Top 5 English Skills for 11+ and Entrance Exam Success
If your child is preparing for the 11+ or entrance exams for selective schools like Altrincham Grammar, Loreto Grammar, Sale Grammar, Stretford Grammar, Manchester Grammar School, Manchester High School for Girls or Stockport Grammar School, you’ll already know just how competitive these assessments can be.
English is one of the areas that can make or break a child’s chances, and parents often ask me, “What should we be focusing on over the summer?”
In this blog, I’ll outline the top 5 English skills that make the biggest difference in 11+ and entrance exam success, along with practical advice for keeping them sharp (and avoiding them going backwards over the summer holidays). I’ll also explain how one-to-one tutoring can help your child develop these essential skills in a way that’s enjoyable and tailored to their interests.
1️⃣ Reading Comprehension and Inference
These exams aren’t just about understanding what’s written, they test how well children can read between the lines, spot clues about characters and situations, and work out what the writer is trying to suggest.
Strong candidates can:
Identify key information quickly
Explain what words, phrases and sentences imply
Work out a character’s thoughts or feelings from subtle clues
Tip: Encourage your child to explain why a character might act a certain way, or what a word suggests, when you read together.
2️⃣ Vocabulary Knowledge in Context
The ability to work out what unfamiliar words mean is crucial, especially for schools like Manchester Grammar and Loreto Grammar, where language choices can be challenging.
Strong candidates can:
Guess word meanings from context clues
Offer synonyms for descriptive words
Choose ambitious, accurate vocabulary in their own writing
Tip: Play word games, do daily quick synonym challenges or make a ‘word of the day’ wall at home to build confident vocabulary use.
3️⃣ Creative Writing with Structure and Detail
Most entrance exams include a writing task, often a short description, a story opening or a persuasive letter.
Strong candidates can:
Plan a clear beginning, middle and end quickly
Use varied sentence structures
Include ambitious vocabulary, similes, metaphors and sensory details
Tip: Encourage your child to practise short pieces of creative writing in 10–15 minute bursts. Use images, story titles or unusual objects as fun prompts.
4️⃣ Precision in Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling
Many schools deduct marks for errors in these areas, even if the ideas are excellent.
Strong candidates can:
Use accurate punctuation throughout
Apply a range of sentence types confidently
Spell commonly used and ambitious words correctly
Tip: Don’t underestimate the value of regular, light-touch grammar revision. Daily punctuation or spelling check-ups make a huge difference.
5️⃣ Exam Timing and Question Technique
Even the brightest children can struggle to finish in time. Knowing how long to spend on each question and how much detail to give is crucial, especially for entrance exams at Altrincham Grammar, Sale Grammar and Manchester Grammar School.
Strong candidates can:
Skim-read for key information
Manage their time across multiple comprehension questions
Write concise, focused answers under timed conditions
Tip: Practise timed exercises and short comprehension papers over the summer to build pace and confidence without pressure.
✅ How One-to-One Tutoring Can Help
Many parents find it hard to keep these skills sharp over the summer, especially with children reluctant to tackle extra practice. That’s where one-to-one tutoring makes such a difference.
In my sessions, I:
Build a tailored plan for your child’s target schools.
Use comprehension and writing resources based on your child’s interests (football articles, adventure stories, animal rescues, whatever grabs their attention).
Practise timed exam-style tasks in a calm, positive setting.
Boost confidence with clear, constructive feedback.
This keeps skills active, tackles problem areas early and ensures your child avoids going backwards over the summer holidays.
Final Thoughts
If your child is sitting the 11+ or an entrance exam this autumn, focusing on these five key English skills will give them the strongest possible chance of success. With regular practice, engaging resources and expert one-to-one support, you can help them stay sharp, confident and fully prepared for the challenges ahead.
I have a limited number of one-to-one tutoring slots available both online and in-person across Stockport, Cheshire, Trafford and surrounding areas. Contact me today for a private tutoring quote, whether it’s for 11+ practice, entrance exam preparation or confidence-building over the summer.
Visit my Contact page to get in touch.