Common 11 Plus English mistakes to avoid.

Common 11 Plus English Mistakes to Avoid

Over 70% of 11+ candidates lose marks due to preventable errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar, according to GL Assessment analysis of 2023 mock exams. GL Assessment and CEM data highlight the top 5 error categories: spelling at 28%, punctuation at 22%, grammar at 19%, vocabulary at 15%, and comprehension at 16%. A Bond Papers parental survey found 85% of parents report spelling as their biggest concern.

Exam marking schemes often show 20-30% of marks lost to silly mistakes like careless handwriting or missed full stops. These common pitfalls affect performance in the English paper across GL and CEM formats. Parents and tutors can help by focusing on frequent errors through targeted practice.

Key areas include spelling errors such as confusing their, there, they're, and punctuation issues like apostrophe misuse in possessives. Grammar slips, like subject-verb agreement, and vocabulary misuse in context questions also trip up many. Regular proofreading builds habits to avoid these in the 11+ exam.

To prepare, use past papers and model answers for exam technique. Practice with flashcards for homophones and mnemonics for tricky words. This approach strengthens weak spots and boosts confidence for selective school entrance.

Spelling Errors

Spelling errors top the list of avoidable mistakes in 11 Plus English papers. Children often mix up homophones like practise/practice or seperate/separate. The look, cover, write, check method helps reinforce correct forms.

Common misspellings include recieved/received, accomodate/accommodate, and embarass/embarrass. Encourage daily use of a dictionary during homework. Focus on root words, prefixes, and suffixes like un-, dis-, -able for systematic learning.

Irregular plurals and words with silent letters, such as rhythm or weird, cause issues. Mnemonics like "i before e except after c" aid memory. Practice with worksheets targeting high-frequency misspellings from Key Stage 2 lists.

Exam day tip: underline words you're unsure of for quick review. Neat handwriting improves legibility and reduces careless errors. Parental guidance through reading aloud spots patterns early.

Punctuation Issues

Punctuation issues lead to lost marks in comprehension and writing tasks. Frequent problems include apostrophe misuse, like its/it's or plurals such as childrens'. Teach the rule: apostrophes show possession or contraction.

Comma splices and run-on sentences join independent clauses wrongly. Use full stops or conjunctions instead. Practice adding question marks, exclamation marks, and speech marks in dialogue.

Brackets, hyphens, colons, and semicolons confuse many. The Oxford comma in lists prevents ambiguity. Review sentence fragments by ensuring each has a subject and verb.

Proofread essays for missing capitals and full stops. Model answers from past papers show proper use. This builds editing skills essential for the English syllabus.

Grammar Mistakes

Grammar mistakes like tense errors and subject-verb agreement weaken answers. Mixing past and present tenses disrupts flow. Stick to consistent tense in narratives.

Avoid dangling modifiers, such as "Running down the street, the bus was missed." Rephrase for clarity: "Running down the street, he missed the bus." Prefer active voice over passive for directness.

Preposition errors and modal verb misuse, like could of/could have, are common. Learn collocations through reading. Use subordinate clauses for complex sentences.

Practice with cloze procedures and sentence correction exercises. Feedback from tutors highlights personal weak spots. Daily grammar drills ensure mastery before mocks.

Vocabulary Misuse

Vocabulary misuse appears in multiple-choice and context questions. Confusing affect/effect or accept/except loses easy marks. Build word banks with synonyms and antonyms.

Idioms and phrasal verbs challenge non-native patterns. Read widely for vocabulary in context, like newspapers or fiction. Avoid overusing simple words; opt for precise alternatives.

Figurative language, such as similes and metaphors, enhances writing. Misusing less/fewer or amount/number signals weak precision. Flashcards with examples strengthen recall.

Tutor advice: analyse author's purpose in extracts. Practice inferring meanings boosts scores. Target word choice in persuasive and descriptive tasks.

Spelling Errors

Spelling accounts for a significant portion of total marks in 11+ English papers across GL and CEM consortia. Students often lose points due to careless spelling errors that could be avoided with targeted practice. These mistakes appear frequently in selective school mocks from publishers like Bond and CGP.

National Curriculum KS2 expectations highlight spelling as a core skill for Year 6 pupils. In 11+ exams, weak spelling undermines even strong comprehension or creative writing. Focus on high-frequency errors to boost scores quickly.

