Looking for advice on 7+ prep (exam taken in year 2)

[fgm12345]

Looking for advice on 7+ prep (exam taken in year 2). How do you know if they’re ready?

We’re moving to the UK and I’m trying to figure out the school system here. My son is 5 years old and if we lived in the UK now he would be in year 1. We’re moving very close to Kings College School in Wimbledon. From what I understand it’s a very good school and my son would need to take an exam in the fall (in around 6 months).

The school system my son is in now is very different and much less academic at this age. For example, the children aren’t formally taught reading and writing until they’re around 7. We also have no idea how to prep for an exam like this.

A friend suggested I buy the bond assessment papers for 6-7 years to start practicing. He did a few assessment papers in the last week and for each of the 4 subjects he’s able to finish them in about 10 minutes or less. I’d say he averaged 19/20 on the papers. While the answers are mostly correct and in full sentences where appropriate, his handwriting is basically illegible and his spelling is… creative. He has no idea how to do the writing composition. We’ll definitely try to work on those.

If he’s able to do those bond book assessment papers for 6-7 years old is he basically ready, aside from the handwriting and writing composition? Or is the exam completely different and at a higher standard?

Thanks!

Many years ago now, but we were once in your position. DC was “bright” but returning to UK aged 7 from an overseas school system which had not taught writing. We applied to selective UK preps but suddenly realised the exam would include writing in English which he could not even begin to do.

We sent him to a state primary where he was very happy. He went on to a prep school able to write at 10 and never looked back! You have a lot of choices!

I think you’ll be needing a tutor and a real push! 6-7 bond books isn’t going to cut it! Good luck!

@Minuethippo Thanks for your response! If the 6-7 year old bond books aren't the standard for the exam then what should we be looking at as the standard - for everything except for the writing composition of course.

We're still 6 months out, so at this stage in terms of resources like the bond books where do you think he should be, and what about closer to the exam itself?

Thanks so much!

@fgm12345 , of all the schools in the U.K. both private and state you couldn't have picked a more tricky option apart from 2 other schools (st Paul's and Westminster) that have the same type of entrance exam. You would do far better to select 1 of the many prep schools in the area and have an initial assessment to see where he is academically and if he could get a place at a local prep. Also consider the local primary schools. The 7plus is a very niche difficult journey have only applies to a handful of schools in the U.K. with the level of difficulty of Kings Wimbledon. Your ds can have a fantastic education without putting him through this.
Have you read the 7+ thread(s) that started in September 2024 and concluded in February?

There are lots of good state primaries and Prep schools around Wimbledon. I really wouldn’t bother with the stress of applying to Kings. Your son will be competing with boys who have been tutored for years.
You can always apply at 11plus if he’s caught up or there are lots of other schools around.

@tennissquare Thanks for the advice! I have read the 7+ threads but haven't found the information that I'm looking for, which is where the child needs to be.

It does sound quite intense but I think he can do it. It seems like if we know where he needs to be we can probably get there in 6 months. I just don't know where that is! I've looked at the sample papers on the website and it's just one example paper and doesn't include sample verbal/non-verbal reasoning papers so it doesn't feel like enough information to know where the bar is.

7+ papers usually include questions relating to all of year 2 curriculum with some year 3 as well to help identify those very academically capable children.Try 7-8 bond books and see how he gets on. You can also look at sample papers for St Paul’s or Westminster, which while different to Kings, will give you an idea of the level required.

he also needs some help in understanding how to take an exam. How to work through a paper in a timely manner, understand how to move on if he cannot do a question then return at the end etc. highly recommend having him take a mock exam to see how he manages it

Agree with @ChelseaLDN , plus you need other options so subscribe to the good schools guide for a list of local preps.

Also to add, if you go for the 7+ and it doesn't work out you can try again for the 8+. The extra year can make a huge difference. If you put him in a great prep for year 3 (of which there are many in SW London) he will have a year in the UK system under his belt and will be on a solid ground from any extra work you do for the 7+.

