When Should I Start Tutoring My Child for the 11 Plus?

Every summer, and again at the start of the school year, parents ask whether their Year 3 child can join my free weekly comprehension, SPaG and vocabulary sessions for children who are reading my books. I don’t run them for Year 3. Children who join my Year 4 sessions in September often find them very difficult until around February or March. They’ve only just left Year 3, and they’re still very young.

If a child joins later in Year 4, the level is already high. My books and sessions have to cater for children preparing for a wide range of 11 Plus tests, and those tests are not all the same. Children aiming for extremely selective London schools such as St Paul’s or Westminster can face incredibly high standards. I can’t pitch the books only at the easier end and still prepare children for those tests.

That doesn’t mean families should do nothing until Year 4 or Year 5. It means we need to separate helping a child from formally tutoring them for the 11 Plus.

My short answer is this: teach the basics early. Read together, talk about what you read, build vocabulary and make sure the child has strong maths foundations. Mention the 11 Plus in Year 4, begin slowly and increase the preparation during Year 5. After Easter in Year 5, bring in more work on speed, accuracy, papers and mocks.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The aim is for the child to be ready on test day, not exhausted six months beforehand.

Helping at Home Isn’t the Same as 11 Plus Tuition

A Year 2 child learning number bonds isn’t doing an 11 Plus paper. A Year 3 child discussing why a character lied isn’t sitting a comprehension test. They’re learning the basic skills that later preparation will rely on.

Discussing why the character lied is inference. The answer might not appear in one sentence. The child has to notice what the character said, what they did and what happened before, then put those clues together.

Parents can build this from a very early age without calling it 11 Plus work. While you’re reading a book or watching television, ask why somebody reacted in a particular way or what their body language suggests. You can do the same when you’re out, without staring at or drawing attention to another person. Ask, ‘What do you think that person might be feeling, and what makes you think that?’

Inference can’t be learned quickly just because a comprehension paper demands it. Adults can often read a room because we’ve spent years watching people, hearing changes in tone and noticing what isn’t said. Young children haven’t been on this earth long enough to have the same bank of experience. They need time, conversation and plenty of examples.

Formal preparation means teaching the question types, practising the particular subjects in the target test and eventually working under timed conditions. That can wait. Strong arithmetic, reading, conversation and vocabulary can’t be crammed into the final few months.

Parents sometimes think that starting earlier must mean doing more. I think it should mean doing the right things at the right age.

What Should Children Do in Years 2 and 3?

In Years 2 and 3, I’d focus on times tables, number bonds and the four operations. A child who is still hesitating over basic multiplication or subtraction has to use too much thought on the arithmetic before they can tackle a multi-step problem.

For English, read, read and read some more, but discuss the text. Comprehension is king and queen. Ask what happened, why it happened and what the child thinks might happen next. Ask how they know. If they give an answer, ask them to point to the words that led them to that answer.

Choose one unfamiliar word and bring it into conversation several times. If the word is ‘reluctant’, you might say, ‘You seem reluctant to put your shoes on,’ and later, ‘The dog was reluctant to go out in the rain.’ A definition gives the child information once. Hearing and using the word in different sentences helps it stick.

This is the same thinking behind our family’s Five a Day vocabulary approach. We used new words in the car, on dog walks and around the dinner table. Some of the sentences were serious, and some were ridiculous. The repetition mattered.

Reading the Words Isn’t the Same as Understanding Them

Primary schools typically have to place children on reading levels or bands. The problem arises when a parent assumes that a high band proves that a child understands everything they can pronounce.

A child might read a page fluently, including every difficult word, then be unable to explain why a character is frightened. They’ve decoded the words, but they haven’t understood what those words suggest.

For example, a story might say, ‘Tom checked the lock for the third time and kept his coat on.’ It never says that Tom feels uneasy or plans to leave. A child has to combine those clues and explain what they imply. That's very different from reading the sentence aloud without stumbling.

I continued reading with my children into Year 6. We chose something we both enjoyed and talked about it as we went. They didn’t want it to stop. One of my children was a reluctant reader of fiction, although they read plenty of nonfiction. That made choosing the right story harder, but it made the shared reading even more important.

If you’re unsure what to discuss, my guide to guided reading at home explains how to ask questions, check understanding and explore inference without turning every page into a lesson.

What If English Isn’t the Main Language Spoken at Home?

