With so many books, revision guides and study aids to choose from, what is best for your child? It can be difficult to navigate all the resources out there, which is why I have put this handy list together. I break down the guides, according to the age they serve, along with the brand. Rest assured, the books and guides listed, are ones that I have personal experience with, so you can be sure you are being offered books that work, and will help your child on their 11+ journey.
Here are a handful of companies, who have developed a range of bespoke, comprehensive books to support your child in their 11+ exams:
- Bond is a well-respected, comprehensive publisher that specialises in the 11+. J M Bond first published 11+ Assessments in 1964. Since then, the Bond series have continued to innovate and develop their books to reflect the changes in Entrance Exams.
- CGP is a well-known, well-loved publisher that has been educating and entertaining students, since 1996. They have developed an impressive comprehensive body of works to support Primary, Secondary and Higher Level learning. They also have detailed 11+ works, ranging from revision guides to exam papers, so that your child is fully supported in their 11+ preparation.
- Schofield and Sims: is a well-renowned, leading retail brand for Primary School Education. Founded in 1901 by Scholfield and Sims – headteachers for reputable schools – their vision to provide “a book to every child” was realised. Today, they are still a pioneer in ensuring that every child receives an education through their revision guides and text books.
8 – 9 year olds
Here are the Bond Books for assessments:
A great way to introduce your child to the 11+ exams. With topic-based questions, this book will allow your child to hone in on key areas of weaknesses. As well as having an answer sheet for questions, there is a great glossary of terms, so that you can go through grammatical terms with ease.
With a detailed key enclosed, your child will develop their understanding of the most crucial Math concepts for their 11+ exams. It will therefore allow them to focus on areas that will come up in the exam, so they are not wasting precious time.
A comprehensive guide to the Verbal Reasoning portion of the 11+ exam. Through this study book, your child will develop their confidence in problem-solving skills, morpheme understanding and links between words.
Non-Verbal Reasoning can be challenging for children, as it does not come up much in the curriculum. Yet, this exam is designed to test understanding and analytical skills of visual information through reasoning. Bond’s ‘Non-verbal Reasoning Assessment Papers’ will therefore nuture these fundamental skills in your child.
A comprehensive bundle to start your child on their 11+ journey. Each book contains: meticulously graded practice papers providing invaluable practice of each question type in a realistic exam style; practical tips and next steps planner; a motivating progress chart; and a pull-out answers section. All of this will empower you- the parent, guardian, tutor – to support your child/student.
By focusing on one topic at a time, your child will not become overwhelmed by the amount they need to learn for their 11+ exams. All exam-style questions have detailed answers, so your child will understand what to do next time thus avoid making the mistakes in the exam. This is a great gentle introduction to the 11+ English exams.
Full of targeted practice to help your child build up their Math knowledge and skills, so they can solve the problems in their 11+ Math exam. To improve your child’s speed and accuracy, there are a variety of questions that will give your child familiarity and confidence with the 11+ style of questions.
An extensive range of verbal reasoning questions for your child to practice solving the questions. With eight assessments included, your child will gain great insight and familiarity with the 11+ verbal reasoning exam.
This is a gentle introduction to non-verbal reasoning through extensive questions on specific topics, followed by test papers. To accompany the questions and assessments, there is a comprehensive answer sheet.
Here are the Schofield and Sims books:
To develop your child’s time-management skills, along with their fluency in English grammar, spelling, punctution and comprehension, Scholfield and Sims’ short, timed tests help to foster this. Rather than drilling topics, it moves quickly, which is more challenging, but does does support problem-solving, thus allowing your child to learn and understand the concepts.
This Math book has 36-single page tests to help your child become confident in their Math abilities, as well as become familiar with the exam. It does not have revision material on the Math concept, but it does have a detailed mark scheme for you to sit and go through if your child makes a mistake.
Through the plethora of 36 single-page practice papers, on topics including: letter and word problems; vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms and denotations); spelling; number patterns; and problem-solving, your child will understand how to answer 11+ questions. Not only this, but your child will improve their writing skills, as well as their word knowledge.
With 18 double-page, multiple choice tests on topics, such as: recognising similarities and differences; identifying reflected and hidden shapes; and completing series, your child will become confident in the problem-solving skills required for thei non-verbal 11+ exam. The target times for the tests range from 5 to 8 minutes, thus encouraging your child to work quicker.
9 – 10 year olds.
Here are the Bond Books of Assessment Papers:
For 9 – 10 year olds, this Bond ‘English Assessment Papers: Book 1’ is packed full of exam questions, giving your child plenty of practice beofore their exams. Although it’s designed to prepare your child for their 11+, it can also be used to help your child prepare for the 10+.
To stretch and challenge your child, Bond’s ‘Maths Assessment Papers: Book 1’ will give your child the opportunity to practice a variety of questions covering a breadth of Math topics to fully prepare them for their exams. It will also allow your child to practice time management, which is an area that most children struggle with in the exam.
