Symmetry in the 11+ — Questions, Worked Answers and Practice Papers

What examiners actually ask

Symmetry appears in 68 of our 338 ready papers (146 tagged questions). It averages 2.1 questions a paper worth about 1.65 marks each. The typical question allows around 41 sec. It appears in 1 CSSE paper we hold.

Symmetry questions ask children to spot or draw lines of symmetry, complete reflections, and sometimes describe a simple transformation. Papers use shapes on grids and pattern tiles. Children who draw a line that “looks balanced” without checking fold-matching lose marks. Teach tracing or mental folding as a check, and count lines systematically on regular shapes. Reflection questions need careful attention to distance from the mirror line. Practise on squared paper so spacing stays honest under timed conditions. When a shape has several possible lines, tick each candidate against every vertex before committing — one mismatched point is enough to cost the mark.

Common mistakes

• Drawing a line of symmetry that does not map every point correctly.
• Reflecting a shape but changing its distance from the mirror line.
• Assuming every shape has the same number of symmetry lines.
• Confusing rotational symmetry language with line symmetry.

Papers with the most Symmetry questions

Ranked from our tagged catalogue — open a paper to practise the questions that actually test this topic.

Related topics

• Shapes
• Angles
• Area and Perimeter
• Logical Problems
• Sequences
• Fractions