Resources·11+ English
11+ English
What's actually on the 11+ English paper?
The 11+ isn't one single exam — but the English skills it tests are remarkably consistent. Here's what your child will meet, and how to build each part calmly over time.
If you've started looking into the 11+, you'll have noticed the papers don't all look the same. Some are multiple-choice with a separate answer sheet; others ask for written answers and even a piece of creative writing. The format depends on who sets the exam — a national provider such as GL Assessment, a regional consortium, or an individual grammar or independent school. But underneath the different layouts, almost every 11+ English paper is testing the same four things.
Reading comprehension.
Your child reads a passage — fiction, non-fiction or sometimes a poem — and answers questions on it. The easier questions ask them to find information that's stated directly (retrieval). The marks that separate children come from inference: working out what the text implies but doesn't say outright, explaining how a writer creates an effect, or saying what a word means in that particular context. This is the heart of the paper, and the slowest skill to build — which is why it rewards steady reading all year, not last-minute cramming.
Grammar and punctuation.
Identifying word classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs), choosing the right tense, spotting where a sentence needs a comma or an apostrophe, and recognising sentence types. These are quick marks for a child who knows the rules, and easy ones to lose for a child who doesn't.
Spelling and vocabulary.
A wide, precise vocabulary helps everywhere — in comprehension, in writing, and in the synonym, antonym and “complete the sentence” questions that appear on many papers. Spelling is tested directly on some papers and indirectly (through writing) on others. This is the most trainable part of the exam: a little, often, beats a lot in a panic.
Writing (on some papers).
School-set written papers often include a composition task — a short story, a description, or a piece of persuasive writing — marked on ideas, structure, vocabulary and accuracy. Multiple-choice papers usually leave writing out, but strong writing practice still improves comprehension and grammar.
How long, and how hard?
Most 11+ English papers run to around 45–60 minutes. The difficulty varies a lot between a typical grammar-school paper and a competitive independent school, which is why practising at the right level matters as much as practising at all.
How to prepare without the stress
- Read widely, every day. Fiction and non-fiction. Talk about what you've read — “why do you think she did that?” is inference practice in disguise.
- Build vocabulary little and often. Ten words learned properly beat fifty skimmed.
- Practise under gentle time pressure only once the skills are in place — not before.
- Mark together. Going through answers calmly, understanding why, is where the learning happens.
How Waystead resources fit
- Reading and inference — our comprehension exercises, where two linked texts are compared as well as read.
- Vocabulary and spelling — the spelling, punctuation and grammar sections in every practice paper.
- Exam format and timing — the full 11+ English papers, designed to be sat under timed conditions and marked at home.
Everything we make is original, written from scratch by experienced educators and aligned to the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum. It is not past papers, and we are not affiliated with any exam board.