Bond’s ‘Verbal Reasoning Assessments: Paper 1’ will not only give your child the opportunity to practice a variety of exam-style questions, but it will also allow your child to learn from the mistakes by offering detailed answers. That way your child will learn how to answer the questions accurately under exam conditions.
For most children, the non-verbal exam is the most challenging. Working through Bond’s ‘Non-verbal Reasoning Assessments: Book 1’ will allow them to experience a variety of exam-style questions, giving them familiarity with exam content. Bond’s detailed fold-out answers will give your child the opportunity to understand their weaknesses, so they can focus their revision.
If your child needs to practice their Comprehension, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, then this bundle is for you! Your child will have the opportunity to practice all the exams that they will sit for their 11+ exams. Aimed at 9-10 years old, it will allow your child to identify the areas they need to focus, so they can create a tailored revision plan.
Here are a list of books in Assessments and Exam Practice by CGP:
To help your child gain confidence in the skills required to pass the 11+ exam, the book is broken down into topics. This allows your child to deepen their understanding of specific concepts. This is followed by an assessment, so they can then put their knowledge into action.
To help your child prepare for their exam, CGP Math’s book breaks down the material into bitesize topics, so your child can manage the material. Not only that, it allows your child to pinpoint the areas they struggle with, so they can work on it systematically.
10 – 11 year olds
If you want to focus on improving your child’s comprehension by focusing on a variety of modes, Bond’s 10 – 11 year old 11+ Study Guide is for you! It contains 10 comprehension papers for your child to complete. You can either do it timed or untimed, depending on where your child’s is at in their 11+ preparation.
Working through this Bond Math Study Book, your child will be able to work through 11+ style Math problems, so they are not fazed in their exams. As well as an answer sheet, there are detailed explanations, so that your child can learn where they made mistakes, and thus understand how to do it next time.
Inside, are a plethora of verbal reasoning questions to hone your child’s exam skills, as well as provide them with great opportunities to playfully learn more about words and vocabulary.
For many children, the non-verbal questions can be challenging. With Bond’s ‘Non-Verbal Reasoning Assessments: Book 1’, it will allow your child to work through real exam-style questions. Along side the assessments, there are detailed answers, so that your child can identify their areas of weakness, and so can structure their revision and study to focus on these topics.
If you require Math, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning Study materials, then this bundle is for you! They are packed with assessments, so that your child can learn while they practice exam techniques. There are detailed answers, so your child can learn from their mistakes.
Here are the CGP Books for assessments:
If your child needs reminding of punctuation, spelling and grammar; if your child struggles to remember how to answer comprehension questions, this book is for you! It has great in-depth revision notes on all the English skills required to pass the 11+ exam, so that your child can re-cap, revise and regurgitate in the exam. With practice papers at the end of the book, your child can try out what they have learnt.
To ensure your child is familiar with all the different 11+ Math questions, CPG 11+ Maths Book dedicates the first section to comprehensive revision notes. Your child is then further assisted by having a walk through of how to answer exam style questions by their clear, step-by-step examples.
Helping parents to help their child prepare for the 11+ Verbal Reasoning, there are not only exam style questions, but there are detailed answers with clear explanation, thus empowering parents to go over questions with ease and confidence.
A detailed approach to the 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning paper through comprehensive revision notes, followed by extensive exam questions. To help keep your child on track, and to pinpoint areas of improvement, there is a free progress chart. This allows you to help focus revision on key areas.
For quick-fire revision, this bundle will enable your child to practice key concepts in timed conditions, allowing your child to hone their time-management skills for the exam. This bundle is a great resource for children just about to sit their exam, and have limited time left to prepare.
Here are a few of the Schofield and Sims Books:
With six assessment papers, each with 85 questions, your child will be exposed to the array of questions in their 11+ exam. The assessments increase in difficulty, allowing your child to stretch themselves, so that they will be prepared for whatever comes up.
Through this Schofield and Sims workbook, your child will fine tune their mathematical knowledge and problem-solving skills. The papers become incrementally challenging, so your child can push themselves, and test their abilities before their exams. By doing this, they can then focus on their weaknesses, and turn them into strengths.
Developing children’s logic, critical thinking, vocabulary, spelling and problem-solving skills, this workbook will nurture your child’s language development, so that they have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the English language. By doing this, it will allow them to, not only pass their 11+ exams, but to apply it beyond their exams.
If your child struggles with non-verbal reasoning, this books is for you! There are plenty of exam-style questions to test your child and thoroughly prepare them for their 11+ exam. To guide your child through the non-verbal exam, there are easy to follow step-by-step methods for each problem, so that your child will understand how to answer exam questions with confidence and ease.
If you are in the final stages of your revision, and the exam is iminent, then this bundle is for you! With 8 – 12 mins’ papers, it allows your child to test their skills in bitesize chunks. It is also a great way for your child to learn how to manage their time under pressure. At the end of each set of questions is an answer sheet, so your child will understand where they erred.