knowledge and confidence before diving into challenging School Specific Practice Papers
Start with the broad foundation our Core Collection provides, then use those insights to guide your more targeted preparation. Your child’s 11+ success story begins with taking that first diagnostic step – and our Core Collection Practice Papers are designed to make that step as valuable as possible.
And remember, we’re always here to help with any questions you might have… so drop us a line!
Exam Papers Plus 11+ Core Collection
Our Core Collection Practice Papers contain four practice papers per pack, full answers, step by step video solutions and download instantly to your user dashboard after purchase.
English Grammar School
● 11+ English (Grammar) Pack 1
● 11+ English (Grammar) Pack 2
● 11+ English (Grammar) Pack 3
● 11+ English (Grammar) Pack 4
● 11+ English (Grammar) Pack 5
English Independent School
● 11+ English (Independent) Pack 1
● 11+ English (Independent) Pack 2
● 11+ English (Independent) Pack 3
● 11+ English (Independent) Pack 4
● 11+ English (Independent) Pack 5
Mathematics Grammar School
● 11+ Mathematics (Grammar) Pack 1
● 11+ Mathematics (Grammar) Pack 2
● 11+ Mathematics (Grammar) Pack 3
● 11+ Mathematics (Grammar) Pack 4
Mathematics Independent School
● 11+ Mathematics (Independent) Pack 1
● 11+ Mathematics (Independent) Pack 2
● 11+ Mathematics (Independent) Pack 3
● 11+ Mathematics (Independent) Pack 4
Verbal Reasoning (for both Grammar & Independent School preparation)
● 11+ Verbal Reasoning Pack 1
● 11+ Verbal Reasoning Pack 2
● 11+ Verbal Reasoning Pack 3
● 11+ Verbal Reasoning Pack 4
Non-Verbal Reasoning (for both Grammar & Independent School preparation)
● 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 1
● 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 2
● 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 3
● 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 4
Spatial Reasoning (for both Grammar & Independent School preparation)
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Author(s)
Louise Lang
Director of Learning
