What level should my child be at to do well in 11 Plus English exams?

Children should be aiming for a solid level 5 in their KS2 sats tests as a minimum. Other research has revealed that the vast majority of children who pass the 11 Plus become at least two years ahead of the national average when their comprehension, reading age and spelling age are measured, they are at this level before they sit the exam. In spelling children are more often more than three years ahead of the national average.

Remember that core English skills take a long time to develop properly so the sooner you start good habits like reading every day the better off you will be.

For a more accurate view we’d suggest the following:

Children who are trying in areas where there are high levels of grammar school places (e.g. Kent or Bucks) – should be at level 4a/b or better at the end of year 4, aiming for a level 5 in year six.

Children who are trying in areas where there are more limited grammar school places (e.g. Birmingham) – should be at 4a/b or better at the end of year 4 aiming for a high level 5a/b in year six.

Children who are trying for very competitive schools – should be 5c/4a or better at end of year 4 aiming for 5a/level 6 in year six.

For all children, if you are coming to this early enough we’d recommend working to boost a child’s core English skills as soon as possible.

Core English skills take a very long time to develop properly. We’d suggest that even relaxed activities like reading every day, doing some paired reading and doing an extra spelling/vocabulary activity each week during years 3 and 4 will have an enormous effect on the final outcome.