Author: katie_imperial_admin

If you’re beginning to look into the 11+ for your child, one of your first questions will probably be:

What is actually in the exam?

The answer depends on the school and assessment provider your child is applying to.

For families in Chester and the Wirral considering one of the four non-faith Wirral grammar schools, the current assessment is provided by Quest Assessments.

For September 2027 entry, Wirral Council confirms that children take two papers on the same day, covering:

• Verbal Reasoning
• Non-Verbal Reasoning
• Mathematics

The papers are timed and use multiple-choice questions.

Here’s what each of those areas actually means.

What is Verbal Reasoning?

Verbal Reasoning tests a child’s ability to understand, analyse and work with written information.

Rather than simply testing whether a child can spell or write well, verbal reasoning requires them to identify relationships and patterns within language.

Questions might involve skills such as:

• Identifying relationships between words
• Understanding synonyms and antonyms
• Recognising patterns
• Applying logic to written information
• Completing word sequences
• Understanding vocabulary
• Following written instructions accurately

Children with a broad vocabulary often have an advantage because unfamiliar words can make otherwise straightforward reasoning questions considerably more difficult.

This is one reason we encourage families to build vocabulary gradually rather than leaving it until Year 5.

Why is vocabulary so important?

Vocabulary isn’t something that can easily be crammed in the weeks before an assessment.

Children need repeated exposure to words in order to understand them confidently and recognise how they are used.

At OwlPath, vocabulary development forms part of our wider 11+ preparation.

Our Vocabulary Mastery programme can also be used alongside tutoring.

It contains more than 500 words from the Quest Assessments vocabulary list, with children completing short daily missions and revisiting words they have previously found difficult.

This means vocabulary can develop little and often between weekly tutoring sessions.

What is Non-Verbal Reasoning?

Non-Verbal Reasoning tests a child’s ability to recognise patterns and relationships using visual information rather than words.

Children might need to identify:

• Which shape comes next in a sequence
• How a shape has changed
• Which image doesn’t belong
• Relationships between shapes
• Rotations and reflections
• Visual patterns or rules

These types of questions can initially feel very unfamiliar.

The good news is that children can learn strategies for approaching them.

Rather than simply guessing what “looks right”, students can be taught to systematically look for changes involving:

• Shape
• Position
• Number
• Rotation
• Direction
• Shading
• Size

Once children know what they are looking for, seemingly complicated questions often become much more manageable.

What Maths is included in the 11+?

11+ Maths is not simply about being able to complete calculations quickly.

Children need strong mathematical foundations, but they also need to be able to apply their knowledge to unfamiliar problems.

Preparation may involve areas such as:

• Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Fractions, decimals and percentages
• Measurement
• Time
• Money
• Geometry
• Number patterns
• Problem solving
• Multi-step questions

As children move closer to the assessment, they also need to become comfortable choosing an efficient method under timed conditions.

A student might know exactly how to solve a problem but still lose marks if each question takes too long.

Where does English fit in?

Parents sometimes ask why OwlPath assesses English when the current Wirral assessment areas are described as Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Mathematics.

That’s because strong English skills underpin a significant amount of 11+ learning.

Reading comprehension and vocabulary can affect how confidently children understand questions, interpret written information and tackle verbal reasoning.

Some independent school entrance assessments also have different structures and may include more explicit English components.

OwlPath tutors have experience working with Quest, GL Assessment, CEM and ISEB-style assessments, so preparation can be adapted to the schools a child is considering.

Do children need to practise all three subjects equally?

Not necessarily.

This is one of the reasons we don’t recommend starting an 11+ programme by simply buying three workbooks and completing the same amount from each.

Every child has different strengths.

For example:

Child A may be working significantly above their age in Maths but have a relatively limited vocabulary.

Child B may be an excellent reader but find Non-Verbal Reasoning completely unfamiliar.

Child C might understand all three areas but work too slowly when timed.

Those children shouldn’t receive identical preparation.