Good luck, and try not to get too far down the rabbit hole with all of it. Getting in to these schools is not the be all end all. So many wonderfu prep schools are in your chosen area and your son will find the right school for him at the right time (be it 7,8,11,13+)

Thanks all! Helpful advice.

When I used to tutor for the 7+, I would do an assessment test in Y1 to understand the likelihood of a 7+ place - it's fairly easy to figure out for an experienced tutor. Do you have a good tutor or assessment centre nearby? In general, they need to be a year or two ahead for the 7+ in both English and Maths.

You can also try a Kings College practice paper online - if you are scoring around 60-70% on them by the end of Y1, you should be fine. Bond papers are way too easy for Kings - it's essentially a starting point and not really helpful as a 7+ study resource.

You child seems bright but needs to be able to write to a good level and in addition to both structuring a story correctly, getting spellings correct when many words sounded out phonetically are then actually spelt differently is something that is hard to master in 6 months from a cold start

definitely find a good tutor that can give you a bespoke assessment of where you child specifically is

honestly I think the 7+ is the trickiest as it’s very academic but you are still dealing with a child.

4+ is far more age appropriate whilst 11+ you are dealing with a mature child

Most people I know that have had success at 7+ have had a small but steady approach for 12-14 months in advance building up rather than trying to cram for it

in general it is becoming easier to get into top private schools due to birth rates, VAT etc but Kings is still v sought after

6 months sounds like a reasonable amount of time but you've also picked the one school that values creative writing and story composition far higher than the other top ranked schools (such as St Pauls and Westminster).

As others have said, you are going to be up against kids who have been heavily tutored and preparing for over a year for the exam. Only you can decide whether it's worth it. One thing to note is that the number of seats available at 8+ is much lower so the next logical point would be 11+ (the path most parents take).

We prepared our DC at home for the 7+. In basic terms, we did 10 mins of Maths in the morning, 10-15 mins of English after school on school days, from Easter onwards, with a bit more in the holidays. On weekends, we did story planning one day and write up the next - really practising the expected structure and key things they look for (similes, interesting language, etc.). We added reasoning (verbal, non-verbal) later and switched it in occasionally for either English or Maths (ie. not requiring more work, just switching it in). From September, we added mock entrance papers every weekend. I downloaded the mock papers for free from various top prep schools and tutoring sites, and did not buy any packages from EPP. Some of the mock papers come with marking guides, which we studied to get a sense of what they were looking for.

For Maths, we used the Scottish Heinemann books up to the end of Primary 4 as well as CGP up to the end of Spring Year 3. Our plan was to have DC about 1 year ahead so the tests felt easier. For English comprehension, we used the Brilliant books up to Year 3, but didn't do every exercise. For reasoning, we used the slimline Bond books, definitely a year beyond, not sure if we went further as we got through them quite quickly. It took a while to organise it all and have a schedule and, as both me and DH work full-time, we had to keep checking in with each other as to who had done what with DC most recently, how the other felt it went, etc.

We didn't apply to any of the big three in London as we didn't want to send DC to school in London but to one of the best outside of the London, which we got.

We did this because our child is bright and loves learning and we wanted to move them to a school with more like-minded children. If our DC had been less keen, I don't think we'd have done it as it's quite a slog, and I can't imagine it with a child who is not enjoying it.

I also wanted to mention that the interview and observed group work / lesson were more important that we expected, particularly the interview. We're not 'insiders' so didn't really know how to prep for that but did our best to practice questions. We entered DC for three schools, with the one we really wanted being the last of the three so the other two were warm-ups for DC in terms of test settings, interviews, etc. School no 2 made us an offer as well, which we turned down.

I know EPP (and their sister-brand "Pre Test Plus") have 7+ online tests. It's either £20 or £50 from memory but it may help you assess whether they're ready.

I’d suggest to do an assessment with an experienced tutor to understand your chances and how much support your child needs from now until the exam date and whether its worth trying. Every child is different, some need years of daily tutoring and don’t get offers anywhere, some do light prep at home a few months before and get in everywhere. It is very individual. As others have said, the assessment in top schools is quite demanding and not every child can handle it at such a young age. Maturity of the child is equally important as academic ability.
Answering your question about the math level expected, if using Bond as a reference, your son should be comfortable with 8-9 yo level.
good luck!