Common pitfalls include homophones and tricky words from the KS2 spelling appendix. Practice with past papers reveals patterns in marking schemes. Regular revision builds confidence and reduces silly mistakes under exam pressure.

Experts recommend daily spelling routines alongside reading. Use proof-reading on mock tests to spot errors. This approach helps pupils master the English syllabus for grammar schools.

Homophones Confusion

Homophone errors like there/their/they're appear often in 11+ spelling sections. These words sound alike but have different meanings and uses. Mixing them up confuses readers and costs marks in the English paper.

Here are top homophones that trip up Year 6 students:

• their/there/they're: Their book is there. They're coming too.
• its/it's: It's raining. The dog wagged its tail.
• to/too/two: Going to the shop. Too tired. Two apples.
• your/you're: Your turn. You're late.
• hear/here: Hear the bell. Come here.
• know/no: I know. Say no.
• principal/principle: School principal. Moral principle.
• stationary/stationery: Car is stationary. Buy stationery.
• affect/effect: Weather can affect mood. See the effect.
• accept/except: Accept the gift. All except one.
• advice/advise: Take advice. I advise you.
• loose/lose: Screws are loose. Don't lose the game.

Use mnemonics to remember: 'their' has 'heir' for possession. 'it's' always means 'it is'. Practice these in sentences from National Curriculum KS2 spelling appendix.

Try these five practice sentences. Fill in the blanks:

1. 1The cat hurt _____ paw. (its)
2. 2_____ going to the park. (They're)
3. 3I have _____ biscuits. (two)
4. 4Put _____ bag over _____. (your/there)
5. 5That's _____ new bike. (your)

Commonly Misspelled Words

Words like necessary and separate trip up many Year 6 students in 11+ spelling tests. These frequent errors appear in DfE spelling lists and Bond practice papers. Learning them prevents avoidable mistakes in exams.

Use the Look-Cover-Write-Check method. Look at the word, cover it, write from memory, then check. Follow a 5-day plan: Day 1 learn 4 words, Day 2 review and test, Day 3 write sentences, Day 4 quiz a partner, Day 5 full recall.

Incorporate these into daily writing. Test with 11+ practice papers for real exam feel. This builds spelling accuracy for selective schools.

Punctuation Pitfalls

Punctuation errors cost candidates up to 15% of marks in GL Assessment 11+ English papers. Year 6 SATs data shows punctuation at 22% of writing mark allocation. CEM exams penalise heavily in creative writing.

The KS2 curriculum stresses accurate use of punctuation marks for clarity and structure. Common pitfalls include mishandling apostrophes, commas, and speech marks. Avoiding these boosts scores in the English paper.

Examiners deduct marks for punctuation issues that disrupt flow. Practice spotting errors in past papers helps. Focus on rules from the KS2 grammar progression map for better exam preparation.

Proofreading under time pressure reveals careless mistakes. Use model answers to self-assess. Consistent revision targets weak spots like comma splices and possessive nouns.

Apostrophe Misuse

Apostrophe misuse confuses possession and contractions in 11+ essays. The KS2 curriculum covers four key rules. Mastering them prevents frequent errors in selective school entrance exams.

Rule one: singular possession, like the dog's bone. Rule two: plural possession, like dogs' bones. Rule three: contractions, such as it's for it is. Rule four: plurals never take apostrophes, so dogs not dog's.

Here are 10 error correction exercises. Identify and fix apostrophe mistakes:

1. 1The childrens toys were scattered. (Childrens' → childrens')
2. 2The teachers lounge is busy. (Teachers' → teachers')
3. 3Its raining outside. (Its → It's)
4. 4The dogs tail wagged. (Dogs → dog's)
5. 5Womens shoes are on sale. (Womens → women's)
6. 6Hes going to the shops. (Hes → He's)
7. 7The cats whiskers twitched. (Cats → cat's)
8. 8Childs play is important. (Childs → children's)
9. 9Their coming over later. (Their → They're)
10. 10Mans best friend is loyal. (Mans → man's)

A marking scheme deducts 2 marks per error. For example, five mistakes in a paragraph lose 10 marks total. Practice with flashcards reinforces rules for grammar schools.

