Guide topic
Preparation Plans
Practical, child-centred ways to organise 11+ preparation without relying on cramming.
- 12 guides
Start here
The guide that frames the rest of this topic.
When should a child start 11+ preparation? A year-by-year plan
A calm, practical guide to building foundations in Years 3 and 4, adding structured preparation in Year 5 and using timed practice proportionately.
- 6 min read
More in this topic
| Guide | Read | Published |
|---|---|---|
11 Plus Books, Papers and Online Practice: What Is Worth BuyingAn independent look at the main 11+ book series, rated on difficulty against the real papers and on how well their answers actually explain anything. The right book depends on the test your child is sitting, and that is set locally. | Read13 min | Published |
Is the 11 Plus Hard? Difficulty, Competition and Managing PressureMost pages answer this with an unsourced "top 10 to 25%". Buckinghamshire Council expects about 37% of its test-takers to qualify. Here is what the admission authorities actually publish about difficulty, competition and pressure. | Read15 min | Published |
How to Pass the 11 Plus: Exam Technique and Timing StrategyMost 11+ advice tells parents to keep an eye on the time and never says what the time is. This guide turns published test timings into seconds-per-question budgets, checkpoint pacing, answer-sheet discipline and a structured wrong-answer review. | Read15 min | Published |
Building an 11 Plus Revision Timetable That Your Child Will Keep ToThree complete 11 plus revision timetables (12 months, 6 months and 6 weeks), counted backwards from the real test date rather than forwards from today. Free, ungated and built around spacing, interleaving and a recovery plan for the weeks you miss. | Read15 min | Published |
Starting 11 Plus Preparation in Year 4: What Actually MattersBuild reading, vocabulary and maths foundations in Year 4. Use school-specific registration and test dates, termly checks and a manageable workload to plan what comes next. | Read15 min | Published |
How to Add Structure to Home Education Without Recreating SchoolThe law does not require a timetable, set hours or marked work, but it does reward evidence of progress. Here is a four-part system (goals, rhythm, review, evidence) that keeps home education defensible without turning your house into a classroom. | Read15 min | Published |
How to Choose an 11 Plus Learning PlatformA disclosed buyer guide written by a company that sells one: how to decode the word adaptive, test whether a progress report is real evidence, and run a seven-day trial that actually decides. | Read15 min | Published |
When Your Child Hates 11 Plus Practice: A Lower-Pressure ResetA step-by-step reset for parents whose child has stopped co-operating with 11 plus practice: how to tell ordinary resistance from real distress, a seven-day pause, the exact words to use, and how to decide whether to reduce, pause or stop. | Read16 min | Published |
Why Short 11 Plus Sessions Beat CrammingThe 11+ advice online tells you to practise for seven minutes, twenty minutes, forty-five minutes or two whole papers a day. Here is what the evidence really supports, and what it does not. | Read15 min | Published |
11 Plus Tutors, Apps and Self Study: Costs and How to ChooseVerified 2026 tutor and app prices, free council and GL Assessment familiarisation materials, and three fully costed 12-month budgets so you can choose a route on evidence rather than anxiety. | Read15 min | Published |
How to Prepare for the 11 Plus: a Year by Year PlanStart with a fifteen minute diagnostic, not a reading list. This guide routes you to one of three plans, gives weekly time budgets in minutes from Year 3 to exam week, and tells you exactly what to cut when time runs short. | Read12 min | Published |
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