What should my child know 6 months before the 7+ examination?
The following checklist outlines the knowledge and skills we recommend your child is secure in 6 months before the 7+ examination.
The knowledge and skills within the checklist are in line with Level 3 of the National Curriculum and are split into three main areas: Interpersonal skills (which are likely to be assessed during group activities and individual interviews), English and Mathematics.
It is important to remember that this list is not exhaustive, and the content of the examination will vary from school to school. Also, it may be possible for exams to assess children on skills that are more advanced than those suggested in our checklist.
To prepare your child for the 7+ exam from 6 months in advance, we recommend reading as much as possible with your child and playing mental maths games alongside more formal work. Keeping learning engaging and exciting for your child is key, in order to avoid them feeling under any pressure before the examination.
Interpersonal Skills
- I can make suggestions as to how a group can work well together
- I can appreciate that others have different opinions to me
- I can resolve problems and conflicts independently
- I can explain what my strengths and weaknesses are in my learning
- I can manage my feelings appropriately
- I can work independently for a sustained period of time
- I can complete work in a timed environment
- I can read over my work to check for mistakes
English
Talking and listening
- I know that it Is important to ask questions in conversations in order to understand
- I am beginning to be aware of Standard English and when it is used
Reading
- I can read and understand texts in a range of genres
- I can find information quickly by skimming and highlighting key words and phrases
- I can gain an understanding of the text by scanning
- I can define the meaning of specific words in a text
- I can use evidence from the text to justify my answer
- I am aware of the relationship between the number of marks in a question and how much detail I should include in my answer
- I can summarise a text in my own words
- I can work independently in a timed environment
Writing
- My writing is imaginative and structured in organised paragraphs
- I incorporate a problem and a solution into my stories
- I use openers, connectives, adjectives and adverbs
- I attempt to use alliteration and similes to add detail
- I punctuate my work correctly, including using speech marks accurately
- I use the correct tense throughout my writing
- My handwriting is joined and easy to read
- My writing is gramatically correct
Maths
Number
- I can find a missing number (to 1000) in a sequence
- I understand the value of hundreds, tens and units
- I can count in 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 10s and 100s
- I can multiply by 2, 3, 5 and 10
- I can order positive and negative numbers
- I can recognise and write a fraction of a shape or number
- I can divide a two digit number by a one digit number
- I can solve problems that involve division
- I know that subtraction is the inverse of addition
- I can divide a whole number and get a remainder
Shape, space and measure
- I can solve problems that involve decimal numbers as money or measure
- I can identify whether shapes are symmetrical
- I can complete shapes to make them symmetrical
- I can solve problems involving money (up to £10)
- I can solve problems that involve measure
- I can solve problems that involve time (using digital and analogue clock)
- I can use the correct notation for writing money
- I can covert pounds to pence
- I can convert cm to m and vice versa
- I can draw and measure lines accurately to the nearest cm
- I can tell the time in 15 minute increments using either a digital or analogue clock
- I know how many hours are in a day and how many minutes are in an hour
- I know the directions of clockwise and anti-clockwise
- I can write the time in words
- I can draw lines of symmetry on 2D shapes
- I can tell when two fractions are equivalent
Handling Data
- I can create my own bar graphs
A note on using past papers
At 6 months out, you might want to start using past papers. You can do this here:
