SOME REVIEWS FROM HAPPY CUSTOMERS

This book is one of the best 11+ preparation materials that I have come across. It provides high quality comprehension texts and in-depth explanations which are incredibly helpful in analysing and understanding a challenging literary text. 

Excellent material with in depth answers provided which helps a lot in the 11 plus preparation. Would highly recommend.

Another in-depth set of papers by Accolade, this volume provided me with the perfect set of questions to really challenge my top students. Its simple format and clear structure is perfect for tutors, while the challenging questions are ideal for pushing my students to attain the highest marks possible. Saves a great deal of time with a high level of quality!

When I was preparing my daughter for her 11+ exams at super-selective schools, I rarely found any materials in the market that meet the demand of top indie / grammar schools until I found this. It's another level of comprehension suitable for super selective grammar / indie, scholarship exams or 13+. My daughter was confused at first because it was difficult. But when she went through the guidance, the detailed answers, she knew how to approach the questions, what was required and how to score the best marks.

Like previous book, this can provide parents an invaluable resource. The model answers are pitched with detailed explanations and shows you what the perfect answer would look like. I don't think I have ever come across anything so complete, but you do need to read and digest the answer to get the most out of it. Highly recommended resource for 11+

This is an excellent resource for parents and tutors who re preparing children for the 11+ exams. It provides a range of practice papers in different formats, with very detailed and clearly explained model answers. I liked the fact that the texts used are of a very high quality and are therefore both challenging yet engaging to read

My daughter is doing her 11 plus this year and we found this book useful. The book contains answer that written in the way of how to target marks and what the examiner is expecting so it is good for children to learn the technique as they are answering for an audience. We had done a few comprehension books previously and we found this one explaining the most thoroughly. It also had put in a lots of techniques within the answer to show the examiner you don’t just put the answer but to show off what you know when answering. But I have to say this book is on a harder level so definitely for children that might be towards at the end of their exam journey. I also like the book includes different writing/exam style - we never come across this from other books.

I solely tutor for 11+ creative writing, but my clients often ask about what comprehension material would I endorse. Without a doubt, 11+ Comprehension Practice Papers: Volume Two is at the top of my recommendation list. (I have the first volume which is equally good). In my opinion, Richard Davis has done a tremendous job with the mark scheme and sample answers. This book is perfect for students who are sitting competitive 11+ exams at super-selective schools and require a boost in their comprehension skills. The explanations really go above and beyond any other comprehension material that I’ve seen. I am confident that you will find this book an extremely useful resource!

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SAMPLE FROM THE GUIDE

Foreword

When sitting 11+ comprehension exams at top schools (be they independent powerhouses, or high-flying grammars) you will notice that, although all of their papers follow the basic formula – an extract accompanied by a set of questions – the types of questions they ask can vary greatly. The reason for this is simple enough: a considerable number of these schools write their papers in-house, and that means you find quirks in some papers that you don’t in others. Even papers produced by examining bodies, such as the ISEB, have their idiosyncrasies. And yet, for all these quirks, there is still a huge degree of overlap between these various papers, because ultimately these schools are all looking for a similar set of skills.  

As a result, preparing for these exams is eminently possible. We simply need to identify the various types of questions that appear (including those quirky ones!), then hone the skills required to answer them. 

The intention of this guide is not simply to show you what these exams tend to look like  (although, as you work through it, you will inevitably get a sense of this nonetheless!). No, the intention is to go a step further, and show you how to decode the sorts of questions these 11+ comprehension papers tend to ask, and what “perfect” answers to these questions look like. Moreover, it also seeks to explain, in detail, how exactly the model answers provided satisfy the examiners’ criteria, making it as easy as possible for students to understand how to emulate these answers. 

You will notice, also, that there are a number of questions for which I have supplied alternative answers. This is because, when it comes to comprehension papers, there are frequently instances where there is not one correct answer – instead, there are a number of potential answers that might be worthy of scoring the marks. The alternative answers are therefore included to demonstrate how there is, very often, room for flexibility and creativity. 

Now, before I press on, I feel it is important to make one crucial thing clear: this guide is explicitly aimed at those students looking to achieve at the very highest level. Many times in this guide I use sophisticated vocabulary and ideas. I promise you that my intention is not to intimidate. Rather, we must remember that these are competitive exams, and that the grading is administered by human beings – so it is imperative that we dazzle these examiners, and give them no choice but to fork over the marks!

