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My child is struggling with comprehension. Do you have any ideas of how to help them improve?

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Comprehension is one of the areas of English where students struggle the most.

There are several reasons for this such as:

  • Not understanding the passage

  • Having a limited vocabulary 

  • Not using the right techniques

  • A lack of interest in reading 

And more.

These days, schools place a huge emphasis on Maths which is great but the unfortunate effect of this is that an increasing number of children dislike Literacy. Quite often, when I’m teaching, I ask my students what their favourite subject is and Maths is always the preferred choice.

To combat this and help your child increase their enthusiasm for English and comprehension, in particular, there are a few things you can do.

These include:

Taking them to the library and making it a proper day or afternoon out where you choose books. You could even organise a trip to a famous or large library that’s outside of your local area. There are some beautiful libraries across the country and they’re great for helping children to ignite their passion for reading.

Help them to use comprehension techniques when doing ‘fun’ things. For instance, while watching a movie, you could ask them who the protagonist is. That’s a big word but if your child is a student of our Clever Comprehension Academy programme, they’ll know what it means. You could also ask them to write a summary of what happens in the film as this is a great way to check their retention skills. 

When it comes to reading passages and understanding them better, here are some great tips.

Visualise the text.

When reading, it’s important to create images of what’s happening. This enables you to paint a picture of the story and to answer questions more easily. Visualisation is really powerful!

When reading, ask your child to picture what they see.

Focus more on the questions than on the passage or text.

Students often make the mistake of focusing heavily on the passage and it causes them to worry about big words they don’t know the meaning of, events that don’t quite make sense and tiny little details that are confusing.

Often enough, the questions in the exam don’t always assess these things and students who focus on the passage too much can find themselves losing marks. 

Instead of being passage-obsessed, focus on the questions that are being asked. Read them carefully and find the answers in the passage. 

Think like a detective

Instead of worrying about understanding the meaning behind every detail within the passage or text, focus on thinking like a detective who searches for answers.

Highlight and underline the answers as you find them in the passage; some students choose to write the question number next to the answer or highlighted word/phrase which is another great thing to do.

The key is on shifting your thinking from worrying about understanding everything to focus on finding the answers.

Be mindful of inference.

Examiners are constantly checking to see if students understand how to infer. What does this mean? It’s testing their ability to read between the lines of any text and draw conclusions. 

Inference is about thinking strategically and using the clues within a text to understand what’s happening on a deeper level. For example, if in the text it says that the character beamed with joy, we can interpret that the character is happy

If on the other hand, it says that a character hung their head and dropped their shoulders, we can infer that they’re sad, withdrawn or possibly even ashamed.

Do you see how inference works now? It’s a wonderful skill to develop.

Learn to PEE.

For students sitting multiple choice exams such as the CEM, they don’t have to worry about this but for those sitting standard exams such as those popularly used by independent schools, learning to PEE is really important.

What’s PEE? It stands for point, evidence, explanation. Put simply, when answering questions, students need to be able to write detailed answers where they firstly make a point (which answers the question), back that point up using evidence from the text (such as a quote) and finally, explain the relevance of the quote to the point and the answer that’s been set. 

Here’s a quick example.

Question: How is George described in the passage? (3 marks)

Answer: George is described as being a tall, baby-faced man who is highly likeable. In the passage, he is described as “having the countenance of a King” which suggests that he is naturally likeable and commands respect in the same way a king or monarch would. 

In the example above, the first line focuses on making a point that answers the question. The second line provides a relevant quote and the third provides the explanation which is linked to the question to show relevance. 

I hope this article helps you and your child to see that comprehension doesn’t have to be difficult.

It can be broken down so that it’s easy to score higher marks. The key is in focusing on building inference skills, knowing what examiners are looking for and learning to search for the answers rather than worrying about understanding every little detail in the text.

Do you have any other comprehension tips you’d like to share? We’d love to hear them.

Leave them in the comments below. 

Ps. If your child still needs help with comprehensive, check out our online course which can be accessed 24/7. It’s called Clever Comprehension Academy.

Here’s to your child’s success!

The Tutoress Team.








How To Start Preparing For The 11+ Exam

“My child’s 11+ exam is next year, how do I start preparing for it?”

This is a great question and one I hear often.