How does OwlPath identify what a child needs?

Every new OwlPath 11+ student begins with a free 30-minute diagnostic assessment.

We assess:

• English
• Maths
• Verbal Reasoning
• Non-Verbal Reasoning

Parents receive a score out of 10 for each area, alongside a more detailed breakdown of individual skills.

We then create a personalised study roadmap.

After the assessment, parents have a free consultation with their child’s tutor to discuss the results and decide on the appropriate programme, format and areas of focus.

Building towards exam conditions

Learning the content comes first.

But eventually, children also need to be able to apply those skills under examination conditions.

That means gradually introducing:

• Timed questions
• Time management
• Multiple-choice strategies
• Answer-sheet familiarity
• Working through difficult questions without becoming stuck
• Mock examinations

For the current Wirral test, official familiarisation material confirms that children work through timed multiple-choice papers and record responses on a separate answer sheet.

Becoming familiar with that process before exam day means the format itself doesn’t have to be completely new.

Preparing for the 11+ in Chester and the Wirral

OwlPath provides 11+ tutoring for children in Years 3, 4 and 5 across Chester and the Wirral.

Rather than starting with a generic programme, we begin by finding out exactly where your child is now.

Book a free OwlPath 11+ Diagnostic Assessment to discover your child’s strengths, gaps and recommended next steps.

If you’re searching for 11+ tutoring in Chester, you will quickly discover that there are plenty of options.

One-to-one tutors. Large tuition centres. Online courses. Practice-paper subscriptions. Small groups.

So how do you decide which one will actually suit your child?

The most important thing is not simply finding someone who can teach 11+ questions.

Effective preparation should identify where your child is now, what they need to improve and whether they are actually progressing over time.

Here are some of the things we think parents should consider.

1. Does the tutor understand the schools your child is applying to?

The phrase “11+” covers many different entrance assessments.

A tutor preparing children for schools in another part of the country may be working towards a very different format.

For families in Chester considering Wirral grammar schools, this is particularly relevant because the non-faith Wirral grammar schools have recently moved to Quest Assessments.

Other independent schools can use different formats.

Ask potential tutors which assessment providers and schools they are familiar with.

OwlPath tutors have experience with Quest, GL Assessment, CEM and ISEB, but our 11+ service is specifically focused on families in Chester and the Wirral.

2. Do they assess your child before tutoring begins?

A good tutor shouldn’t need several months of lessons to discover that your child struggles with fractions or has an excellent vocabulary.

Ideally, there should be some form of baseline assessment before a programme begins.

Every OwlPath 11+ student starts with a free 30-minute diagnostic assessment covering:

• English
• Maths
• Verbal reasoning
• Non-verbal reasoning

Parents receive a score out of 10 in each area as well as a detailed skills breakdown.

The tutor can then create a personalised roadmap based on the results.

This means the first lesson already has direction.

3. Is the programme personalised?

Two Year 5 children preparing for the same assessment can need completely different support.

One may have excellent reasoning skills but weaker maths fundamentals.

Another may be academically strong but struggle badly when timed.

A third may need substantial vocabulary development.

11+ preparation should adapt to those differences.

At OwlPath, the initial diagnostic assessment and ongoing assessments are used to determine the areas each student needs to prioritise.

4. How large are the groups?

Small-group tutoring can work extremely well for 11+ preparation.

Children have the opportunity to learn alongside others, discuss approaches and experience a little healthy challenge while still receiving direct attention from the tutor.

But class size matters.

An 11+ “group” containing a large number of children can start feeling much more like another school classroom.

OwlPath’s small-group sessions are limited to a maximum of four students.

For children who need more individual support, one-to-one tuition is also available.

5. Can you choose between one-to-one and group tutoring?

Neither format is automatically better.

The right choice depends on the child.