Comma Splices

Comma splices join independent clauses wrongly with just a comma. This appears often in complex sentences in 11+ essays. It loses structure marks per the KS2 grammar progression map.

Wrong: I love reading, it's my favorite hobby. Fixes include a full stop: I love reading. It's my favorite hobby. Or semicolon: I love reading; it's my favorite hobby. Or conjunction: I love reading, and it's my favorite hobby.

Three more fixes per splice: use a dash for emphasis, or split into two sentences, or add subordinating conjunctions like because. Practice rewrites to vary sentence structure. This builds sentence variety for narrative writing.

Before rewrite (4/10 marks): The girl ran fast, she wanted to win. The crowd cheered, they were excited. Her heart pounded, she crossed the line first. After (8/10 marks): The girl ran fast. She wanted to win. The crowd cheered; they were excited. Her heart pounded as she crossed the line first. Improved punctuation lifts scores in creative tasks.

Grammar Gaffes

Grammar errors impact 19% of total 11+ English scores across 50 selective schools. In GL Assessment grammar sections, these mistakes test SPaG directly with significant weighting. Students often lose marks on basics like tense shifts or punctuation issues.

Subject-verb agreement stands out as the most common issue in mocks. Phrases like the team are winning trip up many pupils. Practice spotting these helps build linguistic accuracy for the English paper.

Avoid apostrophe misuse and comma splices by reviewing National Curriculum guidelines. Use proofreading skills to catch run-on sentences and fragments. Regular drills with past papers reduce these avoidable mistakes.

Experts recommend daily error correction exercises. Focus on sentence structure variety, mixing simple, compound, and complex sentences. This strengthens overall performance in 11 plus English exams.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb mismatch like 'team are winning' loses marks per question in verbal reasoning. This common mistake appears often in 11+ English papers. Mastery aligns with National Curriculum SPaG test framework.

Tricky cases include collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and compound subjects. For collective nouns, treat team as singular, so it takes is, not are. Indefinite pronouns like everyone always pair with singular verbs.

Here are six key areas to watch:

• Collective nouns: The family is arriving (singular verb).
• Indefinite pronouns: Somebody has left (singular).
• Compound subjects: Tom and Jerry are friends (plural).
• Subjects with phrases: The book on the table is mine (ignore phrase).
• Either/or, neither/nor: Neither the cat nor the dogs are happy (matches nearer subject).
• Percentages and amounts: Fifty percent of the cake is gone (singular).

Practice these builds confidence. Review with model answers from past papers.

Try these 15 MCQ practice questions. Select the correct verb form each time.

Use these for self-assessment. Check explanations to avoid pitfalls in 11+ exams.

Vocabulary Missteps

Using affect instead of effect appears in many comprehension vocab questions. This common mistake trips up 11+ candidates in the English paper. Spotting the difference boosts scores in cloze and multiple-choice tasks.

CGP 11+ vocabulary builder frequency lists highlight these homophone pairs as frequent pitfalls. Practice with context sentences helps fix vocabulary misuse. Word families expand understanding for the 11+ exam.

Focus on active recall through exercises to avoid errors. Review past papers for patterns in reading comprehension. Consistent drills build confidence in verbal reasoning sections.

Parental guidance and tutor advice emphasise daily flashcards. Target weak spots like synonyms and antonyms. This approach covers the English syllabus effectively.

Key Word Pairs Comparison

Master these 15 word pairs to sidestep vocabulary traps in the 11+ English paper. The table below shows differences with context sentences and cloze exercises. Use it for targeted practice from CGP lists.

Complete cloze exercises daily to reinforce learning. Check answers against model explanations for accuracy.

Word Family Expansions

Explore word families like affect to deepen vocabulary for 11+ comprehension. Start with affect (verb, to influence) and effect (noun, result). Link to effective (adjective, producing results).

Example: Bad weather can affect travel, causing a knock-on effect, but planning makes it effective. Use in sentences to practise. This builds inference skills.

Extend to effectively (adverb) and ineffective (opposite). CGP lists feature these for exam prep. Apply in cloze procedures.

Practice with similar families like accept (verb) to acceptable (adjective). Flashcards aid retention for the English paper.

Comprehension Traps

Comprehension sections make up a large part of 11 plus English papers. CEM Select reading tests put heavy emphasis on reading comprehension, with many questions testing inference. GL papers check both explicit and implicit understanding.

