Confusingly, both state grammar (non-fee-paying, selective) and independent (private, fee-paying) schools use the same name for their entrance exams into Year 7, the first year of secondary school in the UK. It is easy to assume that, because they have the same name, that they are the same exam. Whilst the exams are likely to contain a lot of similar components, there is some variation in the subjects they include, which can change between local areas, and even from school to school.
Verbal and Non-verbal Reasoning
Most 11+ examinations include verbal and non-verbal reasoning. These two subjects are not formally taught in UK schools and are designed to test students’ cognitive and reasoning abilities as well as their English vocabulary knowledge. Verbal reasoning tests test word and spelling knowledge, along with pattern recognition and some logical reasoning. Non-verbal reasoning tests use shapes and figures to assess pattern recognition and spatial reasoning (how things fit together and how shapes change when they are moved in specific ways). Whilst students do not need prior knowledge to complete verbal and non-verbal reasoning, we find that our students benefit from practice papers and exam preparation tuition to familiarise themselves with the question types and brush up on their vocabulary knowledge.
Maths (Numerical Reasoning)
Maths is almost certainly included in every 11+ examination, although it may sometimes be called ‘numerical reasoning’. The level is usually pitched at Year 5 and Year 6 standard (based on the national curriculum) but may include some additional tricky problems. It is important to highlight here that many students coming from Hong Kong schools have strong numerical skills, however they can find the wordy questions included in these exams more challenging.
English (Reading & Writing)
Many independent schools include an English reading and writing assessment in their 11+ admissions process. These can range from simple reading comprehensions with multiple choice answers, to higher level literary analysis and written answers. Reading and writing components are less common for 11+ grammar school admissions, but still a possibility.
Our top piece of advice is to look carefully at the admissions information for your chosen schools. This information can often be found on the school website, or if you search ‘School Name + Admissions / 11+ / Entrance Exam’.
If 11+ exam support is what you are looking for, contact the Seven Springs Education team today.
11+ 考試科目：文法學校（State Grammar School） vs 私立學校（Independent School）
令人困惑的是，無論是文法學校（state grammar school）（非收費、選拔制）還是私立學校（independent school）（私立、收費）都使用相同的名稱來命名他們的七年級入學考試——即英國中學的第一年。由於它們名字一樣，不少人很容易以為它們是相同的考試。雖然兩者可能包含許多相似的部分，但在這兩個考試中所考核的科目仍存在一些差別，這些差別可能會因地區、學校而有所不同。
語文推理（Verbal Reasoning）和非語文推理（Non-verbal Reasoning）
大多數11+考試包括語文推理（Verbal Reasoning）和非語文推理（Non-verbal Reasoning）。在英國學校中這兩個範疇並非獨立科目。它們旨在評估學生的認知、推理能力，以及他們的英語詞彙知識。語文推理會考核詞語、拼寫知識、模式識別以及一些邏輯推理。而非語文推理則以形狀和圖形來考核模式識別和空間推理（物體之間如何互相契合以及形狀在特定方式下如何變化）。儘管學生在解答語文推理和非語文推理時不需要具備特定知識，但我們發現學生們能通過練習試卷和進行補課來熟悉問題類型並提高他們解題能力。
數學（數字推理）（Numerical Reasoning）
數學，亦被稱作「數字推理」（numerical reasoning）的部分，幾乎一定會出現在每個11+考試中。它的難度通常落在基於國家課程的五年級和六年級水平，但亦有可能包括一些額外的難題。特別需要注意的是，雖然我們留意到很多來自香港學校的學生在數學方面具有較佳的表現，但他們在應對文字題目上會較為遜色。
英語（閱讀與寫作）
許多私立學校在他們的11+入學過程中包含了英語閱讀和寫作評估。這些評估範圍從簡單的閱讀理解多項選擇題，涵蓋到更深層次的文學分析和問題作答。在文法學校的11+入學試中，雖然英語閱讀和寫作部分的考核較為少見，但不代表它們不會出現。
我們最主要的建議是仔細查看您選擇的學校入學資訊。這些資訊通常可以在學校的網站上找到，或者您可以搜索關鍵詞：「School Name + Admissions / 11+ / Entrance Exam」。
如果您需要11+考試支援，請立即聯絡我們。