Small-group tutoring may suit children who:

• Enjoy learning alongside others
• Are motivated by seeing peers solve problems
• Benefit from discussion
• Have relatively similar academic needs to the group

One-to-one tutoring may suit children who:

• Have very specific gaps
• Need to work at a different pace
• Lack confidence
• Need intensive support in particular areas
• Would struggle to concentrate effectively in a group

This is why OwlPath doesn’t expect parents to choose a format before we have assessed their child.

The diagnostic assessment is followed by a free tutor consultation, where you can discuss the most appropriate option.

6. What happens between lessons?

One hour of tutoring each week is valuable, but children also need opportunities to reinforce what they’ve learned.

Ask what your child will be expected to do between sessions.

OwlPath students receive Smart Assignments — structured tasks designed to reinforce the areas covered during tutoring and keep progress moving between lessons.

The aim isn’t to overwhelm children with homework.

It is to make home practice more targeted.

7. How will you know whether your child is progressing?

Parents shouldn’t have to rely on:

“They seem to be doing well.”

Look for a tutoring programme with measurable progress tracking.

At OwlPath, parents receive progress information through the OwlPath Parent Dashboard, while quarterly assessments provide formal checkpoints throughout the programme.

This helps tutors answer important questions such as:

• Which areas have improved?
• Which skills remain weaker?
• Has the child’s speed improved?
• Does the learning plan need adjusting?
• Is additional support needed as the exam approaches?

8. Does the programme develop vocabulary?

Vocabulary is easy to underestimate.

Children cannot suddenly learn hundreds of unfamiliar words during the final few weeks before an entrance exam.

It develops much more effectively through regular exposure.

Alongside our tutoring programmes, OwlPath students can use Vocabulary Mastery, which includes 500+ words from the Quest Assessments vocabulary list.

Children complete short daily missions, revisit words they find difficult and earn XP as they progress.

This makes vocabulary development a consistent part of preparation rather than something left until the final months.

9. Does the tutor prepare children for the experience of the exam?

Knowledge is only part of 11+ preparation.

Children also need to know what it feels like to work under examination conditions.

As the test approaches, preparation should introduce:

• Timed questions
• Full sections
• Exam technique
• Time management
• Answer checking
• Mock assessment conditions

Familiarity can make the real assessment feel considerably less unfamiliar.

A child who has already practised managing their time and recovering from difficult questions can approach exam day with much more confidence.

10. Does your child actually feel comfortable with the tutor?

Finally, qualifications and resources aren’t everything.

Your child needs to feel comfortable enough to ask:

“I don’t understand.”

A good tutor should be able to identify when a child needs more challenge, when they need something explained differently and when confidence is becoming as important as academic ability.

For that reason, finding the right relationship between student and tutor matters.

OwlPath 11+ tutoring in Chester

OwlPath provides structured 11+ preparation for children in Years 3, 4 and 5 across Chester and the Wirral.

Our programmes include:

• Year 3 Foundation
• Year 4 Foundation
• Year 5 Advanced
• One-to-one tutoring
• Small groups of up to four
• In-person sessions
• Online tutoring
• Smart Assignments
• Parent progress dashboard
• Quarterly assessments
• Vocabulary Mastery
• Timed and exam-focused preparation

Children can currently attend in person at our Chester centre, with in-person sessions in the Wirral being introduced, alongside online tuition.

Most importantly, you don’t have to choose a programme before knowing what your child actually needs.

Start with a free 11+ Diagnostic Assessment

Your child’s free assessment measures their current ability across English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

You’ll then receive a detailed breakdown and personalised learning roadmap before discussing the results with one of our tutors.

Book your free OwlPath 11+ Diagnostic Assessment and find out exactly where your child should focus next.

If your child is considering a grammar school on the Wirral, the 11+ process can initially seem confusing.

There are assessment registrations, school applications, different grammar schools and now a relatively new assessment provider to understand.

Here is a simple overview of how the Wirral 11+ works and what parents should know when preparing their child.

Which schools use the Wirral 11+?