Many multilingual parents I speak to are confident supporting their child with maths, but tell me they find English vocabulary, comprehension and writing much harder because English isn’t their first language. They want to help, but they don’t always feel able to explain shades of meaning or discuss a text in the same way.

Speaking more than one language isn’t the problem. Limited contact with the language in which the child will sit the test can be. A child who mainly uses English at school has fewer hours in which to hear uncommon English words, idioms and sentence patterns.

I understand why families want to preserve their own language. I moved from Manchester to Anglesey when I was six and learned Welsh by ear. I value that experience. However, if a child will sit an entrance test in English, then continue through secondary school, GCSEs and possibly A levels and university in English, they also need regular English reading and conversation.

This doesn’t mean banning another language from the home. It might mean choosing an English book to share three evenings a week, listening to an audiobook together or asking the child to explain a new word over dinner. If a parent isn’t confident about pronunciation, an audiobook or the read-aloud function in MS Word can provide a model.

The national figures also remind us not to generalise. In 2025, children recorded as having a first language other than English performed slightly better in the combined Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths measure, while their reading result was slightly lower. The figures don’t cancel out what individual parents tell me. They show that English exposure and proficiency vary from child to child.

Starting Year 4 Doesn’t Add a Year of Knowledge Overnight

A child who starts Year 4 on the 2nd of September was a Year 3 child a few weeks earlier. They’ve also had the long summer holiday. They might be rusty, unsettled and tired by the new routine. They’re still babies.

I treat children who have just entered Year 4 much as I would treat Year 3 children until around February or March. I don’t expect a change of date on the calendar to supply knowledge they haven’t been taught.

The national curriculum groups Years 3 and 4 together as lower Key Stage 2, then Years 5 and 6 together as upper Key Stage 2. The skills don’t change completely at those boundaries. The texts and questions become harder.

The Year 4 to Year 5 move can bring another shock. A child might work happily through a CGP or Bond book for ages 9 to 10. A parent then opens the age 10–11 book and thinks, ‘Oh my God, we know nothing.’ I remember that feeling.

The harder book doesn’t prove that the child has gone backwards. It might introduce new question types, trickier wording or content that hasn’t been covered at primary school yet. An age printed on a cover isn’t a verdict on a child.

Bond tells parents to choose books by age, while CGP separates preparation into learning question types, practising them and then developing test technique. That sequence matters. A child shouldn’t be judged on speed before they understand how to answer the question.

Two 11 Plus Reading Starting Points for Year 4 and Year 5

The Cadwaladr Chronicles four-book bundle is my Year 4 reading series. The books are prequels to the Cadwaladr Quests, and they’re deliberately difficult for Year 4. Children aren’t expected to know every word before they begin.

The on-page dictionary isn’t a list to memorise. You wouldn’t read Harry Potter and try to learn every word in the book. The definitions, synonyms and antonyms are beside the story so that the child can understand the sentence without having to break off to look elsewhere.

The Knowledge Nuggets explain SPaG, literary devices and comprehension points where they appear. They’re there to explain the writing as the child reads, not to become another list to learn by Friday.

There are two jumping-on points. A child with time can begin with the Chronicles and then continue into the Cadwaladr Quests Year 5 books. If your child is already in Year 5 and there isn’t time to read the Chronicles, they can start with Tangled Time, the first Cadwaladr Quest. They’ll still be able to follow the story.

A Year 4 Benchmark Shouldn’t Become a Verdict

Some tuition companies sit children down for benchmark tests in Year 4, then tell parents that the child isn’t up to scratch. We need to ask what the paper actually measured.

If a newly started Year 4 child is given work containing question types they’ve never seen, a low score is hardly surprising. It might show that the child needs teaching. It doesn’t prove that they lack the ability to learn.

I’ve also seen providers accept only children who are already scoring highly. Those children are easier to tutor and more likely to strengthen the provider’s pass statistics. I find that hard to defend. Surely the purpose of tuition is to teach a child, not merely to collect children who have already been hothoused at home.

The Education Endowment Foundation’s evidence on one to one tuition says teaching should be matched closely to what the pupil understands. A proper assessment should answer, ‘What does this child need to learn next?’ It shouldn’t simply stamp the child as suitable or unsuitable.

