Advice and Resources
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Descriptive writing or story? How to tell what the 11 Plus question wants
One of the most common reasons a good writer loses marks in an 11 Plus paper has nothing to do with vocabulary or spelling. They wrote a story when the question asked for a description, or the other way round. They are different tasks, and they are marked for different things. Here is how to…
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How to Plan an 11 Plus Story in Five Minutes
Ask most children how long they spend planning an 11 Plus story and the honest answer is none. They read the question, pick up the pen and start. Sometimes that works. More often, the story runs out of road halfway down the second page, the ending is rushed, and the best idea arrives with two…
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From Average to Top Marks: Real 11+ Creative Writing Examples and What Changed Them
The most useful thing I can show you isn’t a perfect piece of 11+ writing. It’s the journey from competent to exceptional – and exactly what changed along the way. Parents often ask me: how do I know if my child’s creative writing is good enough? And my answer is always: it depends on what…
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11+ Creative Writing for International Students: Bridging the Gap to UK Grammar Schools
If English is your child’s second language and you’re preparing them for the 11+, I want to say something to you first: the gap is smaller than you think. I’ve worked with families from all over the world who have moved to South London and are navigating the UK selective school system for the first…
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How to Write a Gripping Story Opening for 11+ Independent School Exams
Your child has approximately thirty seconds to convince an examiner they want to keep reading. No pressure. Actually, let’s reframe that. Thirty seconds to make an examiner think “oh, this one is interesting” is a completely achievable goal, if your child knows what they’re doing. The opening of an 11+ story is disproportionately important. It…
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What Examiners Really Look for in 11+ Creative Writing – Insider Tips from a Former Journalist
I’m going to tell you something that most 11+ prep guides won’t: examiners aren’t just marking for correctness. They’re marking for impact. Before I built 11 Plus Essay, I spent years working as a journalist and editor, reading, critiquing, and commissioning written work. And one thing that experience taught me very clearly is that the…
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10 Fresh 11+ Creative Writing Prompts for 2026 Exams (With Planning Tips)
The blank page is the real exam. Let’s make sure your child is ready for it. One of the things that distinguishes the children who do well on the 11+ creative writing paper from those who struggle isn’t vocabulary, or grammar, or even imagination. It’s what happens in the first sixty seconds after they read…
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Your Child Is Bright But Their Writing Does Not Show It Yet
You know your child is capable. They are sharp, curious, full of ideas. But when it comes to putting those ideas on paper, something gets lost. The writing that comes back does not reflect the child you know. I see this pattern constantly. As a former journalist who wrote for the Sunday Mirror magazine, Cosmopolitan,…
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The 8-Week Independent School Writing Exam Rescue Plan (For JAGS, Trinity, Alleyn’s & More)
It’s November. The January entrance exams for your target independent schools are no longer a distant thought; they are right around the corner. You look at your child’s creative writing and a familiar sense of dread begins to creep in. It’s just not good enough, and you feel like you’ve run out of time. First,…
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Why Your 11+ Tutor Isn’t Improving Your Child’s Creative Writing (And What to Do About It)
You’re doing everything right. You found a reputable 11+ tutor, you’re paying the fees, and your child is diligently attending the sessions. Their maths and comprehension scores are slowly ticking up. But when you look at their creative writing, something is missing. The stories are flat, the descriptions are bland, and the marks just aren’t…
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