The four non-faith Wirral grammar schools work together as a consortium for 11+ testing:

• Calday Grange Grammar School
• West Kirby Grammar School
• Wirral Grammar School for Boys
• Wirral Grammar School for Girls

The consortium has moved to Quest Assessments as its test provider.

Parents should be aware that Upton Hall School FCJ and St Anselm’s College have separate entrance arrangements, so you should always check the admissions information for every school you are considering.

What is Quest Assessments?

Quest Assessments provides entrance assessments used by grammar and independent schools.

Importantly, there isn’t one universal “Quest 11+ paper” used identically by every school.

The content and structure of a Quest assessment depend on the particular school or consortium.

For the current Wirral process, parents should therefore use information specifically published for the Wirral grammar school assessment, rather than relying on information about Quest tests used elsewhere.

What is included in the Wirral 11+?

For September 2027 secondary school entry, Wirral Council’s published information states that children take two papers on the same day.

The assessment includes questions covering:

• Verbal reasoning
• Non-verbal reasoning
• Mathematics

For that admissions cycle, the assessment took place on 15 September 2026.

The Wirral grammar schools have said that, despite moving to a new provider, they chose to retain the same overall style and format for the first year of the change, including the areas assessed and their relative weighting. They have also advised families to check future admissions information because elements of the assessment can change over time.

This last point is important.

If your child is currently in Year 3, Year 4 or Year 5, don’t assume today’s precise test structure will necessarily remain unchanged for their cohort.

Why does OwlPath also teach English and vocabulary?

Parents may notice that OwlPath’s 11+ diagnostic assessment covers four areas:

English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

There is a reason for this.

Strong reading, comprehension and vocabulary skills underpin many aspects of selective entrance preparation, particularly verbal reasoning.

Vocabulary development is therefore an important part of our wider 11+ programme even where an assessment provider does not describe a separate paper simply as “English”.

It is also particularly useful for children considering independent schools, where entrance assessment structures may differ.

When do parents register for the Wirral 11+?

Registration for the selective assessment happens before the normal secondary school preference deadline.

For September 2027 entry, registration opened in May 2026 and the published deadline was at the end of May/beginning of June. The assessment then took place in September, with results issued before the 31 October secondary school application deadline.

Dates change each year.

Parents should therefore check the latest information published by Wirral Council and the individual grammar schools during Year 5.

This is particularly important for families living in Chester.

You do not need to live within Wirral to request the assessment. Wirral Grammar School for Boys, for example, specifically states that the assessment request process applies to both Wirral and Cheshire residents.

Your child’s eventual school application is then made through the relevant local authority for where you live.

How should a child prepare for the Wirral 11+?

Successful preparation involves much more than repeatedly completing full papers.

Children need to develop the underlying skills first.

That includes:

Mathematics

Children should be confident with the relevant primary maths curriculum and increasingly able to apply their knowledge to unfamiliar or multi-step problems.

Verbal reasoning

Verbal reasoning involves understanding and manipulating language, identifying patterns and applying logical thinking to words and information.

Strong vocabulary is particularly helpful here.

Non-verbal reasoning

Non-verbal reasoning requires children to identify patterns, relationships and sequences using shapes and visual information.

These question types can initially feel unfamiliar, so learning how to approach them systematically is important.

Vocabulary and comprehension

Even beyond explicitly labelled English questions, strong language skills can help children understand instructions, identify relationships between words and interpret increasingly complex information.

Timing and exam technique

A child can understand a question perfectly but still struggle if they spend too long answering it.

As the assessment approaches, children need opportunities to practise:

• Working under timed conditions
• Knowing when to move on
• Checking answers efficiently
• Following examination instructions
• Remaining calm when they encounter a difficult question

When should Wirral 11+ preparation begin?

There isn’t one answer for every child.

At OwlPath, preparation is divided into three stages.

Year 3 Foundation develops vocabulary, reading, early reasoning and number confidence gradually and without unnecessary examination pressure.

