How to Triage an 11+ Past Paper Without Panic
Triage is not rushing. It is deciding which questions get first attention so your child does not spend ten minutes on one mark while leaving easy marks blank.
11+ Papers
Past papers blog
Practical advice on timed practice, marking, last-minute prep, and the topic skills that leak marks — written for parents preparing for the 11+.
Exam technique
Timing, triage, and habits that move the score under exam conditions.
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Same Score, Different Problem: Why 45/60 in 55 Minutes Is Not 45/60 in 80
Score-only practice reports treat a fast 45/60 and a slow 45/60 as the same child. They are not. Here is how to diagnose speed vs accuracy and fix the right problem.
Marking & reports
How to mark papers properly and read a topic report without guessing.
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How to Read an 11+ Topic Progress Report (Without Guessing What to Revise)
Overall percentage is a headline. The topic report is the diagnosis. Here is how to turn a marked paper into a clear next practice plan.
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Sure-but-Wrong vs Don’t Know: Two 11+ Mistakes That Need Different Fixes
If every wrong answer becomes “revise the topic,” you will waste weeks. Separate slips from genuine gaps — then fix the right problem.
Last-minute prep
What to do when time is short — diagnose, then practise only what still costs marks.
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A Practical Last-Minute 11+ Revision Plan (When Time Is Short)
Last-minute prep is diagnosis, not teaching from scratch. Here is a simple weekly loop parents can run with real past papers.
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Why Another Full 11+ Paper Is Not Always the Answer
Full papers are for diagnosis and stamina. Between them, practise only the topics and habits still costing marks.
Past papers
Using school papers at home, free PDFs vs worked answers, and realistic mocks.
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Free School 11+ PDFs vs Worked Answers: What Parents Are Actually Buying
Question papers are often free. What you pay for is knowing why an answer is wrong and which topics are leaking marks.
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How to Use 11+ Past Papers at Home (Without Turning Every Evening into Chaos)
Past papers only help if you sit them properly and learn from the mark scheme. Here is a simple at-home routine that sticks.
Topic skills
Why common 11+ topics leak marks — and what to practise next.
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Why 11+ Fractions of Amounts Cost So Many Marks
Many children “know” fractions but still lose marks on find 3/4 of… questions. Here is what usually goes wrong — and a focused fix.
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Why 11+ Word Problems Bleed Time (Even When the Maths Is Known)
If your child is strong on bare calculations but slow on worded questions, the problem is translation — not “they are bad at maths.”
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11+ Comprehension Timing Mistakes Parents Miss
A low comprehension score is not always “they need more reading.” Sometimes the passage was fine — the clock was not.