EDUCATION
How to navigate the 11+
Ilesh Kotecha explains why the 11+ exam can be important for your child and what to look for in a good tutor ElevenPlusExams was launched in 2004 by former investment banker Ilesh Kotecha. Their tuition services and online courses have helped thousands of children succeed in their 11+ exams and their website is now the online 11+ resource in the UK. Ilesh shares his advice on how to navigate the 11+.
When and why did you launch ElevenPlusExams? Back in 2004, I was a single father, trying to help my own son pass his entrance exam for Queen Elizabeth’s School for Boys. I set up an online forum for us to discuss tricky questions. It had unintended consequences; my son got into the school of his dreams through his hard work, but other parents had also started using the site after we were finished with it. I decided to keep it up until the interest waned, but thousands of parents had begun supporting each other through it. A decade later it’s still attracting millions of visitors a year looking for advice and guidance as they navigate the 11+. The rest of ElevenPlusExams’s services, such as our face-to-face tutoring, practice books, online courses and revision 10 May/June
platforms, grew from the desire to help the parents on this forum. Why is the 11+ exam important? The 11+ is a means of getting a place at a selective secondary school. Indirectly, the exam will likely define the calibre of the university your child will attend and ultimately influence their career choices and prospects. How soon before the exam should I start preparing my child? The exams are challenging in many ways, usually on par with GCSEs. There are five main subjects that are tested: English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and creative writing. Year 3 and 4 are the ideal times to build core skills, whereas year 5 is the ideal time to begin refining exam techniques. Familiesonline.co.uk