Year 4 Foundation introduces structured development across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

Year 5 Advanced moves towards advanced techniques, exam-standard questions, timed practice and mock conditions.

Children beginning in Year 5 can still make significant progress, but identifying their starting point becomes increasingly important because there is less time to address gaps.

How can I tell whether my child is on track?

Rather than comparing your child with friends or trying random online papers, start by establishing what they can currently do.

Every OwlPath 11+ student begins with a free 30-minute diagnostic assessment.

We assess:

• English
• Maths
• Verbal reasoning
• Non-verbal reasoning

Parents then receive a score for each area, a detailed skills breakdown and a personalised roadmap.

Afterwards, you’ll have a free consultation with your child’s tutor to discuss whether small-group or one-to-one tutoring would be most appropriate and what areas should be prioritised.

11+ tutoring in Chester and the Wirral

OwlPath specialises in 11+ preparation for children in Chester and the Wirral.

Students can currently attend our Chester centre or learn online, with in-person Wirral tutoring also being introduced.

Our tutors have experience preparing students for Quest, GL Assessment, CEM and ISEB-style entrance assessments, helping us tailor preparation to the schools your child is considering rather than providing generic 11+ tuition.

If grammar school is something your family is considering, you don’t need to wait until Year 5 to find out where your child stands.

Start with OwlPath’s free 11+ Diagnostic Assessment and receive a personalised study roadmap for your child.

One of the most common questions parents ask about the 11+ is:

“When should we start preparing?”

Search online and you’ll find very different answers.

Some families begin years in advance. Others don’t start thinking about the exam until Year 5.

The reality is that there isn’t a single starting age that is right for every child.

A better question is:

What kind of preparation is appropriate for my child’s age and current ability?

At OwlPath Academy, we support children in Years 3, 4 and 5 across Chester and the Wirral, with the type and intensity of preparation changing as the child moves closer to their entrance assessment.

Can you start preparing for the 11+ in Year 3?

Yes — but Year 3 preparation should look very different from Year 5 preparation.

A seven or eight-year-old does not need to spend their evenings completing timed 11+ papers.

At this stage, preparation should be about building the underlying skills that will make more advanced work easier later.

Our Year 3 Foundation Course focuses on areas including:

• Vocabulary development
• Reading and comprehension
• Early verbal reasoning
• Early non-verbal reasoning
• Number confidence
• Problem solving

The benefit of starting in Year 3 is time.

Instead of trying to rapidly build vocabulary or reasoning skills shortly before the exam, children can develop them gradually.

For many families, Year 3 is about creating a strong academic foundation rather than making the 11+ feel like an exam that is already looming.

Is Year 4 a good time to start 11+ preparation?

For many children, Year 4 is an excellent time to begin structured preparation.

There is still plenty of time before the assessment, but children are old enough to begin working systematically across the different skills required.

Our Year 4 Foundation programme develops:

• Maths
• English
• Verbal reasoning
• Non-verbal reasoning
• Vocabulary
• Problem solving

At this stage, tutors can also start identifying patterns.

Perhaps a child is consistently strong in maths but finds comprehension difficult.

Maybe their vocabulary is limiting their verbal reasoning score.

Or perhaps they understand non-verbal reasoning questions well but need to improve their speed.

Finding these gaps in Year 4 gives children time to address them without the intensity that can come with beginning very close to the exam.

Is Year 5 too late to start?

No.

A large number of children begin serious 11+ preparation in Year 5.

However, Year 5 is naturally a more intensive preparation period because the assessment is much closer.

OwlPath’s Year 5 Advanced Course focuses on areas including:

• Advanced reasoning techniques
• Full-curriculum maths
• More challenging English
• Vocabulary
• Exam-standard questions
• Timed practice
• Exam technique
• Mock exam conditions

Some students may benefit from increasing tutoring to twice weekly where additional support is needed.

The key is identifying that need early rather than assuming every Year 5 student requires the same amount of tuition.

