If you’ve been to primary school in the UK, it is likely that you’ve heard of the 11 Plus exam. It is a type of selective entrance exam that is used by grammar schools and private schools. It is unlike other exams later on in the British education system and will therefore not be worth 2 years of school. There’s also not a national results day in the middle of summer after having had months off school. As it is so different to other qualifications in the British education system, it can raise questions about how the 11 Plus exam actually works and when its results come out.
The 11 Plus exam results come out in mid-October. The 11 Plus exam is normally sat in September. This means that results will come out about a month after the student sits the exam.
Continue reading for more information about the 11 Plus exam results, as well as the exam itself. This will be particularly useful to you if you or your child is planning to take the 11 Plus exam
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When do 11 Plus results come out for 2024?
Getting the results at the end is almost as important as important as doing the test in the first place. This is because your results may show you how to improve, or at other times it may tell you whether or not you passed. This is true for the 11 Plus exam as passing can be the difference to getting into a specific secondary school or not. Read the following to find out when 11 Plus results come out for 2024.
When do 11 Plus results come out for 2024 entry?
For 2024 entry, the 11 Plus exam results are also planned to come out at the typical time. This is also only about a month or less after students sit the exam. Therefore, the 11 Plus results also come out in mid-October 2024 for all counties. For more information about the key 11 Plus dates for 2024 entry, check out this guide from Atom Learning.
When do you sit the 11 Plus exam?
Normally, students will take the 11 Plus exam at the start of the academic year. This is in the first term of the school year, which is in autumn. The exact testing day will depend on where you live and what school you’re applying for. The testing day is pretty early on into the first term and so will normally be in September. For more information about this, check out this article by TheSchoolRun.com.
As the exams are so early on, examiners have more time to mark the exams and students can be quickly selected. As mentioned above, grammar schools send out the results as early as mid-October. This leaves enough time for there to be another testing day further into the school year in about February, where students may be accepted into the school or put on the waiting list. For more information about this timeline of the 11 Plus exam and grammar school admissions, check out this guide from Gloucestershire County Council.
Is the 11 Plus exam compulsory?
The 11 Plus exam is no longer compulsory for students in the UK. This means that doing the exam is up to the students themselves and their parents or legal guardians. However, please note that in some counties you may need to opt out of the 11 Plus exam if you don’t want to do it. For more information about this, check out this article by Oxford Owl.
While it is not compulsory now, this wasn’t always true. Until the 1970s, all students in England and Wales had to take the 11 Plus exam. The 11 Plus exam was compulsory to decide which secondary school you could go to. This would either be a grammar school or an ordinary secondary school.
This changed with the decline of grammar schools. This decline has continued until today. This is why there are very few grammar schools and only a small proportion of students take the 11 Plus exam. For more information about this, look at this article by Relocate Magazine.
What is the 11 plus exam for?
The 11 Plus exam is a type of entrance exam in the UK. More specifically, it is a type of selective entrance exam used for secondary school. The 11 Plus exam is used by grammar schools to select the best academically performing students. Private schools may also use these exams, despite also being fee-paying. For more information about what the 11 Plus is, check out this article by Think Student.
In the UK, grammar schools are a type of state school that is allowed to select students based on their academic ability. Due to this, students need to take a test and get certain results in order to get in. This test is usually the 11 Plus exam. For more information about grammar schools, check out this governmental guide.
The idea of the 11 Plus exam for both grammar schools and private schools is to give students a chance to better teaching and facilities to nurture their academic journeys. For more information about this, check out this article by Summit Saturday School.
How to prepare for the 11 Plus exam
Preparing for any exam is incredibly important as it can help to ensure you do well. As that is the main point for exams like the 11 Plus exam, preparation is key. On top of that, it can help you to stay healthy, especially as it can reduce your stress for the exam itself.
Start preparing for the 11 Plus exam early
If you start preparing for your 11 Plus exam from early on, you will have more opportunities to identify what you know and what you don’t. This gives you a chance to create a study plan around this so that you can learn how to best answer all the questions. Also, early preparation can help you feel more relaxed as you won’t have to rush this preparation with only weeks or maybe even days before the exam.
According to this article by Think Academy, you should start 11 Plus exam revision about a year before the exam itself. While this is obviously optional, starting this early can give you enough time to fully prepare at a steady pace.
Do lots of 11 Plus practice questions
Doing lots and lots of practice questions can make you or your child feel more familiar with the exam. This will mean that you (or your child) are more likely to be able to answer the questions correctly due to learning how to do it through such practice. This makes you or your child more likely to get higher marks on the 11 Plus exam.
This will also help them to feel less stressed when the exam itself comes about. This can also lead to less panic during the actual exam. This will also make having a mind blank during the exam less likely.
Don’t put on too much pressure for the 11 Plus exam
Putting too much pressure on yourself or your child can lead to 11 Plus exam stress. As the name suggests, this is when a child feels incredibly stressed and anxious due to the pressure that’s been put on them to do the 11 Plus exam. This can negatively impact the child’s mental health and its symptoms include strong negative emotions, disturbed sleep and an inability to relax. For more symptoms of 11 Plus exam stress, check out this article by My 11 Plus.
On top of that, causing such stress can also negatively affect how the student performs in the exam. It can lead to the student performing up to 20% worse on the actual exam than they’ve done in mock exams or at home. While putting on pressure may seem like a nudge in the right direction, this clearly shows that it actually does way more harm than it does good. For more information about how 11 Plus exam stress affects exam performance, check out this article by 11 Plus Guide.
Take care during 11 Plus exam preparation
Taking care of yourself is essential. Not just for the 11 Plus exam but for every other exam and in general. Taking care of yourself means that you should make sure that you’re sleeping and eating properly. Children need about 10- 11 hours of sleep every night. For more information about how much sleep children need, check out this article from The Sleep Charity. To ensure that you or your child is getting enough sleep, this target will need to be met every night.
A healthy diet, especially for children, is a balanced diet. This is a diet that features carbohydrates, protein and fats as well as vitamins and minerals. For more information about a balanced diet and a breakdown of how to include it in your daily meals, check out this article by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As you or your child will be taking a test, you may also want to add in some brain healthy foods into your diet. Some of the best ones are blueberries, grapes and strawberries. If you want to know more brain healthy foods, check out this article.