How we actually teach the 11+
Most tutoring is a worksheet and good intentions. Ours is a written curriculum with a clear path from teaching a skill to proving it on a timed, official paper — and a dashboard that shows parents the gains, term by term. Founded by a Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls alumna and a Chigwell School 90% academic-scholarship winner, our method is built on what high-stakes selection actually rewards.
Four strands, taught in full
The Redbridge GL exam is two papers covering four distinct skill sets. We teach all four deliberately — none is left to chance or 'natural ability'.
English
EngComprehension, vocabulary and spelling, punctuation & grammar — the backbone of Paper 1.
We build reading age first, then drill the question types GL actually asks: inference, retrieval, word meaning in context and SPaG.
Verbal Reasoning
VRThe 21 GL verbal-reasoning question types — from codes and letter sequences to compound words and logic.
Taught one type at a time, then drilled to timed automaticity so nothing is met cold in the exam.
Maths
MathsThe full Key Stage 2 syllabus plus the applied, multi-step problems GL favours.
Concept taught, then speed-built — mental fluency and method, then timed mixed-topic papers.
Non-Verbal / Spatial
NVRNon-verbal and spatial reasoning: sequences, matrices, rotations, reflections and folding.
Pattern types are made explicit and rehearsed, turning 'guessable' questions into reliable marks.
Paper 1 carries English and Verbal Reasoning; Paper 2 carries Maths and Non-Verbal / Spatial. Both are entirely multiple-choice and age-standardised, with a qualifying floor of 104.
Taught type by type, drilled to timed automaticity
Verbal reasoning is where well-prepared children pull clear. There are around 21 recurring GL question types — and almost none of them are intuitive the first time.
- Each type is introduced on its own: the pattern, the fastest method, and the trap that catches most children.
- We then drill it in short timed sets until the method is automatic — no working from first principles in the exam.
- Types are interleaved and re-tested so they stick under the pressure of a full mixed paper.
- By September, every type has been met dozens of times — nothing is encountered cold on exam day.
Because GL papers are multiple-choice and tightly timed, accuracy without speed is not enough. Automaticity is the goal: recognise the type, recall the method, commit the answer — and move on.
From first lesson to official paper
Every skill climbs the same five rungs — so a child only meets a full official paper once the underlying methods are secure and fast.
Teach the type
Every question type is introduced explicitly — the underlying pattern, the method, and the common traps — before any paper is attempted.
Speed drills
Short, focused sets that turn a learned method into automatic recall. We track accuracy and time until the type is fast and dependable.
Full papers
Mixed-topic, full-length papers under the real time limit, so pacing and stamina are practised — not just isolated skills.
Official GL papers
The genuine GL Assessment material in the actual exam format, so the September test feels familiar rather than foreign.
Adaptive online homework
Between sessions, homework adapts to each child's weak types — closing gaps and feeding fresh data straight into the dashboard.
Termly benchmark re-tests and reports
Progress you can't measure is progress you can't trust. Every term, each child sits a fresh, full benchmark under exam conditions.
- Full, timed re-tests each term — not casual quizzes — scored on the same age-standardised scale as the real exam.
- A written report per strand: where your child sits now, what changed since last term, and exactly what we're working on next.
- Streaming and homework are adjusted from the data, so teaching always targets the current weak points.
- Every score lands in the live dashboard, plotted against the 104 floor and the 115–125 offer zone.
What the numbers mean
- Qualifying floor — eligibility only, not a place104
- Realistic offer zone — where in-catchment offers actually land115–125
We are honest about catchment: for in-catchment families the lead grammars are Ilford County High (boys) and Woodford County High (girls). Out-of-catchment, we openly steer families towards Essex CSSE grammars and independent-school routes instead.
The multiple-choice marks most children leave on the table
The GL exam is machine-marked and entirely multiple-choice. Knowing the content is necessary — but technique is what converts knowledge into a standardised score.
- Answer-sheet transfer drilled separately — every GL paper is multiple-choice, marked by machine, so a correct answer in the wrong row is a lost mark. We practise transferring under time until it is second nature.
- Pacing by the clock: children learn to budget seconds per question, leave nothing blank, and recognise when to move on rather than sink time into one hard item.
- Intelligent guessing: GL has no negative marking, so we teach eliminate-then-commit — narrow the options, take the best remaining answer, and never leave a bubble empty.
- Pre-flight checks: name and candidate number, reading the instructions once carefully, and keeping the answer line aligned with the question number throughout.
A live progress dashboard parents can actually see
Most tutors ask you to take progress on faith. We give you a login. Every benchmark, every piece of homework, every attendance mark feeds one clear picture of where your child stands and where they're heading.
Per-strand bands over time
Each strand — English, VR, Maths and NVR — tracked term on term against the 104 floor and the 115–125 offer zone, so you see exactly which areas are exam-ready.
Attendance & homework
Live attendance and homework-completion percentages, because the two biggest levers on progress are simply turning up and finishing the work.
Radically transparent
We publish our prices, our class sizes (max 6) and the real exam dates — and the dashboard extends that honesty to your child's own numbers.
The Progress Guarantee
ConditionalIf your child gains fewer than 6 bands across two consecutive termly re-tests — while keeping at least 80% attendance and 80% homework completion — we provide one free half-term of small-group catch-up, at no extra cost.
We can stand behind this because the dashboard makes the conditions visible and the gains measurable. It is a real, defined commitment — not a vague promise.
See the system work for your child
Start with a GL-format mock and a strand-by-strand diagnostic. You'll get a clear baseline, an honest read on catchment, and your first view of the dashboard.
Questions first? Read how the Redbridge 11+ works.