The 11 Plus Is a Competition

Unfortunately, the 11 Plus is a competition for a limited number of places. At heavily oversubscribed schools, reaching a qualifying score doesn’t always mean your child will get a place. A child might pass the test and still miss out because other applicants scored higher or because catchment, distance or another admissions rule takes priority.

Parents also need to be careful when comparing preparation. Another parent might say that their child hardly does any work, while leaving out the weekly tutor, holiday course, vocabulary practice and papers completed at home. Families don’t always share the complete picture.

You’ll also hear that a child who needs tuition shouldn’t attend grammar school. I think that’s nonsense. It isn’t a level playing field. One child might grow up surrounded by books, adult conversation and parents who understand the admissions system. Another equally capable child might meet verbal reasoning or inference questions for the first time in Year 5.

Preparation doesn’t create intelligence. It teaches a child what the test asks them to do. For example, non-verbal reasoning usually isn’t taught in the national curriculum. A child can be 'bright' and still stare blankly at a code or rotating shape because nobody has shown them the method.

Check Your Target Schools Before You Pay for Tuition

There isn’t one universal 11 Plus. Before choosing a tutor or buying a shelf of books, find out what the target schools test.

One school might test English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Another might include creative writing. A third might use two rounds or apply a strict catchment rule. Your target schools should determine the main preparation, but I wouldn’t now neglect writing simply because it isn’t marked in their entrance test.

My children sat a CEM test that was very vocabulary-heavy, so we hammered vocabulary and did almost nothing with creative writing. I’m a writer, yet I still made that choice. It came back to bite us on the bum.

One of my children didn’t enjoy reading fiction or writing stories, although they read plenty of nonfiction. They later chose non-essay subjects at A level. Now they’re at university, they’ve honed their essay-writing skills and regret not developing them earlier. My other child read more fiction and found writing easier, but neither particularly liked writing until they reached university.

I now hear from parents whose target tests don’t include creative writing, such as GL Assessment or Quest, who have reached the same conclusion. When a child learns to write properly, spelling, punctuation and grammar begin to make more sense because they’re being used in real sentences rather than practised only through drills. Writing still matters even when the target school doesn’t mark a creative writing task.

Start with my guide to 11 Plus exams, then read the current admissions policy for every school on your shortlist. My guide to grammar school catchment rules explains why a high score alone doesn’t always lead to an offer.

Can One Tutor Teach Every 11 Plus Subject Well?

A small number of tutors can teach English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and writing well. I don’t think many people can teach every part equally well, and parents should feel able to ask.

I could help my own children with Key Stage 2 maths, but I wouldn’t sell myself as a maths tutor. My husband usually handled that side. I muddled through non-verbal reasoning, and codes in GL verbal reasoning aren’t my strength because my brain doesn’t work that way.

English and writing are my areas of experience. I’ve written 14 books for the 11 Plus, but even within English, creative writing is a completely different kettle of fish. A person can know grammar and teach comprehension without necessarily knowing how to structure a satisfying story or explain why a piece of writing has failed.

Children can’t rely on the instinct that an experienced writer has built through decades of reading. They need somebody to explain why the story needs a problem, why the ending must address it, and why stopping during a dog chase to describe a sunset makes no sense.

A polished Facebook post doesn’t prove that a person can teach. AI can produce posts and feedback that sound immaculate. Ask what the tutor will do when your child can decode a passage but can’t infer, or when the writing contains ten similes but no story. Their answer tells you far more than a glossy paragraph online.

How Can You Judge an 11 Plus Tutor?

Be careful who you listen to on Facebook and in 11 Plus groups. Some people there are very good. Some, quite frankly, should not be advising at all. Follow somebody for a while. Listen to what they say, read their posts and blogs, and see whether they back up their claims with real examples.

Before you pay, ask to see anonymised examples of children’s work and the feedback the tutor gave. A page saying ‘use more adjectives’ tells you very little. You need to see whether the feedback identifies what went wrong, explains it clearly and shows the child what to do next.

Ideally, have a telephone or video call. Ask questions and listen to how the tutor answers on the spot. How do they come across? Can they explain their teaching without reaching for a prepared sales pitch? If you’re considering parting with upwards of £400 and someone refuses a short call, I would be very wary.

This is one reason I run free weekly comprehension, SPaG and vocabulary sessions for children who are reading my books. Parents can watch my communication style before paying for anything. They can decide that they like me and stay, or decide that it isn’t for them and leave. The sessions also show me what children need. Some families later choose our paid services, particularly creative writing, and children sometimes ask for more because they already know how I communicate.