In fact, I wrote a guidebook on this very topic almost a decade ago. It’s rather dated now, especially as the CEM was only introduced in 2013, but I’m hoping to produce an updated version of the book in the nearby future.

In the meantime, here are some tips to help guide you through starting your child’s 11+ prep. These tips are also somewhat applicable to the 7+, 8+, 9+ and 10+ exams.

Be Honest

I know we all think our children are perfect but the unfortunate truth is that not every child is suited to the 11+. Some children don’t have the drive or determination to study for what can feel like hours on end. Some would rather watch TV all day or take part in tons of activities after school than to spend their evenings or holiday periods studying for an exam. Before you even begin to consider the 11+, think about whether your child is naturally bright and be honest with yourself. Does your child have natural academic potential or are they lagging behind academically? Does your child want to sit the exam? Do they want to go to a grammar or independent school? Think about these things and be honest with yourself. Don’t hesitate to ask your child questions and discuss whether they’d like to go through the 11+ process.

Start early

I know that not all parents are fortunate enough to have discovered the 11+ early, but as a general rule of thumb, early preparation makes a tremendous difference. If you can, start laying the foundation for your child’s educational success as early as possible and avoid leaving exam prep to the last minute. Even before you begin working through 11+ books, strengthen your child’s academic foundation by teaching them new vocabulary words and help them to build their English and Maths skills. For instance, it’s a great idea to pick up books that cover topics such as SPAG, arithmetic, mental maths and comprehension.

Begin with research

Research which schools you’re applying for and if possible, consider visiting them as early as possible. Sometimes parents start 11+ preparation and then find out months later that the school they’re applying for doesn’t even test a certain subject so it’s best to know where you’re applying to first. Then you can plan accordingly. It’s also worth reaching out to your target schools and confirming which format their exams are in and which subjects your child will sit exams in. For example, some schools require students to only sit exams in Maths and English, whilst others assess Reasoning as well. Generally, the main exam types are the CEM, GL Assessment, ISEB, CSSE or the standard exam (for independent school entry).

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Start small

The Bond books are a great starting point. Start with the lower age bracket (e.g. 7-8) and then work upwards. Go through questions that your child is struggling with most and check the ones they got wrong so they don’t repeat mistakes.

Get focused

Focus on improving your child’s overall vocabulary, English and Maths skills. These skills aren’t just important for the 11+ but for life. The stronger their English and Maths, the more likely they are to do well.

Find a routine

Get into a routine. This is important so that it becomes a habit for your child to study every day and it helps them to manage homework alongside 11+ work.

Don’t solely D.i.y

Although you don’t have to hire a tutor for long periods of time, it’s definitely a good idea to book a few sessions or at the very least, an assessment. Ideally, if you’re thinking about hiring a tutor on a long-term basis, it’s best to see which tutor your child clicks with and then to join their waiting list early so that your child can have a few lessons with them closer to the time of the exam. Some parents don’t use a tutor at all and that’s fine, but it’s good to have a second opinion from someone who has a strong track record of getting children into the particular school(s) you’re applying for. If you don’t want regular lessons, just book a few sessions or assessments with them and they should be able to give you a report of their observations.

Stay calm

Stay calm and don’t panic because children pick up on these things. Try to encourage your child to have a positive mindset about exams and education in general.

Recommended 11+ Revision Books & Resources

When it comes to preparing for the 11+ exams, it can be very daunting figuring out which materials and resources are best. Here are some of our favourites.

For Early Preparation (Ideal For Years 3 & 4)

The Bond 11+ Bundle (Ages 6-7) - The bundles include all four subjects (English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning)

The Bond 11+ Bundle (Ages 7-8)

The Bond Bundle (Ages 8-9)

The Bond Bundle (Ages 9-10)

For Generation Preparation and Revision (Years 5 and above)

The Bond Bundle (Ages 10-11)

Practice Papers For CEM

Practice Papers For GL Assessment

Quick Practice Tests For GL Assessment

Bond No Nonsense English

Rapid Tests NVR

For ISEB & Independent School Exam Preparation

Bond Verbal Reasoning (age 11-12)

Galore Park (English) (ISEB)

Galore Park (Maths) ISEB

Recommended Vocabulary Books

The Cadwaladr Quests by SL Ager (Tangled Time)

The Cadwaladr Quests by SL Ager (Race For Gold)

Vocabulary Flashcards

Here’s to your child’s success!

The Tutoress Team.