An easy-to-follow guide to 11 plus/ grammar school entrance exams maths
Whether your child is sitting entrance exams in CEM or GL format, their maths skills will be assessed as part of the process. It’s very important that your child knows what to expect. S/he will also need to demonstrate mastery of maths in many topic areas. Click to download our list of entrance exam/ 11 plus maths topics. Whilst it is true that your child will cover most topics in school, s/he will undoubtedly benefit from extra practice in entrance exam maths.
The format of the maths test
This varies according to school. All information is correct at the time of writing.
1) CEM format
In Trafford this includes Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Sale, Stretford and Urmston Grammar Schools. The CEM exam format mixes short sections of maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Short maths involves calculations designed to assess your child’s technical numeracy. Long maths involves multi-step word problems designed to assess your child’s understanding of maths, as well as technical ability. CEM generally follows a multiple choice format, with some open-ended questions. The answer grids can be tricky to grasp and it is essential that children have practice in filling them in. Click to book a practice entrance exam with Better Tuition
2) GL Assessment format
In Trafford this includes Altrincham Grammar School for Boys. GL Assessment examinations are multiple choice. Children will answer questions on a range of topics, most (but not all) of which will be covered in school.
St Ambrose College sets its own entrance exam, which is broadly similar to GL Assessment format, with the addition of some open-ended questions.
Click to book a practice entrance exam with Better Tuition
2) Loreto
Loreto is a Catholic girls’ grammar school, which sets its own exam. Loreto’s maths exam is similar to a Key Stage 2 SATs reasoning paper. You can read more about these here on our website. Questions are open-ended (i.e. NOT multiple choice). At Better Tuition, we tailor our examinations to your target school, so we are able to offer a Loreto-style paper.
Click to book a practice entrance exam with Better Tuition
What is the required standard?
11 plus/ entrance exam maths exams are based on the maths your child has learned at school. As you would expect, a very high standard is demanded. The papers are extremely challenging and good reasoning skills are as important as the ability to carry out calculations.
Whilst it is important to cover topics such as probability, algebra and averages, core skills are the foundation of all maths learning. Your child must be able to perform the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) quickly and confidently. A sound knowledge of times tables is essential. Your child should be confident enough to work quickly under pressure and careful enough to answer accurately.
Number Skills in Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Perhaps unexpectedly, number skills are sometimes tested in the verbal and non-verbal reasoning parts of entrance exams/ 11 plus. Your child may be asked to complete a sequence, balance an equation or work out the relationship between numbers. In non-verbal reasoning, your child may be asked to complete a sequence (mainly GL Assessment).
Helping your child prepare for 11 plus/ entrance exam maths
Make sure that your child’s core skills are all secure. This will help them solve problems quickly and efficiently. Use practice papers to help familiarise your child with the exam format. Visit our download store for FREE practice papers. We strongly recommend that you book a practice test with Better Tuition in order to give your child experience of a formal examination situation. You may also wish to contact us to book tuition, summer school or a Maths Masterclass. Call Paul Syrett or Christine McLaughlin any time on 0161 748 3912 and we will be happy to help.
How Practice Exams Help
A successful practice examination can be a real confidence boost, but a low score is arguably even more valuable. This is because you can very easily pinpoint areas of weakness. It’s not always about poor technical skills or understanding. Sometimes, children need to develop time management skills. Sometimes, children do not read the question carefully. A poor initial score can spark determination in your child to master 11 plus/ entrance exam maths.
We write our own papers, which closely mirror the ‘real’ exams. Marked papers are returned to you so that you can help your child with any errors s/he has made. Beware: many practice exam providers do not return papers to you and some even use photocopied CGP or GL papers, which your child may already have encountered.
Don’t put it off: book a practice test with Better Tuition today.
How Tuition Can Help with Entrance Exam Maths
Better Tuition offers high quality one-to-one tuition within a small group setting. Our lessons are engaging and tailored to the individual. It should go without saying that ALL our tutors are fully qualified teachers. Staggeringly, many tuition centres use tutors who are not educated beyond GCSE level. We offer weekly lessons during term time, flexible learning over summer, practice entrance exams and entrance exam masterclasses.
Our tuition centre just a short walk away from Urmston Grammar School. Paul Syrett, joint founding director of Better Tuition, previously taught at Urmston Grammar as well as Stretford Grammar, Loreto and St Ambrose College. Since 2008 we have helped hundreds of children secure a place at grammar school. Contact Paul or Christine and find out today why we’re better.
