Find an 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning Tutor

There is no single national 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning test, so a strong match starts with the child’s actual school, authority, consortium or independent-school assessment. Compare live tutor profiles for relevant experience, teaching approach, current rate, availability and SEND experience where needed, or ask Latimer to help narrow the options.

One-to-one tuition is most useful when it adds something specific: careful diagnosis, clear explanation, close feedback, confidence-building and structured practice. School learning and official familiarisation materials may be enough for some children. A tutor can support understanding and preparation, but cannot guarantee a qualifying score, an admission decision or a school place.

Individual tutors set their own rates, so the most reliable price is the one shown on each live profile. Latimer’s current platform guidance gives broad indicative bands of approximately £20–£30 per hour for categories including students, graduates, teaching assistants and full-time tutors, and approximately £25–£50 per hour for current or retired teachers, examiners and lecturers. These are platform-wide guides, not a fixed Verbal Reasoning price.

Latimer’s current wording is: “The price we present is the price you pay.” Lessons are described as pay as you go and invoiced after they take place. A saved card can be charged after 48 hours’ notice, while bank transfer is also available. Tutors generally use a 24-hour cancellation policy; decisions about late cancellation, refunds or rescheduling remain with the tutor.

Latimer is online first and centres its service on one-to-one tutoring. A Verbal Reasoning lesson may use shared text, live annotation, discussion of word meanings, reasoning aloud, short timed sets and screen-shared error review. The tutor and family agree the meeting platform, so not every tutor will use identical tools or methods.

Tutoring is optional. North Yorkshire Council states: “Coaching for the tests is not required.” GL Assessment also provides free familiarisation materials. Some families may be well served by school learning and official resources. A tutor adds most value when a child needs individual diagnosis, explanation, feedback, structure or confidence support.

Many parents search for a tutor near them. Online comparison lets you consider suitable tutors nationally, while the child’s location still matters for identifying the correct school, admissions authority, catchment rules and test. It does not establish local in-person availability.

The most useful evidence is profile-specific. Look for recent familiarity with the target assessment, strong language and primary-age teaching, diagnostic skill, an approach your child can engage with, relevant SEND experience where needed and availability through the test date. A qualified teacher can be a strong preference, but is not automatically the best fit. “Examiner” is not a universal 11 Plus credential because there is no single national assessment body.

Latimer currently states that tutors must hold an Enhanced DBS check including the Children’s Barred List as part of onboarding. Its safeguarding policy also covers recruitment, professional conduct, communication, reporting and online-session boundaries. A DBS certificate is one safeguard; it is not a guarantee of safety, teaching quality or admissions success.

Tutoring may support understanding, familiarity, confidence, accuracy, reasoning and test management. It cannot guarantee a qualifying score, an offer or a school place.

Verbal reasoning means reasoning with language or written information. Official descriptions support word meaning, comprehension, reasoning and logic as central elements, although the exact balance depends on the target assessment. Some tests use labels such as “verbal ability” or “verbal skills” and may combine Verbal Reasoning with broader English content.

Non-verbal reasoning is different: it uses visual patterns, shapes, objects or spatial relationships rather than primarily written language. Timing is also important in many tests, but it is best understood as pacing, accurate decision-making and test management—not as a separate subject.

GL Assessment puts the central point plainly: “Tests will vary because local authorities or individual schools decide which subjects to test.” The examples below were checked for the 2027-entry cycle and show why a useful tutor should confirm the exact school, current format and official familiarisation material before recommending practice. They are illustrations, not a national specification.

For 2027 entry, researched test-registration windows closed between March and July 2026: Bexley ran from 1–31 March, Buckinghamshire from 1 May–2 June, Ripon from 30 April–30 June and Kent from 1 June–1 July. Reading School scheduled its main entrance test for 16 July 2026, while several other researched systems test in September. That is why families should identify likely schools and check current registration information during Year 5 rather than assuming one national timetable.

In England, registering for a selective test and applying for a state secondary-school place are separate steps. Parents normally apply through their home local authority, with the standard secondary application deadline of 31 October. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales use separate systems, and independent-school procedures differ.

A raw score is not necessarily the same as a standardised score. Kent and Buckinghamshire currently use age-related adjustment or standardisation, but methods and scales differ. There is no UK-wide pass mark. Buckinghamshire currently uses 121 as its qualifying score; as last reviewed on 11 August 2026, Kent had not yet published its 2026 threshold and expected it in October. Meeting a qualifying standard still does not guarantee a school place because admissions and oversubscription rules continue to apply.

Start with the official familiarisation material for the child’s actual assessment. Practice is most useful when it shows why an error happened: an unfamiliar word, misunderstood instruction, weak reasoning, inaccurate marking, an unanswered question or a pacing problem. The review after a mock is often more useful than the score alone.

There is no source-backed universal number or frequency of 11 Plus tutoring lessons. A recommendation should reflect the learner’s gaps, test date, attention and wellbeing, independent practice, family budget and the tutor’s rationale. Ask, “Why does this frequency fit my child?” rather than buying a fixed number of lessons without a clear reason.

A requestable introductory meeting is a practical chance to test fit before lessons begin. The questions below help reveal whether the tutor understands the target assessment, can diagnose the child’s needs and has a clear reason for the proposed lesson plan.