@GruffaIo Thanks so much for your responses! For the interview and observed group work was there a particular list of questions you used to prep or set of things you practiced? Do kids at prep schools prepare for the group work in a formal way as well?

@fgm12345 My DC's current school is non-selective and children don't tend to sit the 7+. I don't know if feeder pre-preps prepare the children; I suspect some do and I imagine a lot of parents get tutors. For the interview, we just asked DC lots of questions ourselves over a few weekends so it wasn't overwhelming (favourite subject at school and why; least favourite subject and why; favourite school club and why; extra-curriculars - what they do, what they like about them; some discussion of current affairs - no idea if that comes up!, etc). In the lead up to the assessments for the school we really wanted, we made sure to take DC out for interesting outings on the weekend - both for a break and to give something to talk about that might be easily remembered if they were asked what they did on weekends!

We also did A LOT of reading at home - a book a day of the school reading books, and chapter books at home on weekends, holidays. St Paul's has a good list on its website of the range of books children sitting its 7+ should be capable of reading with ease. We picked various books off that list we thought DC might enjoy. (We weren't applying for St Paul's for the reasons stated but, as parents, we found it useful to get a sense of the standard for the more selective schools).

For the group work, we didn't do anything special. I would hope a selective school is looking for all personality types as long as the children are engaged, self-directed learners.

For the competitive 7+ you're doing the 8-9 or 9-10 bond books. Put him in a prep school and think about 11+

Illegible handwriting is a red flag. Content should be more important than presentation but the truth is that the exam markers either subconsciously downgrade or don’t even bother reading scripts in illegible handwriting.
It’s also a hard thing to fix quickly at that very young age - there are some six year old kids who for whatever reason have incredibly mature, legible and even handwriting (which makes their work look much better than it is) and some who just aren’t ready for that yet, no matter how hard you push them.

My DS was one of the latter and I took the decision not even to enter him for London 7+ which turned out to be 100% the right decision. TBH he wasn’t really ready for 8+ either but I picked schools that looked at potential more than being a highly trained show pony. He’s since passed some of the most competitive senior school exams in the country and is top of his year so it just goes to show how mad the London 7/8-+ system is….

Illegible handwriting is a turn-off, should never have been accepted, and parents need to keep working on it. I don’t agree with the notion that "exam markers either subconsciously downgrade or don’t even bother reading scripts in illegible handwriting." It’s unwelcome, but my experience and interactions with teachers in independent schools definitely suggest that they don’t downgrade based on bad handwriting; if they can’t make out what’s written, for example if something seems misspelt, they will downgrade. Luckily, in grammar schools, the kids are a bit older and there is only a minority with truly atrocious handwriting. I don’t have meaningful insight about state schools, though

@TutorJai
We are talking about six year olds, not sixteen year olds. In many European countries six year olds aren’t even in formal schooling yet, let alone sitting high pressure exams in which they are expected to write mini-essays in joined up handwriting.

I realise the whole business model of a tutor is to convince parents that spending money on tutoring will solve whatever problem you think your child has, but not being able to quickly produce pages of legible joined up handwriting aged six is not a “problem” - it’s normal.

As for the examiners, they are only human. They will never admit that they are influenced by presentation and ease of legibility but of course they are. Just like recruiters are influenced by interviewees who speak clearly and audibly and are not wearing dirty clothes.

You sound very convincing when you resort to 'European countries' to make a point, please have a better response than pointing to race. When online, try and be courteous to people when they politely don't agree to your views, else, it says a lot about you.

Your post is being reported, screenshot has been taken.

@TutorJai

For what it is worth, I do not read the reference to “European countries” as having racist overtones.

It is a statement of fact that children in Northern Europe (certainly Germany and Scandinavia) do not start formal schooling until they are six or sometimes seven. That was our issue when we returned from one of those countries with a clever child who could not write.

There is a lively debate around forcing children who have not yet developed fine motor mechanisms (many five year old boys) to hold a pencil and write. Some get frustrated and conclude they are stupid when the reality is very different.