Find an 11+ English tutor for your child’s next step

Bring the target school names, intended entry year and official sample materials to the tutor. The provider name alone may not settle the format: GL Assessment says its admissions tests can vary locally. These examples show why a single practice programme may not fit every application. If a school names ISEB Common Entrance, request the materials for that assessment: it is different from the Common Pre-Tests.

A child may read a passage fluently yet struggle to explain what it suggests. Inference means working out something the writer implies, using clues in the text. Here is an invented practice example.

Leah lingered outside the classroom. Through the door she could hear laughter. She took a breath and knocked.

Question: How might Leah feel about entering the room?

“Happy, because people are laughing” picks a detail but does not connect it to Leah. The laughter comes from inside. Her delay and the breath before knocking give stronger support for nervousness. One possible answer is: “Leah may be nervous because she hesitates outside and takes a breath before knocking.” That explains the link between the feeling and the evidence, without inventing a reason such as being late.

The same passage can support vocabulary work. “Lingered” means stayed for a while: Leah does not go straight in. Replacing it with “rushed” would change the impression of her behaviour. This is more useful than memorising a definition without checking how the word works in the sentence.

For a fresh attempt, try: “Noah lingered at the bookstall after his friends had left.” Ask your child what “lingered” means here and which part of the sentence helps. Then use a new passage to see whether they can explain an inference without the same prompts.

These skills also appear in England’s upper-primary English curriculum, including explaining inferences with evidence and understanding words in context.

Spelling, punctuation and grammar practice should reveal the rule behind an error. In this invented sentence, there are two separate points to fix:

Although it was raining the children was eager to leave.

A corrected version is: “Although it was raining, the children were eager to leave.” The comma separates the opening “although” clause from the main part of the sentence. “Children” is plural, so it takes “were”, not “was”. Changing only the punctuation leaves the grammar error in place.

For an independent check, give the child “Although it was raining the child were eager to leave.” The corrected version uses a comma after “raining” and “the child was”. This tests whether they understand the change from several children to one child, rather than copying the first correction. Review spelling errors separately, using the relevant spelling pattern and a new word to check it.

Where the target test includes writing, preparation needs time for planning, drafting and editing. Check the task: a story, description and persuasive response call for different choices. A memorised story may not answer the prompt.

For an invented task asking for a description of waiting for an unexpected visitor, consider this opening:

It was a very scary night and I was really frightened.

That tells the reader how the narrator feels, but gives little to picture. One possible revision is: “Three slow knocks interrupted the rain. I gripped the torch and waited.” The sound and the narrator’s action suggest tension. Precise details do the work; extra adjectives would not necessarily make it stronger.

Plan where the narrator is, what they notice and how their reactions change. Keep details tied to that moment. During editing, check that the tense stays consistent, sentences are complete and the final detail fits the mood. For a follow-up task, change the visitor to someone welcome and rewrite the opening so the sound and response suggest that mood. The aim is to choose language for this task, not reuse a frightening opening for every prompt.

A useful first lesson separates reading accuracy, understanding, vocabulary, sentence control and any required writing. If reading the words is difficult, that needs attention before adding a demanding timer. These are priorities to agree with the tutor, not a fixed course that every child must follow. The EEF reading-comprehension guidance supports choosing a suitable text and moving from a teacher’s explanation to guided and independent practice.

Use the free introductory meeting to discuss the target tests, the child’s work and how the tutor would teach. It is normally a conversation about goals, approach and arrangements, rather than a full teaching lesson. These questions make that conversation specific.