11+ Study Plans
Find the 11+ study plan closest to the period of time you have and use this as a template for your child’s learning schedule. We’ve included typical 12-month, 6-month and 3-month step-by-step study plans to help you.
More than 12 months to go
It is never too early to begin thinking about preparing for the 11+ exam. The Bond range begins with practice for children from ages 5 – 6 years and goes through to the 12+ - 13+ age books. This series ensures children have a strong basis in maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Here are some other key ways of developing 11+ skills from an early age:
- Establish a regular reading routine
- Play and encourage educational games that extend your child’s knowledge of words and definitions
- Help your child to deal with numbers and shapes
- Work on times tables knowledge
- Introduce games that develop logical thinking
It is important in these early stages to keep learning fun and interesting so that your child doesn’t become demotivated. Try not to refer to the 11+ exam too early on, but encourage a rounded educational experience for your child.
12-month 11+ study plan for each subject to be covered
Months 1 – 3
- Work through the Bond age-specific titles, starting with Assessment Papers, at a steady pace
- Use the Bond How to Do… series for question types you're unsure of how to tackle
- Use general skills workbooks such as the Bond No Nonsense series to supplement and consolidate learning
- Make notes of problematic areas that need further revision.
Months 4 – 6
- Continue with the Bond age-specific texts and the How to Do… series.
- Strengthen problem areas with spelling lists, reading from a range of genres, logic puzzles, games involving mental arithmetic, etc.
- Use No Nonsense workbooks to supplement learning.
- Revise learning plan if needed.
- Retest for spelling age to check progress.
Months 7 – 9
- Continue with the Bond age-specific texts, progressing up to Stretch titles and texts for the next age up to develop skills further, if comfortable in the books for their own age level.
- Use the Bond How to Do… series on question types that continue to be problematic.
- Introduce timed tests.
- Revise work in ‘bite-size’ chunks for daily revision. (The Bond 10 Minute Tests range can help to achieve this).
Months 10 – 12
- Use the Bond 11+ Test Papers to get used to exam paper format and try sitting mock exams.
- Tighten exam timings to allow time for checking.
- Address any anxieties through talking and possibly devising some exam stress busting techniques.
- Strengthen any weak areas with ‘bite-size’ chunks for daily revision.
- Final spelling age test to confirm progress made.
6-month 11+ study plan for each subject covered
Months 1 – 2
- Work through the Bond age-specific titles, starting with Assessment Papers, at a steady pace.
- Use the Bond How to Do… series for unknown areas of learning.
- Make notes of problematic areas.
Months 3 – 4
- Continue with the Bond age-specific books.
- Use the Bond How to Do… series to address problematic question types and revisit these on a daily basis.
- Introduce timed tests.
Months 5 – 6
- Continue with the Bond age-specific books, concentrating on accuracy and speed.
- Use the Bond 11+ Test Papers to get used to exam paper format and try sitting mock exams.
- Keep to tight exam timings.
- Address any anxieties through talking and possibly devising some exam stress busting techniques.
- Try short bursts of practice in short periods of time using Bond 10 Minute Tests.
- Retest for spelling age to check progress made.
3-month 11+ study plan for each subject to be covered
Month 1
- Work through the Bond age-specific titles, starting with Assessment Papers, at a steady pace.
- Use the Bond How to Do… series to address problematic question types.
- Make notes of problematic areas that need further revision.
Month 2
- Continue with the Bond age-specific books.
- Work at keeping to strict timings for each 11+ paper.
- Use No Nonsense workbooks to supplement learning in problematic areas.
Month 3
- Use the Bond 11+ Test Papers to get used to exam paper format and try sitting mock exams.
- Keep to tight exam timings.
- Address any anxieties through talking and possibly devising some exam stress busting techniques.
- Retest spelling age to check progress made.
Less than 3 months to go
If you have less than 3 months before the 11+ exam, it is important to focus on exam preparation. Look at the final stages of the suggested plans, which refer to exam timings, dealing with stress and working through the 11+ test papers. If time allows, work through the Bond Assessment Papers 10 – 11+ years for the appropriate subjects for your area. This will give some practise at the types of question your child will need to answer.
At this stage, every single day counts, so even if you only have a week to go, work through at least two 11+ practice papers a day and one 11+ test paper. A crash course is not ideal but it is infinitely better than nothing, so make the most of the time available to ensure your child is as comfortable as possible with the format of the paper and the style of 11+ questions.