How to Tutor the 11+ Online: A Tutor's Lesson Plan

October 2026  ·  10 min read

The 11+ is one of the most structured things a private tutor can teach. The skills are well defined, the question types repeat, and the deadline is fixed. That makes it very teachable online, as long as you plan properly and keep a clear picture of each child's progress.

This guide gives tutors a dependable system: assessment, verbal and non-verbal reasoning on screen, timed practice, a reusable weekly structure, and working with parents without burning out.

What does the 11+ actually test?

"The 11+" is not one exam. It is a family of selective entrance tests for Year 7, and what a child sits depends on the area and the school. Before you plan anything, find out exactly which test your student will take.

• Grammar schools in many areas use tests written by GL Assessment, typically covering some combination of English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, often with multiple-choice answer sheets.
• Some areas and consortia have used CEM tests or set their own papers, which tend to mix skills within a paper rather than separating them neatly.
• Independent schools often use the ISEB Common Pre-Test, an online adaptive test, sometimes alongside their own written papers and an interview.

Test providers, formats and dates change, so check the school's or local authority's current admissions pages rather than relying on last year's information. For most grammar school areas, registration closes in the summer term of Year 5 and the test is sat early in Year 6, usually in September. Results are commonly reported as age-standardised scores, so a younger child is not penalised for being summer-born, but the qualifying score varies by area and by school.

How do I assess a new 11+ student?

Your first session should diagnose, not teach. Treat it like a trial lesson with a purpose: you want a baseline across every component the target test covers, plus a feel for how the child works under light pressure. If you want a general framework for first sessions, our guide on running the perfect trial lesson covers the structure.

A practical assessment checklist:

1. Confirm the target schools and test. Ask parents which schools they are applying to, which test each uses and the test date.
2. Short reading comprehension. One passage with retrieval and inference questions. Note vocabulary gaps and how carefully the child reads the question.
3. Mixed maths set. Ten to fifteen questions covering arithmetic, fractions, percentages, ratio, shape and a couple of multi-step word problems.
4. Verbal reasoning sampler. Two or three questions from each common type: synonyms, antonyms, hidden words, compound words, letter codes, number sequences and analogies.
5. Non-verbal reasoning sampler. Series, odd one out, analogies, matrices, rotations, reflections and a cube net question.
6. One short timed section. Ten questions against a clock, to see whether speed or accuracy is the bigger problem.
7. Talk-through. Ask the child to explain how they answered two questions. Their reasoning tells you more than the score.

Afterwards, send parents a one-page summary: strengths, the three priority areas, a suggested lesson frequency and how many weeks remain until the test. That document becomes your plan and your reference point when you review progress later.

How do I teach verbal reasoning online?

Verbal reasoning rewards a wide vocabulary and a reliable method for each question type. Online, make the method visible.

Teach one question type per lesson. Introduce letter codes, for example, with a worked example on the shared whiteboard, then let the child try with you watching. Moving to a new type before the method is secure leads to guessing.

Make the alphabet a tool. Letter codes, letter sequences and alphabetical ordering all depend on fast alphabet positions. Have the child write A to Z with numbers 1 to 26 across the top of the whiteboard or on paper at the start of every timed set. Many tests allow rough working on a separate sheet, so this habit carries straight into the exam.

Ask for narration. On screen you cannot see a pencil hovering, so ask the child to say each step: "I'm counting forward three from M, so that's P." Errors become obvious immediately, and you can correct the method rather than the answer.

Build vocabulary every week. Synonyms, antonyms, odd-one-out words and cloze passages all draw on the same word bank. Ten new words a week with a synonym, an antonym and a sentence of the child's own is more effective than long lists. Encourage wide reading slightly above their comfort level.

Keep an error log. Record which question types the child gets wrong and why: misread the question, method error, vocabulary gap or ran out of time. Each type of error needs a different fix.

How do I teach non-verbal reasoning through a screen?

Non-verbal reasoning is visual, which suits screen sharing well, but children often answer on instinct. Your task is to slow them down and give them a checklist.

Teach a rule checklist. For every series, analogy or matrix question, the child checks the same features in order: shape, size, number of sides or elements, shading, position, rotation, reflection and line style. Write it on the whiteboard and refer to it every lesson until it becomes automatic.

Use annotation tools. Ask the child to circle the element that changes and draw arrows to show direction of rotation. This forces them to identify the rule before choosing an answer.

Get physical with spatial questions. Cube nets, folding and hole-punch questions are hard to visualise for some children. Ask parents to keep paper, scissors and tape near the computer so the child can build a net during the lesson and check which faces end up opposite each other.

Eliminate first. In multiple-choice non-verbal questions, crossing out options that break one rule is often faster than finding the right answer directly. Practise elimination explicitly.

How do I build timed practice without causing panic?

Speed matters in the 11+ because papers are tightly timed, but adding time pressure too early creates anxious guessing. Build it in stages.