When Should Formal 11 Plus Preparation Begin?

Year 2 and Year 3. Know the basics well. Practise number bonds, times tables and the four operations. Read together, discuss the text and build vocabulary through ordinary conversation. Don’t make the 11 Plus part of the child’s identity.

Year 4. Mention the 11 Plus and begin slowly. First check the target schools and subjects. Introduce unfamiliar question types without piling on timed papers. Remember that a child who has only just started Year 4 is still very close to Year 3.

Year 5. Increase the preparation. Fill gaps, practise the tested question types and keep reviewing mistakes. A wrong answer should lead to, ‘Why did this go wrong?’ rather than another pile of pages.

After Easter in Year 5. Bring in more work on speed, accuracy, answer sheets, papers and mocks. Timing matters once the child understands the work. Timing confusion simply records how quickly they can be confused.

When mocks begin, use them to find gaps rather than frighten the child. My guide to how many 11 Plus mock exams a child should sit explains why too many full papers can lead to boredom and careless errors.

Watch for Burnout

Burnout is real. A child who has spent Years 2, 3 and 4 completing endless 11 Plus books might reach Year 5 sick of the entire process. Starting early should mean learning the basics early. It shouldn’t mean years of full papers.

The signs won’t look the same in every child. One might cry before a session. Another might complain of a stomach ache, rush work they could previously complete or refuse to read at all. Sometimes the parent sees more careless mistakes and assumes the child needs more work, when the child actually needs a break.

If every evening becomes a battle over worksheets, another worksheet probably isn’t the answer. Find one gap, teach it and then practise that part. If the problem is a particular verbal reasoning code, work on the method and follow it with a timed ten-minute section. I call this chunking papers. I have videos showing how I do it. Don’t make the child sit an entire paper merely to practise one weak area.

My children were bored with full papers by the summer before their tests. We switched to chunking papers and kept their brains ticking over without running full tests every day. The final weeks were about staying ready, not proving how many pages we could complete.

I once saw somebody widely respected on Facebook recommend two full practice tests a day during the final fortnight. That might suit a small minority of highly resilient children who thrive on intense work. I still think it’s far too much for most. More full tests don’t necessarily produce better results, especially when the child is already tired.

Some world-class athletes seem able to work, work and work again, and they thrive on it. Not every child does. A professional footballer preparing for a World Cup final doesn’t play a full match just before the final. They train, correct specific weaknesses, rest and arrive ready to play. The real 11 Plus should feel like the final, not like yet another mock test.

Those final two weeks should build confidence. If you keep hothousing a child and whipping them through paper after paper when they’re exhausted, you don’t build their confidence. You might crush it.

The 11 Plus Shouldn’t Define Your Child

No matter which school a child attends, the 11 Plus shouldn’t define them. Passing doesn’t guarantee future success, and missing a grammar school place doesn’t limit what they can achieve.

I know children who attended the local comprehensive school, worked hard and achieved better A level results than my children, who attended grammar schools. When GCSEs and A levels arrive, a child’s attitude to learning, willingness to work and work ethic matter enormously.

Prepare for the test, but keep it in proportion. It’s one test taken by a primary school child. It isn’t a verdict on their intelligence, their future or your parenting.

So, When Should You Start Tutoring?

Start helping early, but don’t confuse that with starting formal tuition early.

In Years 2 and 3, teach the basics and make reading and vocabulary part of family life. In Year 4, work out which schools and tests matter, then gradually introduce preparation. In Year 5, increase the work according to what the child actually needs. Leave heavy timed practice until the child understands the content and question types.

Don’t allow a September date, a benchmark score or the age on a workbook to tell you that a young child has suddenly fallen behind. Ask what they know, what they haven’t yet been taught and what the next small step should be.

Marathon, not a sprint. Peak on the day. All the best, and don’t burn out.

Vocabulary Support for Years 2 and 3

If you want somewhere to record and practise new words, the Tangled Time Vocabulary Revision Notebook has space for definitions, synonyms, antonyms and sentences. It also includes a list of 1,000 11 Plus vocabulary words at the back and can be used without the novel.

Creative Writing Support for Years 4 and 5

If your child needs more help with creative writing, our 11 Plus Creative Writing Course covers story writing, narrative recount, description, SPaG and literary devices. Children also receive individual feedback on their writing.