Beyond Bond Papers: What Really Makes a Difference in 11+ Preparation

The Big Picture: What Moves the Needle Most

1. Firm foundations beat frantic papers
   Secure number facts, problem solving strategies, rich vocabulary, accurate spelling and strong comprehension matter more than more papers.
2. Feedback is the engine of improvement
   Every mistake is data. The win is not finishing a paper, but understanding what went wrong and how to fix it next time.

3. Technique and stamina matter
   Time management, question triage, annotation, and calm under pressure can transform a child’s score.

4. Consistency over intensity
   Little and often wins. One or two well planned sessions a week build mastery without burnout. Read more about why early preparation matters here. 

5. Joy protects progress
   Reading widely, puzzles, and low-stakes practice keep motivation high and anxiety low.

How We Help: Your Trusted Advisor At Every Step

1. Start with an Enjoy Assessment
   Every journey begins with our comprehensive Enjoy Education Assessment. This is not just a score on a test. It gives you a clear picture of where your child currently sits in comparison to their peers, highlights strengths, and pinpoints the specific gaps that could hold them back. Parents often tell us this is the first moment they feel real clarity and calm about the 11+ process. Unsure about all the 11+ jargon? Read our handy blog on key 11+ terms here.

2. Expert tutor team
   We handpick tutors who know the 11+ inside out and who are a personality fit for your child. We work with tutors who are experts in stretching students for competitive schools, have SEN experience and are knowledgeable about how to transition students from international curricula.

3. Personalised plan
   In collaboration with your tutor, we then build a roadmap with session structure, and mini targets, aligned with your school list and exam formats. Check out our Ultimate 11+ Preparation Guide here. 

4. The mock cycle that works
   We offer practice exams, mark them quickly, and turn results into action points.

5. Parent partnership
   We provide you with reading lists, information on different test types, coffee mornings, and a simple feedback loop. We handle the academic heavy lifting so you can be the calm constant.

6. Admissions guidance
   From school choices and key dates to forms and interviews, we offer clear, current advice so nothing slips through the cracks. Stuck on whether to choose a day school or boarding school? Head to our practical guide to the British System here.

Subject-by-Subject: What Actually Improves Scores

English comprehension

• Teach annotation: underline key details, circle names, jot a margin note per paragraph.
• Practise evidence-based answers: quote or refer to the line that supports your point.
• Build inference skills with access to varied text types: practice with classic fiction (i.e. Dickens), contemporary articles (news or non-fiction), poetry.

Vocabulary and spelling

• Daily read-aloud and read-to-self with varied genres.
• Keep a vocabulary journal: word, guessed meaning, real meaning, example sentence.
• Spelling patterns, not lists: rules, exceptions, and quick 5-minute reviews. For example ‘i before e except after c’ (believe, piece, ceiling) but ‘weird breaks the rule’. 

Creative and short writing

• Plan before writing: characters, setting, problem, twist, resolution.
• Practise openings and endings separately to build flair.
• Focus on a single improvement each piece: sentence variety, precise verbs, vivid nouns.

Maths

• Get the basics of number fluency right first: times tables, place value, fractions, decimals, percentages connections.
• Teach more than one way of how to solve a problem side by side: formal algorithms plus mental strategies.
• Practise word problems daily: highlight the key data, restate the question, choose a strategy, estimate first.

Verbal reasoning

• Break question types into categories: codes, analogies (word relationships), synonyms, cloze (fill in the missing word), letter shifts.
• Tackle and learn the rules for one question type at a time and then mix.
• Grow vocabulary as you go – success in verbal reasoning depends just as much on knowing lots of words as it does spotting patterns. Reading widely is important! 

Non-verbal reasoning

• Train the eye as these questions are about spotting patterns: look for changes in shape, size, rotation, number, shading, position.
• Use a checklist before answering. “Has the shape rotated? Has the number changed? Has the shading switched?”
• Practise with short, frequent sets rather than single long blasts. Ten-minute bursts a few times a week work far better than a single long, tiring session.

For Children With Additional Needs

We work with many children sitting the 11+ who have learning profiles such as dyslexia, ADHD or exam anxiety. The goal is not to push harder, but to teach smarter.

• Dyslexia: our tutors can use coloured overlays or screen settings, clear fonts, chunked instructions, provide extra time practice, and offer more oral rehearsal before writing is introduced.
• ADHD: tutors can teach your child in shorter intervals with movement breaks, offer visual timers, provide highly structured checklists, and teach varied tasks to maintain engagement.
• Anxiety: Enjoy Education offers support with rehearsal of exam-day routine and practice exams. Our tutors can coach positive self-talk, predictable schedules, and low-stakes mocks before higher-stakes ones.

We can also advise on access arrangements and ensure practice mirrors the approved adjustments.