Past papers are a great resource for anyone preparing to take an exam, no matter how young. Past papers can be especially helpful in exposing your child to:
- The types of questions they might meet
- The curriculum they will need to be on top of in advance of the test
- The timings and exam skills required of them, which is particular important as this is often the first exam they will have sat
How to use past papers for the 7 plus exam
Using past papers can be a valuable resource to support your child preparing for their 7+ exams. Firstly, it familiarises the child with the exam format, question types and time constraints, thus helping them feel more confident on the actual day of exam. Secondly, practising past papers allows you and your child to identify areas where they need improvement, enabling targeted study and revision. Additionally, reviewing past papers with your child provides an opportunity for parents or tutors to offer guidance, feedback, and constructive criticism, aiding in overall preparation and performance.
Where to find 7 plus past papers
The first port of call for any parent should be the admissions section of the website/s of the school/s you child is sitting the 7+ at. Some schools, such as Highgate School, King’s College School (Wimbledon), or North London Collegiate School share a selection of sample papers on their websites. However, not all schools share past papers so openly, but will provide sample papers on request, so we would always recommend you ask.
In those instances where schools do not provide past papers it is worth checking if they provide other relevant detail, such as suggested reading lists, and English and/or maths syllabuses as these can be especially helpful in helping you to understand the level of knowledge expected in each component of the admissions process. For example, St Paul’s Junior School provide links to 7+ and 8+ suggested reading lists, as well as maths syllabuses, at each level (7+ & 8+).
Exam skills are especially important at this age level, as more often than not this is the first time a child will have sat a proper examination. Thus, it is not only very important that they are on top of the content required for each exam, but also that they develop the following exam skills:
- Ability to work under time conditions
- Ability to write in full sentences and in full paragraphs
- Ability to write neatly
- Ability to show mathematical working
Keystone Tutor Kathleen gives her top preparation tips for the 7+ examination
“Practice little and often is optimal, two 10 minutes chunks each day of varied maths and SPAG practice will go a long way to embed key concepts. Start well in advance of any exams and add this practice into your child’s daily routine.
~ Find math in the ‘everyday’ life activities. Cooking is full of fractions and measures (metric conversions with litres and grams). You can use times tables when shopping to calculate the quantity you need to purchase. Keep a calendar in a busy area of the house and refer to the days, months, number patterns etc.
~ Read, read, read. The more you read to and with your child, the faster they will build their vocabulary and understand how punctuation guides a sentence. Reading stories which push their current skills and ‘thinking aloud’ as you read will help children to improve their prediction and inference skills.”
7 plus tuition
Keystone Tutors have a number of highly experienced 7+ tutors who can help with exam and interview preparation, wherever you are in the world.
Read more about our 7 plus exams tutors.
For more details on how Keystone can help prepare your child for the 7+, please call the office for a chat with one of our client managers, or contact us via our request a tutor form.