Revision and Preparation for the Bucks 11 Plus Exam

The 11 Plus exam in Buckinghamshire consists of two verbal reasoning papers only. There are several good Grammar Schools in Bucks for both boys and girls and competition for places through the 11 Plus exam is high.

How should you prepare for the Bucks 11 Plus verbal reasoning exam?

The problem for Parents is that just working on technique and Verbal reasoning papers is unlikely to deliver a real step change in performance levels. Research has shown that familairisation with the question types and doing a succession of practice papers will only deliver finite benefits. After a while it becomes counter productive.

A real step change in peformance can only be delivered by working long term on core English skills.

What options do Parents have to help their children prepare for the Bucks 11 Plus Exam?

Short Term- Where Parents have less than a year to prepare.

• Private Tutor- Can be good, but very expensive. Will require quite a bit of travel to get to a Tutor and administration of home work. Need Private Tutor and Student to click for the best results.
• Private Tuition Groups- Cheaper but still very expensive. Some groups risk being more entertainment than work. Feedback of lack of progress may come too late.
• Structured Home Tution- Needs commitment but 70% cheaper than a Private Tutor. Will need about half an hour a day to deliver the necessary results.
• Home Tuition DIY- Very little cost, but large amount of parental work and research needed. Very difficult to deliver a better result than children would get through the council supplied familiarisation exercise.

Longer Term- Where Parents have a year or more to prepare.

• Private Tutor- This would cost many thousands over a longer period and is difficult to maintain . Many Private tutors are set up to deliver formulaic short term cramming rather than longer term strucutred improvement.
• Structured Home Tuition- Needs commitment but 70% cheaper than a Private Tutor. Real improvements in maths and English can be delivered allowing for a real step change in Verbal Reasoning performance. Children will be better able to cope with Grammar school when they get there.
• Home Tuition DIY- Very little cost, but very few Parents will be able to resist the urge to leap into test papers rather than work ing on the core skills that will really make a difference. Difficult to maintain over a long period

How can our structured home tutition help children prepare for the Bucks 11 Plus verbal reasoning exam?

Lessons in the Post provides structured home tuition courses for 11 plus exams.

• All our courses are of Private Tutor Standard. They are fully structured and need no parental teaching experience.
• Our Verbal Reasoning Course is the most complete  we know of and can be done in a relaxed way in 20 weeks or longer or can be done more intensively over a shorter period. It costs £15 per lesson.
• Our longer 11 Plus courses looking at core English and Maths skills and verbal reasoning are perfect for delivering a step change in improvement over a longer period. They cost £27 per lesson.
• Our courses are about 70% cheaper than a Private Tutor and with commitment will deliver the same results.
• Full support provided on email or by phone.

How can you get started with Lessons in the Post?

Where parents have less time and want to just do the Verbal Reasoning then we would not normally carry out a formal assessement. Parents should just use the contact box on this page ( or call us) and we will be in touch to answer any questons you have and get you started.

Where parents have the time to work over a longer period we would normally carry out an assessment ( cost £65, all other assessments done every six months for free). Please use the contact box to ask any questions or ask for an assessment or call us using the number at the top of this page.

Useful Bucks 11 Plus Exam information

• Bucks 11 Plus Exam Date- Normally the Exam takes place during the October Half -term but this can change. Dates normally announced in June/July.
• Registration requirements- Children in state county primary schools are normally automatically enrolled, out of county children or independent school children will need to register for the Bucks 11 Plus ( normal deadline is early Sept/ late August)
• Bucks 11 Plus Test Results- Test results are normally delivered in the middle of November with spaces being allocated in March.
• The Exam Format- Verbal Reasoning only , two papers of 50 minutes. Papers written by NFER ( GL) . Scores are adjusted for age ( younger children need fewer correct answers to qualify). Bucks 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning tests are not commercially available.
• School based preparation- Any parent who registers or who has a child in a county primary will get a familiarisation pack from Buckinghamshire County Council. State primary school will als have class room time scheduled for verbal reasoning preparation.