Alternatively, you can purchase and download an electronically delivered PDF directly from us here.

SAMPLE FROM THE GUIDE

Foreword

When sitting 7+ comprehension exams at top schools you will notice that, although all of their papers follow the same basic formula – an extract accompanied by a set of questions – the types of questions they ask can vary a good deal. The reason for this is simple enough: these schools write their papers in-house, and that means you find quirks in some papers that you don’t in others. 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 7+ 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. 

While we are shortly going to delve into the specific questions that appear in these papers, it is possible to itemize the skills the 7+ papers generally ask candidates to demonstrate. They almost always require students to show they can retrieve information from a passage, but they also, on occasion, require candidates to show they can infer information when it’s not explicit. They often require students to show they comprehend certain vocabulary and pieces of punctuation. Not infrequently, they will want students to demonstrate their reasoning skills. Finally, some of these papers – though not all – want students to demonstrate their capacity for creativity. 

Not all 7+ papers test all of these skills; but all of them will test at least some of them.

Indeed, it ought to be noted that they all base their questions on the objectives for Years 2 and 3 students set out in the English National Curriculum – these schools are ultimately looking to see how well a candidate can apply skills they’ve learned in class when confronted with a passage they have not encountered before.

* * *

How this book is set out.  

As mentioned, 7+ 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, each written in a different “style” – and each style reflects a different type of paper one might encounter in a 7+ comprehension exam. I have labelled the eight types of papers as follows:

1. The Retrieve and Define Paper

2. The Light Inference Paper

3. The Training Wheels Paper

4. The What, Why, Where & How Paper

5. The Marks Aplenty Paper

6. The All-Rounder Paper

7. The Extended Answer Paper 

8. The Extended Concentration 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 7+ 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 eight 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, these papers have been ordered from easiest to hardest, with the final few papers really seeking to stretch students’ capabilities. The truth of the matter is that the difficulty of 7+ exam papers are not uniform: some schools set harder papers than others – and these discrepancies in difficulty exist even between top-flight schools whose papers you might expect to be pretty similar. 

I feel the need at this point to clarify that my intention is not to intimidate by saying this. 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, though I would suggest it is probably sensible to have a parent at hand to act as a kind of surrogate tutor while the student works through this volume. 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 7+ 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! 

• 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 7+ 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.

Paper One: The Retrieve and Define Paper

The questions in the Retrieve and Define Paper require candidates to flex their retrieval and definition skills. Although other skills (such as inference, reasoning, and creativity) are tested in other 7+ papers, this particular style of paper – which is probably the most basic type you will come across – revolves solely around retrieval and definitions.

Shakespeare and his Theatre

The Retrieve and Define Paper; 15 Minutes

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. 

* * *

William Shakespeare was an English writer born in 1564. He is particularly famous for his plays. His most famous play is called Romeo and Juliet, which is a love story with a sad ending. In 1599, the Globe Theatre was built near the River Thames and many of Shakespeare’s plays were performed there. Unfortunately, fourteen years later there was a blaze at the Globe during a performance and the theatre burned down. Nobody perished, but one man’s trousers caught on fire and had to be put out with somebody’s drink. In 1997, the Globe was rebuilt 200 metres away from where the original theatre had stood. The first play to be performed at the new Globe Theatre was Shakespeare’s Henry V.

         An extract from Shakespeare and his Theatre, written by a Year 3 student.

* * *

1. Which famous author is the passage discussing? (1)

2. What type of story is the play Romeo and Juliet? (2)

3. The original Globe Theatre was built in which year? (1)

4. How was the original Globe Theatre destroyed?  (2) 

5. What does the word “perished” mean? (1)

6. What was the first play to be performed in the new Globe Theatre? (1) 

Model Answers & Guidance

1. Which famous author is the passage discussing? (1)

The passage talks about the author William Shakespeare.  

* * *

The paper is starting the student off gently with a simple comprehension question that tests the candidate’s ability to retrieve information. Half a mark should be deducted for not using capital letters or correct punctuation, though multiple mistakes do not incur this penalty multiple times.

If a student understands that the word ‘writer’ – which is used in the opening sentence – is another word for ‘author’, it will  help them with this question. However, since William Shakespeare is the only author mentioned in the passage, students should be able to deduce the correct answer either way. [retrieval]

2.  What type of story is the play Romeo and Juliet? (2)

Romeo and Juliet is a love story with a sad ending.

* * *

Again, the examiner is looking to see whether a student can retrieve specific information from the text to answer the question. One mark would be granted for mentioning it is a love story, and another for adding in that it has a sad ending. This information can be found in line 3 of the passage. [retrieval]

3. The original Globe Theatre was built in which year? (1)

* * *

The question offers the student four different figures, and is looking to establish whether the student can link the event mentioned – the year the original Globe Theatre was built – to the correct set of digits. Notice that the other figures are linked to other events mentioned in the passage. It is important for students to take their time, as the examiners know that some will rush and pluck out a different (but incorrect!) figure they can see in the extract. [retrieval and multiple choice]

4. How was the original Globe Theatre destroyed?  (2) 

There was a blaze during a performance at the original Globe Theatre and the theatre burned down.

* * *

One mark for acknowledging that there was a fire during a performance at the original Globe Theatre, and another for acknowledging that the theatre burned down. Again, this question is stretching the student’s retrieval skills, though on this occasion they need to pick out two key details to secure all the marks up for grabs. 

Continue to deduct half a point if there are any punctuation or spelling mistakes. [retrieval]

5. What does the word “perished” mean? (1)

* * *

Although this is another multiple choice question, this time it is testing the student’s ability to define a specific word. If the student is not familiar with the word, they should carefully re-read the sentence in which the word appears, as well as the sentences either side of it. They should then replace the word in question with each of the four options given above. This will give the student a fighting chance to make an educated guess!

At any rate, this is a good opportunity to discuss other words that mean the same as perished/died with your child. [definitions and multiple choice]

6. What was the first play to be performed in the new Globe Theatre? (1) 

The first play to be performed in the new Globe Theatre was Shakespeare’s Henry V

* * *

The paper is finishing with another straightforward retrieval question: it is a skill that has already been tested, but the examiner is making sure that the student has paid attention to the entirety of the passage. The correct answer can be found in the final sentence of the passage. 

One mark for the correct answer – and, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, deduct half a point if there are any incorrect spellings and/or punctuation errors. [retrieval]

Published: 2021. Accolade Press is an imprint of Accolade Tuition

Alternatively, you can purchase and download an electronically delivered PDF directly from us here.

Customers who bought this product also found the following products helpful:

11+ Creative Writing

11+ Comprehension

11+ Comprehension: Volume Two

Key Stage 3: Creative Writing

To learn about our tutoring and education services, please click here.

To check out our complete catalogue of guides, workbooks and learning material, please click here.

Any questions or feedback for our staff? Need support? Want to purchase our resources on behalf of a school? Please don't hesitate to contact our amazing team at info@accoladetuition.com, and we shall endeavour to reply within 48 hours. Alternatively, use our contact form here.

Meet the Accolade team here.

Click here for our online privacy policy. Our current cookies policy can be viewed here.

"Knowledge is power" - Francis Bacon