Should children start as early as possible?

Not necessarily.

Earlier preparation can provide advantages, particularly for gradually building vocabulary, reading ability and confidence.

But more preparation does not automatically mean better preparation.

A child completing excessive amounts of repetitive work for several years could become bored, anxious or disengaged long before the exam arrives.

The aim should be steady, age-appropriate progression.

In Year 3, that may mean developing vocabulary and number confidence.

In Year 4, it may mean introducing more structured reasoning.

In Year 5, it may mean practising examination technique and working accurately under time pressure.

Preparation should grow with the child.

How do I know what level my child is currently at?

This is arguably more important than their year group.

Two children sitting next to each other in the same Year 4 classroom can have very different starting points.

One may already be working comfortably above age-related expectations in maths but need significant vocabulary support.

Another might be a very strong reader but find unfamiliar reasoning questions challenging.

That’s why OwlPath doesn’t recommend a programme based on age alone.

Every new student begins with a free diagnostic assessment covering English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

Parents then receive:

• A score out of 10 for each area
• A more detailed skills breakdown
• Identification of strengths and gaps
• A personalised study roadmap

A consultation with the tutor then helps determine the appropriate programme, lesson format and frequency.

What should preparation look like between tutoring sessions?

Weekly tutoring is only one part of successful preparation.

Children also benefit from short, focused practice between sessions.

OwlPath students receive Smart Assignments based on the skills being developed in their tutoring sessions.

Vocabulary can also be practised little and often.

OwlPath’s Vocabulary Mastery programme uses daily missions built around 500+ Quest vocabulary words, allowing children to keep learning between weekly tutoring sessions without requiring another long lesson.

Consistency is generally more useful than suddenly completing hours of work just before an assessment.

What if my child hasn’t started yet?

Don’t panic.

The most useful thing you can do is establish their current level.

Once you know their strengths and gaps, you can create a realistic preparation plan based on the time available.

For one child, that might mean weekly small-group tutoring.

For another, one-to-one support may be more appropriate.

Another child may already have strong academic foundations and simply need more experience with reasoning and examination technique.

There is no need to guess.

Start with a free 11+ assessment

OwlPath provides 11+ tutoring for families across Chester and the Wirral, with Year 3 and Year 4 Foundation programmes and a Year 5 Advanced programme.

Book your child’s free 30-minute diagnostic assessment and we’ll help you understand exactly where they are now and what their next steps should be.

If you have a child approaching secondary school age in Chester or the Wirral, you may already have heard other parents talking about the 11+.

But what exactly is it? What does your child need to learn? And when should you start thinking about preparation?

For families considering a grammar school or selective independent school, understanding the process early can make the whole experience feel much less overwhelming.

At OwlPath Academy, we support children in Years 3, 4 and 5 across Chester and the Wirral with structured 11+ preparation, starting from each child’s individual ability rather than following a one-size-fits-all programme.

What is the 11+?

The 11+ is an entrance assessment used by selective secondary schools to help determine whether a child is suited to the academic environment of the school.

Children usually take the assessment during Year 6, although preparation often begins earlier.

The exact format depends on the school or area your child is applying to. Assessments can include areas such as:

• Mathematics
• Verbal reasoning
• Non-verbal reasoning
• English and reading comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Problem solving
• Applying knowledge under timed conditions

This is why it is important to prepare for the specific schools and assessment your child will be applying for, rather than simply working through generic 11+ papers.

How does the 11+ work in the Wirral?

The Wirral’s non-faith grammar schools have recently moved to Quest Assessments as their 11+ assessment provider.

At the time of writing, the published Wirral assessment information lists verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics within the test. The assessment consists of two papers taken on the same day.

The four non-faith Wirral grammar schools work together as a consortium for the assessment process:

• Calday Grange Grammar School
• West Kirby Grammar School
• Wirral Grammar School for Boys
• Wirral Grammar School for Girls

Upton Hall School FCJ and St Anselm’s College have separate testing arrangements.

