Your guide to the 11+
Reading closely, understanding more
11+ English asks children to understand what they read and notice how language works. Strong answers come from careful reading, knowledge of words and sentences, and evidence from the text.
What does 11+ English involve?
A test may include a passage followed by comprehension questions, alongside vocabulary, spelling, grammar or punctuation tasks. Some schools also assess writing. The exact combination depends on the school and test provider.
Why is English tested?
Reading and language skills support learning across the curriculum. English tasks help schools assess how accurately children understand information, interpret ideas and use language. A comprehension question may ask for a fact stated directly, or for an inference that must be supported by clues.
What are the main skills?
Retrieval and inference
Retrieval means locating information that the text tells you directly. Inference means working something out from clues. An inference should fit the evidence, rather than being a guess about what might happen.
Vocabulary in context
Understanding what a word means in its sentence, including less familiar words. Children also consider why a writer chose a particular word and what impression it creates.
Grammar, spelling and punctuation
Recognising how sentences are built and how spelling and punctuation communicate meaning. This can include word classes, tense, agreement, apostrophes and sentence boundaries.
Explaining and organising ideas
Identifying the main point, linking details and explaining an answer clearly. Where writing is assessed, children may need to organise a response and choose language for its audience and purpose.
A useful approach to comprehension
- Read for meaning: work out what is happening and who is involved.
- Read the question: decide whether it asks for a fact, a meaning, an inference or an explanation.
- Find evidence: return to the relevant sentence or paragraph.
- Check: make sure your answer addresses the question and fits the whole passage.
Try some 11+ style questions
Read this original short passage, then choose one answer for each question. These 11+ style multiple-choice examples cover retrieval, vocabulary, grammar and inference. This is a short introduction, not a full-length test; actual passages and formats vary by school and provider.
The audition
At the library door, Elin stopped. Inside, chairs scraped and someone laughed. She tightened her grip on the folded poem in her pocket. Yesterday she had practised it until every line felt familiar; now the first word had vanished.
“You’re next,” whispered her brother. Elin glanced towards the exit, then shook her head. She smoothed the paper against her knee and stepped into the room. Her opening line was barely louder than a breath. By the final verse, she was looking up. When the applause came, she blinked, then grinned at her brother.
Try it · 1
Retrieve a detail
Where was the poem when Elin stopped at the library door?
Give me a hint
Look back at the first paragraph. Find the sentence that mentions the poem.
Show answer and explanation
B · In her pocket. The passage describes “the folded poem in her pocket”. This is information stated directly, so there is no need to infer it.
Try it · 2
Understand a word in context
What does “vanished” suggest in “now the first word had vanished”?
Give me a hint
Think about the contrast between yesterday’s practice and how she feels at the door.
Show answer and explanation
C. Elin temporarily cannot recall the first word. The paper is still in her pocket; the word has not physically disappeared from it.
Try it · 3
Recognise a word class
In “She smoothed the paper against her knee”, which word class is smoothed?
Give me a hint
Which word tells you what Elin did?
Show answer and explanation
C · Verb. “Smoothed” expresses the action Elin carried out. It is in the past tense.
Try it · 4
Infer a change in feelings
Which statement best describes how Elin’s feelings change during the passage?
Give me a hint
Compare her grip on the poem and her glance towards the exit with what she does during the final verse and after the applause.
Show answer and explanation
B. At first Elin seems nervous: she grips the poem tightly and briefly looks towards the exit, suggesting she is tempted to leave. By the end she appears more confident and pleased: she looks up during the final verse and grins after the applause. The other options describe feelings that are not supported by the passage.
How can parents help?
Share a range of reading, including stories and non-fiction. Discuss unfamiliar vocabulary in its sentence. Ask “What makes you think that?” and encourage your child to point to the evidence. Talk about why a writer chose a word, not just its dictionary meaning.
When checking an answer, separate a reading misunderstanding from a spelling or grammar mistake. Practise the specific skill, then return to a complete passage.
Is every English paper the same?
No. Some use multiple-choice questions, while others require written answers or a writing task. Follow your target school’s current admissions information and recommended familiarisation materials.
GL Assessment’s official 11+ information explains that local test formats can differ. The passage and questions here are independently written by Advantage Tutoring.
Explore english in more detail
Find out about the different question types, the skills they use and how to approach them, with short worked examples.
A clearer next step for your child
Our 11+ tuition gives children time to explore unfamiliar questions and explain their thinking. Mock exams provide an opportunity to practise working through a paper in an exam setting.
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