Candidates often fall into traps by rushing through passages. They miss subtle clues that link ideas. A simple keyword strategy helps spot these connections quickly.

Focus on words that signal contrasts, causes, or opinions. Underline them as you read. This builds inference skills and avoids common pitfalls in the English paper.

Practice with short extracts daily. Note how keywords change the meaning. Over time, this sharpens your grasp of the author's intent.

Overlooking Keywords

Missing keywords like 'however' or 'although' leads to errors in reading comprehension. These words shift the passage's direction. Students who skip them struggle with inference questions.

Learn seven key categories to spot easily. Contrast words include but, however, although. Cause words are because, so, therefore. Sequence terms like first, next, finally show order. Opinion signals such as believe, argue reveal viewpoints.

Try this annotation technique. Read the passage below and underline the 10 keywords.

Keywords here: however, first, then, believe, before, boring, but, finally, because. Now test yourself with these five questions. Identify the keyword in each and explain its role.

1. 1What contrast keyword shows the boy changed plans?
2. 2Which sequence keyword marks the last action?
3. 3Name the opinion keyword from the mum.
4. 4What cause keyword explains the meal timing?
5. 5Spot the keyword arguing against tidying.

Answers: 1. however (shifts from play to stay in). 2. finally (ends sequence). 3. believe (mum's view). 4. because (reason for eating). 5. argued (boy's opinion). Practice this on past papers to master 11+ exam comprehension.

Essay Writing Errors

Essay structure accounts for 25% of creative writing marks in selective school exams. Many 11+ candidates lose points due to common mistakes in organisation and flow. Proper use of PEE structure, which stands for Point, Evidence, and Explanation, helps build clear arguments.

Examiners look for well paragraphed essays that guide the reader logically. Without this, even strong ideas suffer from poor marks. Average gains come from consistent paragraphing and linking.

Focus on planning before writing to avoid rushed errors. Practice with past papers reveals how structure lifts scores. Target weak spots like openings and closings for quick improvements.

In the 11+ English paper, narrative and persuasive tasks demand tight control. Avoid rambling by sticking to a plan. This separates top performers from the rest.

Poor Paragraphing

Essays without topic sentences score lower in organisation marks. Clear paragraphs with a PEEL template, Point, Evidence, Explanation, and Link, make arguments easy to follow. This structure suits 11+ exam demands.

Consider a poor example: "I like dogs. They are fun. My dog runs fast. It barks a lot." This scores 6/10 for lacking focus and links. A model paragraph at 12-year-old level reads: "One reason dogs make great pets is their loyalty. For instance, my dog waits by the door every day after school. This shows how they form strong bonds with families. Overall, such devotion strengthens the case for dog ownership." Examiners award 9/10 for its clear PEEL flow.

• Addition: furthermore, in addition, moreover
• Contrast: however, on the other hand, nevertheless
• Cause/Effect: as a result, consequently, therefore
• Example: for instance, such as, to illustrate
• Sequence: firstly, next, finally
• Emphasis: indeed, especially, particularly
• Conclusion: in summary, to conclude, overall
• Condition: if so, provided that, unless

Use these linking phrases to connect ideas smoothly. Practice rewriting jumbled paragraphs to build this skill. It transforms average essays into standout ones.

Weak Openings and Closings

Top-scoring 11+ essays often use a hook + context opening, according to marker feedback. Weak starts bury good content under dull lines. Strong hooks grab attention right away.

Try these five opening techniques:

1. 1Question hook: "What if your best friend could talk?"
2. 2Dramatic statement: "The storm hit without warning."
3. 3Scene setting: "Mist clung to the ancient forest as dawn broke."
4. 4Anecdote: "I remember the day I first saw the sea."
5. 5Quotation: "Adventure awaits those who dare," said the explorer.

Before: "This is about holidays. I went to the beach." Examiner note: Lacks engagement. After: "Waves crashed like thunder as I stepped onto the golden sand. That first beach holiday changed everything." Examiner note: Vivid hook draws reader in.

For closings, use four types: circular (echo opening), summary (key points), reflective (lesson learned), or cliffhanger (open-ended tease). A weak close like "That was fun." fades out. Strong one: "As the sun set, I knew more adventures lay ahead." This leaves a lasting impression and boosts marks.