Assessment formats can change between cohorts, so parents should always check the latest admissions information for the year their child will be applying.

OwlPath’s tutors are experienced with Quest, GL Assessment, CEM and ISEB-style preparation, allowing us to support children applying to grammar and independent schools across Chester and the Wirral.

Does my child need to be taught things they don’t learn at school?

Some 11+ preparation builds directly on skills children are already learning in primary school, particularly maths and English.

However, children may have had much less experience with areas such as verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, advanced vocabulary and completing unfamiliar questions against the clock.

There is also an important difference between knowing how to answer a question and being able to answer it accurately and confidently in an examination environment.

Good 11+ preparation therefore isn’t simply about completing as many practice papers as possible.

It should build:

• Strong underlying maths and English skills
• Vocabulary
• Logical and analytical thinking
• Verbal and non-verbal reasoning
• Problem-solving ability
• Exam technique
• Time management
• Confidence

When should 11+ preparation begin?

There isn’t one correct starting age for every child.

Some children begin developing their foundations in Year 3, while others start structured preparation in Year 4 or Year 5.

At OwlPath, our programmes are divided by stage rather than expecting every child to begin from the same point.

Year 3 — Foundation

Year 3 preparation is deliberately low pressure.

The focus is on developing strong foundations through vocabulary, reading comprehension, early reasoning skills and number confidence.

Starting at this stage gives children plenty of time to develop skills gradually.

Year 4 — Foundation

Year 4 is a popular point to begin more structured 11+ preparation.

Children start developing across the different areas required for selective entrance exams while identifying and strengthening any weaker areas well before the exam year.

Year 5 — Advanced

Year 5 is the key preparation year for many students.

Preparation becomes more focused on advanced reasoning, curriculum knowledge, exam-standard questions, timed work and eventually mock exam conditions.

The most important thing isn’t simply when your child starts.

It is knowing where they are starting from.

Start with an assessment, not a guess

One of the biggest challenges for parents is knowing what their child actually needs help with.

A child may be excellent at maths but struggle with vocabulary.

Another may understand the material but lose marks because they work too slowly.

Another might have strong English skills but have never encountered non-verbal reasoning before.

That’s why every OwlPath 11+ student starts with a free 30-minute diagnostic assessment.

The assessment covers:

• English
• Maths
• Verbal reasoning
• Non-verbal reasoning

Parents receive a score in each area, a more detailed breakdown of individual skills and a personalised study roadmap.

You then have a free consultation with your child’s tutor to discuss the results and decide what type of preparation would suit them best.

What does 11+ tutoring involve?

At OwlPath, children can study through one-to-one or small-group tutoring, either online or in person.

Weekly 60-minute sessions are supported by targeted Smart Assignments between lessons, helping children continue developing the skills covered with their tutor.

Parents can also follow progress through the OwlPath Parent Dashboard, with quarterly assessments providing measurable checkpoints throughout the programme.

Rather than simply trying to complete more questions each week, the aim is to continually answer one question:

What does this child need to work on next?

Vocabulary matters too

Vocabulary can sometimes be overlooked in 11+ preparation.

However, a strong vocabulary supports verbal reasoning, comprehension and a child’s ability to understand increasingly challenging questions.

OwlPath’s Vocabulary Mastery programme complements weekly tutoring through short daily activities at home.

It includes 500+ words from the Quest Assessments vocabulary list, using daily missions, weak-word revision and XP-based rewards to encourage children to build their vocabulary consistently.

Thinking about the 11+?

If your child is currently in Year 3, Year 4 or Year 5 and you are considering grammar or independent schools in Chester or the Wirral, you don’t need to know exactly which tutoring programme they need before getting started.

The best first step is simply finding out where they are now.

Book a free OwlPath 11+ Diagnostic Assessment and receive a personalised study roadmap showing your child’s strengths, gaps and recommended next steps.