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Vocabulary plays a crucial part in all aspects of communication; listening, speaking, reading and writing. Children taking the 8 Plus exam will need to have a good range of vocabulary to call on in interviews, and when completing the reading, writing and reasoning aspects of the entrance exams.

This age group will be developing their use of logic and understanding of cause and effect. Comprehension questions at this level can include direct questions about word meanings and locating the meaning of a word in a given context. Schools will also want to assess a child’s ability to make inferences; where one has to use clues in the text to give an answer that has not been directly listed in the text. Sound vocabulary knowledge can help with answering these kinds of questions.

Reading List for children in Year 1 and Year 2 (Age 6 and 7)

Parents often ask us for reading recommendations and so we have compiled the following list below as a good starting point! These are all either personal favourites or recommended on well renowned book lists.

Reading List for children in Year 5, Year 6 and Year 7 (Age 9 to 11)

Children studying for the 11 plus exams are at a key point in their school reading journey. They are starting to develop the independence and autonomy to seek out their own reading books and decide how to incorporate reading into their daily routine. By this point, ideally, we would want our children to have caught the ‘reading bug’ and enjoy reading a wide range of different texts as well as knowing where and how to search for new titles. At this age, we also recommend daily independent reading for 30 minutes and of course this is always helped with the use of audiobooks or being read to aloud.

Reading List for children in Year 3 and Year 4 (Age 7 and 8)

Children studying for the 8 plus exams are moving on from the initial chapter books and early reading series they may have looked at during seven plus preparation and are starting to choose more sophisticated titles. Books at this age are starting to get longer and tackle a broader range of subjects. Children themselves are starting to develop preferences for certain authors, writing styles and genres and should be encouraged to read widely across a diverse range of literature.

In order to excel in the 11 Plus, children need to have a wide vocabulary to draw on. Good vocabulary knowledge will help in all aspects of the English exam (reading, writing, verbal reasoning) as well as in the interviews.

Comprehending the reading part of the exam requires knowledge of what the individual words mean and what they mean within the context of the particular comprehension. Using interesting words in the writing part of the exam will help them stand out from other students’ that use simplistic vocabulary. Spotting spelling and patterns of meanings between words will help students to answer verbal reasoning questions. It is also important to communicate clearly in interviews and drawing on a wide vocabulary will help students convey their thoughts and ideas in a coherent way.

Six to seven year olds expand their vocabulary at a rapid rate, learning 5-10 words a day. While these are mostly learnt indirectly through everyday experiences, such as through discussion and reading, direct teaching can consolidate and improve a child’s vocabulary knowledge in readiness for the 7+ exam.

13+ Common Entrance Reading List: Our Recommendations for children in Years 7, 8 and 9 

For many young people, the 13+ exam is one of the most significant they will take in their school career, as it is not just about entrance. The outcome sets them on a particular course for their GCSEs and, likely, their A-Levels or IB studies. Common entrance exams are designed to gauge a student’s potential for GCSEs and beyond; they therefore often require high-level skills in reading, interpretation, and analysis. In order to make sure your child is prepared for whatever is thrown at them, reading widely, consistently, and with variety is crucial.

By the time a child is eleven or so, parents have often got out of the habit of keeping track of reading and sharing books. As a tutor, I find that this is the age group for which reading frequency and interest can drop off the most, and this seems to be especially the case with boys. At this stage, young people are developing more independent interests outside of home and school. They are usually having to juggle these interests with an increased homework load, and many of them are also spending more and more time online, all of which can make it harder for them to find the time and motivation for reading. 

It might not be desirable or practical to read with your young person on a daily basis any more. What I would recommend is having an active, regular dialogue about reading. You could talk about the news, an article you have read, a novel you are into, a cartoon you saw, a blog you are aware of, a radio show that was informative…If reading (and listening to literature/high-quality shows) is part of family life, it will likely remain part of your child’s life and make it easier for you to search for books together for more focused and formal reading practice. You can also discuss interesting and difficult vocabulary together, and play word games and puzzles… 

Some reading, even if it is just for five minutes per day, will vastly improve your child’s outcomes at Common Entrance. 

Students taking the 13 Plus will be expected to use language effectively in all areas of the English exam, as well as in interviews. For a complete overview of the assessment, see our Guide to the 13 Plus Common Entrance Exams, which outlines formats, key subjects, and preparation strategies.

The exam will likely test candidates understanding of an unseen passage from a novel, play, poem or from another genre. At this level, students are assessed on their understanding of the text, as well as their analysis and evaluation of it. They may need to provide character analysis and give and justify their opinion; a broad vocabulary will help students’ to express their ideas clearly in their written responses. Our 13 Plus English Preparation Guide covers the comprehension, analysis, and essay-writing skills examiners look for.

It is difficult to recommend one vocabulary list for the UKiset, as it can be taken by students at any age between 9-and-a-half to 18 years old.

As a profiling assessment, it measures a student’s level of academic English which is then judged against peers of the same age.  

Parents often ask us which books their children should be reading. In some respects, it’s the wrong question to ask – are there any books children shouldn't  be reading? – but with children’s free-time seeming ever to shrink, there is certainly merit in searching out the best.