Rest assured, however, that when I use these tricky words or phrases, I explain them as I go. As a result, by the time you finish working through this guide, you should have a whole new arsenal of words and phrases to help you attack papers of any kind! 

How This Book Is Set Out

As mentioned, 11+ papers are incredibly varied. However, if you spend enough time and energy looking through past papers, you start to figure out what makes them tick, and notice certain patterns that emerge time and again. This book contains eight papers that have been split into four different “styles” of questioning – two papers for each style. I have labelled the four types of papers as follows:

1) The All Rounder Paper 

2) The Close Language Paper 

3) The Line By Line Paper 

4) The Speculative & Creative Paper 

The labels I’ve given each style should give you some indication of what the papers entail. It may well be the case that some of the 11+ comprehension papers you end up taking fit neatly into the one of these styles. However, it is just as possible that they wind up being a blend of two (or more) styles – after all, schools often tweak the style of paper they put out year on year. At any rate, I can assert with confidence that, if you are well versed in all four styles, you will have your bases covered, and be prepared for most anything. 

The questions for each paper appear twice. The first time they will appear is immediately after the extract, so that students can, if they wish, have a go at tackling the paper. They will then appear a second time, but this time accompanied by model answers and detailed guidance. 

Each of the papers includes a “time guide” – that is, the amount of time one would expect to be given to complete the paper in an exam hall. If students wish to complete some of these papers as practice, I suspect this may prove useful. 

Insofar as difficulty is concerned, the first paper in each style might be described as “hard,” and the second “devilish.” Again, I feel the need to reiterate that my intention is not to intimidate. On the contrary, by exposing students to the reality of what is in store, I believe it ensures that, when it actually comes to entering the exam hall, you feel far more at ease. 

There is no correct way to use this guide. Some students will feel comfortable working through it by themselves, whereas some may prefer to have a parent at hand to act as a kind of surrogate tutor. In any case, the intention of this book is to give the reader the experience of having an experienced tutor at their beck and call.   

Exam Tips

Within this book, you will find a good deal of question specific advice. However, there are a number of more general tips that it is important for any  11+ candidate to keep in mind:

• When reading the extract, don’t rush. Some papers even set aside 10 minutes explicitly for reading the paper, and do not allow you to look at the questions until those 10 minutes have elapsed. This does not mean that 10 minutes is always necessary – but keep in mind that every school will expect you to read the passage very carefully.

• Read the questions carefully. It sounds obvious, I know, but you wouldn’t believe how many times I have seen bright students lose marks simply because they have misread the question

• Always write in full sentences, unless you are explicitly told this is not required. 

• If you are unhappy with an answer, and feel as though you must write something else, do not cross out your old answer until you have fully finished writing the new one – you may be throwing away precious marks!

• Keep quotes from the text short (unless explicitly told otherwise). As a rule of thumb, try and ensure that your quotes are no more than six or seven words in length, and preferably shorter. 

• Most papers tell you how many marks a question is worth. Keep this in mind when working out how much time to spend on any given question.

• Remember: just because a question is, for instance, worth three marks, that does not necessarily mean you need to give three separate points. Of course there are occasions when three marks require three points, and I shall discuss those occasions in this book – but this is not always the case. 

• Many 11+ papers give candidates blank lines on which to compose their answers. When these appear, take them seriously: they are guidelines regarding how long the examiners would like your answer to be. 

Personal Note

When I talk about my academic career, I usually talk about my time spent at university: I studied English Literature & Language at UCL, then took a Masters at Cambridge University. However, a mere twenty years ago, I was in the same position that many of my readers find themselves in: eager to win a place at a top secondary school, and faced with a litany of exams. Of course, the exams have changed a fair bit since then; but what I’m trying to say is, not only have I been teaching 11+ students for many years, but I’ve also had firsthand experience of it – I know what it’s like to live through! 

Even though I now look back on that time through a rosy lens – I was offered places at all the top London private and grammar schools I sat for – I won’t pretend as though it was not at times intimidating. However, I would observe that many parts of the 11+ English exams, including many questions in the comprehension papers, offer rare opportunities not just to jump through hoops, but to exercise your powers of creativity. That is not to say that these exam are fun – my memory of them is pretty much the exact opposite – but still, it is important to at least try and embrace this creative element and enjoy the challenge.

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