Revision and Preparation for the Essex 11 Plus Exam

The Essex 11 Plus exam is one of the toughest in the country. Essex has a partial Grammar School system and some of the best grammar schools in the country. The result is that there is a lot of competition for places, sometimes there are more than ten applicants for every place.

The tests focus on Maths, English ( mostly comprehension) and verbal reasoning.

The Maths and English exam papers are developed by Essex examiners and therefore commercially available tests might not be useful for practice. The English test can be particularly difficult.

The Verbal Reasoning test is set by NFER (GL) but is of a longer length than many commercially available test papers.

The Verbal Reasoning test accounts for 50% of the overall marks so is particularly important.

How can Parents help their children with Essex 11 Plus Exam preparation?

Because the test is so competitive many parents Prepare using one of the following methods:

• Private tutors
• 11 Plus home tuition courses
• Commercially available guide books and papers.

Only the very brightest children will have a good chance of success  if they only use  the commercially available 11 Plus guide books and papers. Research has shown that technique work and 11 Plus exam practice will only deliver finite improvement.

To make a step change in performance children need to work on their core Maths and English skills. This can really only be done over a longer period.

Parents can use a Private Tutor to do this but these can be very expensive, or they can use a specific Essex 11 Plus home tutition course which they can work on at home.

How can lessons in the post help with preparation for the Essex 11 Plus exam?

Our 11 Plus home tutition courses aim to provide children with the core Maths and English skills they will need to perform to the very best of their ability in the  Essex 11 Plus exam .

• The course is Private Tutor Standard and proven to produce excellent results.
• It develops the core Maths and English and Verbal Reasoning skills children will need to deliver a step change in performance.
• It is 70% cheaper than being prepared by  Private Tutor.
• The course is fully structured. No parental teaching experience is required, just help and encouragement.
• Our home tuition courses help children not only pass the Essex 11 Plus exam but perform well when they get there

We like to start as early as possible. Many children start in year three and four and most will be working with us during year five. We can help children who start late but obviously the sooner you start the better chance you will have.

What will preparing for the Essex 11 Plus exam with Lessons in the Post be like?

We have evolved from a Private Tutor environment so all our materials for 11 Plus Preparation are of Private Tutor standard.  We have had a great deal of success with the toughest of Essex Grammar schools

We deliver weekly lessons that children study at home with help and support from parents. No teaching experience or parental knowledge is required and help is available should any of our families need it. Parents are there to encourage and be supportive in much the same way as they would be with home work.

The work provides for about half an hour of work each weekday. Work can be done at times to suit individual situations and can be spread into weekends to suit. We schedule work individually for each family so can for instance spread lessons out over term time and holidays to make things easier.

All the lessons are very well structured and presented and Parents need to buy nothing else. The lessons build in a lot of  Essex 11 plus exam practice towards the end so that children are properly prepared.

How much does Lessons in the Post cost  for Essex 11 Plus exam home tuition?

Typically someone starting with us in year five will do about 40 lessons before the exam. Brighter children might need less work.

Children who are with us from year three or four will do about 30-40 lessons per year although in some cases there may be more or less to suit individual circumstances.

If for any reason children are hoping to do some last minute 11 plus preparation then we do have an Essex 11 Plus revision course which can be done in as little as four weeks.

We charge between £27 and £33 per lesson. We can spread the costs out should that be necessary.

How can you get started ?

If you have any questions or simply want to ask us to get you started then please either call us or use the contact form on this page.

We normally assess each child before starting them. This allows us to start them at the right level and to have some understanding of whether a Grammar School would be suitable for them. The initial assessment costs £65. We then carry out free ongoing assessments every six months to check progress.

Useful information about the Essex 11 Plus exam.

• Essex 11 Plus Exam Dates: These are normally in the middle of November . Essex does have a facility to take the test on a different day should childen not be well.
• Essex 11 Plus results: Unlike some other areas no 11 Plus results are released in Essex until the March following the exam.
• Essex 11 Plus registraion requirements: There are specific registration requirements for Essex grammar schools. Registraion normally commences in September and it is advisable to visit any school being applied for.
• 11 Plus Essex Exam format: Maths , English and Verbal Reasoning multiple choice.  Verbal Reasoning accounts for 50% of the marks. All marks are age adjusted. The English paper is comprehension based and can be very difficult.