• Stage 1, accuracy: untimed practice until the child gets a question type right consistently.
• Stage 2, gentle timing: short sets of eight to twelve questions with a visible timer, and a target time that is generous at first.
• Stage 3, mixed sets: timed sets that mix question types, as the real test does.
• Stage 4, full papers: complete practice papers in exam conditions, starting about three months before the test, including the answer sheet format the school uses.

Teach exam technique alongside speed: move on from a question that is taking too long, mark it to come back to, and always fill in an answer on a multiple-choice sheet if there is no penalty for wrong answers. After each timed set, review the errors before celebrating the score.

What does a good weekly 11+ lesson structure look like?

Consistency beats intensity. One 60-minute live lesson a week, with short homework tasks spread across the following days, suits most children through Year 5. Here is a weekly plan you can adapt.

Inside the live lesson, a reliable 60-minute flow looks like this:

Rotate the teaching focus across the term so every component gets attention, weighting it towards the weaknesses in your assessment. In the final eight to ten weeks, shift the balance: fewer new question types, more mixed timed sets and full papers, and more time reviewing errors. For broader ideas on keeping a screen-based lesson lively for younger learners, see the best ways to teach students online.

Setting and tracking homework is where online tutors often lose time. Derstina includes 11+ prep lessons alongside homework, student games and progress tracking, which can take the weekly admin of assigning and marking off your plate.

How should I work with parents and target schools?

In 11+ tutoring, the parent is part of the team. Clear communication protects the child, your relationship with the family and your own time.

• Agree goals in writing. Target schools, test date, lesson frequency and what you will and will not do (for example, you set homework but you do not supervise it).
• Report on skills, not just scores. A monthly summary showing accuracy by question type is more useful than "she got 72% this week". A shared student portal makes this easier for everyone.
• Set expectations honestly. No tutor can guarantee a place. Say so at the start, and raise concerns early with evidence from your tracker.
• Ask about the whole timetable. If a child is also doing a second tutor, a weekend course and daily practice papers, the problem may be fatigue, not ability.
• Prepare for the day itself. Familiarise the child with the answer sheet format, the timing announcements and the idea that some questions will feel hard for everyone.

Learn the target schools' admissions details yourself: the test provider, which components are tested, whether there is a second stage or interview, and how places are allocated after the test.

How do I avoid burnout as an 11+ tutor?

The 11+ calendar is lopsided. Demand peaks from spring of Year 5 through to September, then drops sharply after the tests. Plan for that cycle rather than taking on every enquiry in the busy months.

• Cap your 11+ roster at a number you can track properly, since every child needs individual error analysis.
• Reuse your materials. Build a bank of question sets by type and difficulty once, rather than writing new ones each week.
• Batch your admin. Mark homework and write parent updates in one fixed block each week.
• Set boundaries in writing: response times to messages, cancellation policy and what extra practice papers cost, if anything.
• Plan the autumn. Line up Year 4 foundation students, GCSE or KS3 work, or other subjects so your income does not collapse after the September tests.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should a child start 11+ tutoring?

Most families start in Year 5, roughly a year before the test, which is usually sat in the September of Year 6 for grammar school entry. That gives time to build vocabulary, cover the question types and complete several rounds of timed practice. Starting in Year 4 can help with reading and arithmetic foundations, but intensive exam technique that early tends to cause fatigue rather than better results.

How many hours a week of 11+ tutoring does a child need?

One focused 60-minute lesson a week, plus around 30 to 60 minutes of homework spread across several days, is a sustainable pattern for most children. Some families add a second lesson in the final term before the test. More hours do not automatically help: short, regular practice and wide reading usually do more than long weekend sessions.

Can you teach non-verbal reasoning online?

Yes. Share the question on screen, have the child annotate it with the whiteboard or annotation tool, and ask them to say aloud which rule they are testing, such as rotation, reflection, number of sides or shading. For cube nets and folding questions, ask the family to keep paper and scissors nearby so the child can build a net and check their thinking physically.

Which 11+ exam board does my student's school use?

It depends on the area and the school. Many grammar school areas use tests written by GL Assessment, some have used CEM tests or their own papers, and independent schools often use the ISEB Common Pre-Test or their own entrance exams. Providers and formats change, so always confirm with the school or local authority's current admissions information before planning.

How should I mark and track 11+ practice papers?

Record the score for each section, the time taken and the question types that were missed, not just a total percentage. A simple tracker showing accuracy by question type over several weeks tells you exactly what to teach next. Share a short summary with parents so they see progress in specific skills rather than a single number.

How do I tell parents their child may not be ready for the 11+?

Be honest early, using evidence from your tracker rather than impressions. Explain what the child does well, which skills are still behind the level the test demands, and what a realistic plan looks like. Help the family think about a range of school options so the outcome of one test does not feel like the only measure of success.