11+ Support Thread 2026

[Elevenseconds]

Hi all

Am I going mad? I'm sure we had a thread to discuss those current Y5 who will be taking the exam in September. Has it disappeared, or am I having a moment?

This time next week it will all be over for those of us in Bucks! Huzzah and good luck to all DCs.

Are you easing off this week, or working to keep them sharp?

The tutoring company has set a stupid amount of work, but I'm trying to keep it focused to a couple of 10 minute tests each day just so she doesn't back-slide.

Warks on the 12th/13th weekend. No choice but to taper down now back at school. Exactly as you, just the odd 10 minute test each day, maybe a few at the weekend, then next week a few more 10 minute tests, stopping by Thursday.

I will be so happy to be done with it, and not deal with the constant dilemma of keeping them sharp vs exhausting them.
DD has her final mock + mock review this weekend, and then I think we are done, and what will be will be

One week until the Kent test for us and then it's over. Had final tutor session and now practice papers, tapering off on Sunday in anticipation. Will be glad when it's done.

Ours are done and dusted (unless we get to the 2nd round). We really eased off at the end because I felt i wanted DD to feel confident as opposed to despondent if they struggled on another paper. Genuinely not expecting to progress but has been a good experience for DD.

Is everyone here going for grammar or anyone trying some indies too? For us that's the preferred route.

Just over a week to go for us, and I am over it. I feel terrible as one of my twins made a stupid mistake the other day in a maths practise paper (using long division for dividing by 1000) and I got really cross with her. She just deflated and it made me feel awful. So I'm furious with myself for making her feel rubbish (she's worked so so hard all summer) and also feel like all this effort was potentially for nothing as their progress has plateaued really. Eurgh! I'm going to ease off now, just some 10 min tests to keep them ticking over and lots of reassurance and nice things to look forward to.

@notanothernvr i read the do it yourself forum and there were the odd posters saying they had spent hours every day working on prep. I may be a lone voice here but is it really worth all this pressure? Im sure if there isnt a great alternative, then its the right move but i do think if someone needs all that, then they arent right for whichever school it is. Honestly if my DD doesnt get any offers, then for us certainly, we arent right for those schools because we did work hard. I learnt my lesson early on when i guilt tripped DD then saw their energy plummet so i just thought this isnt worth it.

@notanothernvr it's hard isn't it, when they make a silly mistake. I have had to try so hard to stop myself from getting annoyed. It's so much pressure so young, no wonder they struggle

@Hullopalloo completely agree. We are doing 4 practise papers per week (1 of each test), so she gets some days off. As you say, there comes a point where it's not worth it anymore, and we just have to respect how hard they have worked regardless of the outcome. But it is do easy to get tucked into thinking it's the end of the world if they don't pass. When the reality is if they are hardworking bright children they will do fine in any school

Familiarisation test in Bucks today - hope everyone’s feeling chilled and ready!

DD has managed to pick up a cold (great timing). Just hope it hasn’t worsened by Thursday.

My DD is doing the familiarisation test today (Bucks). She seems ok, a bit nervous but this is the first ‘big’ test that she’s taken. She’s prepared as well as she can, so what will be will be now!

Good luck to all this week!

How is everyone else doing? I think I’m more nervous than she is tbh. I’m proud of her hard work and will be celebrating her regardless of whether or not she passes. I’m more concerned about how hard she might be on herself if she doesn’t pass.

At least she’s one of only two children in her school sitting the test (non-grammar county) so she won’t be surrounded by results talk either way when the time comes.

We’ve wound down over the last week/ten days. My DD has done so much work, and so many practice tests (full and by subject) and she was doing amazingly over summer. Really consistently, which felt positive.

As we’ve got closer and closer to this week she’s started to make silly errors, things I know that she knows very well how to do and I think she’s just getting totally test fatigued.

I felt like it was really starting to knock her confidence when her scores were dropping. So the last set of tests we did (when I saw that the errors were things that I’m confident she’s actually competent with, not work that needs to be revisited) I confess, I fibbed to her about her scores. I told her she got higher than she did, said well done and ‘that’s enough now’.

No more testing. She’s been doing some of the CGP 10 minute test books instead, which she flys through and actually seems to quite enjoy. We’ve got a good variety of them, so the last week or so I’ve just let her pick and choose what she fancies. Two a day. So she’s ticking over, still refreshing, but not feeling (I hope!) pressure or stress.

Hi, spotted this and brought memories flooding back from our experience last year. The familiarisation test is easy and I think is not helpful from a content perspective, as the timings and number of questions are not the same as the real test. But importantly, what they should get out of today is- can I see the clock clearly, can I hear the recording clearly, and am I sitting next to anyone who annoys me. Basically make sure they have a good, comfortable seat with no distractions - if not they can ask to move seats fir Thursday. Good luck everyone.

We've had exactly this. Done really well in prep (would rather she'd sat it in July tbh), but starting to make silly Maths mistakes. We've had a bereavement as well and I think she needs to wind it down now.

How did everyone get on today? DD is exhausted! She said it was ‘fine’ followed by a shrug so I think that’s all I’m going to get out of her until she’s had dinner and a good rest!

DD said it was quite difficult and there was one section she didn't properly read the instructions (hopefully a learning point for the real thing!).

I’m hopeful that the practice today will let them all get their mistakes out!

I have lost count of the number of times I have repeated the phrase ‘read the question, carefully!’ over the last few months!

I’ve also now had the comment ‘quite hard’. Progress haha!

It is hard work for them, you forget how young they are still. Bless them. Treat at the end of the week.

They practice tests is apparently part of the test from 2019 according to DD. So as someone else said, not very helpful, as they have changed it quite a bit since then.
But DD said it was easy and feels much more relaxed. I didn't tell her that this one is much easier than the real thing, as I want her confidence to stay up.

According to DD's tutoring company they always use the same practice test. But interestingly, the comprehension was not the same comprehension that DD did for her practice test 3 years ago, so not sure if they've changed the whole test or just the comprehension.

I think it all goes in the shredder anyway!

Yep, DD said they were told the same, that it's the same practice test every year

Good luck to your DC for tomorrow

Good luck to your DC too!

DD is fast asleep - which is a fabulous sign as I was worried she would be anxious.

Same for mine, went to sleep normal time, although up a bit earlier.
So glad we are all done. Now just a month's wait for the results.

Hope it went well for all the Bucks children. Just a reminder not to discuss exam content here as out-of-county (and those who've missed through illness) children will be sitting the same paper over the next few days.

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