7 Plus Curriculum
English
Reading
I can read a wide variety of age appropriate texts (silently and aloud) quickly, accurately and fluently, automatically decoding words using phonics and other reading strategiesI can read age appropriate unfamiliar words, including exception words, accurately and without undue hesitationI can use a dictionary to check the meaning of unfamiliar wordsI can explain the meaning of words in contextI can skim and scan to identify ideas in a text and explain these using my own wordsI can make simple inferences, such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying my inferences with evidenceI can predict what might happen next in a narrativeI can recognise and demonstrate understanding of figurative languageI can use age-appropriate, academic vocabulary: simile, metaphor, alliteration, adjective, adverb, verb, noun etcSpeaking and listening
I can ask relevant questionsI can articulate and justify answers, including expressing my opinions about things that I have readI can give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narrativesI can maintain attention and participate actively in conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments appropriatelyI can speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard EnglishWriting
Grammar
I can use the present and past tenses correctly and consistently including the progressive form (for example, she is drumming, he was shouting)Language
In narratives, I can describe settings and characters using a variety of vocabularyI can use subordination (using when, if, that, before, after, while, so, because, although) and coordination (using or, and, but) in my sentencesI can vary my sentence starters, including starting sentences with adverbs (first, then, next, suddenly)I can use figurative language in my writingI can use expanded noun phrases to describe (for example, the blue butterfly, plain flour, the man in the moon)Planning and Editing
I can write for different purposes, including descriptions, narratives and recountsI can plan in advance what I am going to write either verbally or by making notesI can check my writing makes sense and make simple revisions to my writing, including corrections of common errors in spelling, punctuation and grammarPunctuation
I can use apostrophes of contraction (for example, can’t)I can use exclamation marks appropriately and can include exclamatives in my writingI can use direct speech in my narratives with punctuationI can accurately demarcate sentences (using full stops and capital letters)I can use commas in listsI can write statements and questions, using question marks accuratelyI can use a possessive apostrophe (singular) (for example, the girl’s book)Spelling and Handwriting
I can spell many words, including common exception words, using segmenting and other strategiesI can recognise common homophones and use these accuratelyI can form capital letters and lower-case letters neatly and can begin to join my handwriting with appropriate spacing between wordsStructure
I can structure a simple narrative, using a beginning, middle and end with some attempt to add a dilemma and to resolve itI can organise paragraphs around a themeInterpersonal skills
Expected 18 months prior to the exam
I can explain what my strengths and weaknesses are in my learningI can manage my feelings appropriatelyI can work independently for a sustained period of timeI can complete work in a timed environmentI can read over my work to check for mistakesI can appreciate that others have different opinions to meI can resolve problems and conflicts independentlyI can make suggestions as to how a group can work well togetherExpected 12 months prior to the exam
I can work cooperatively in a groupI can explain my strengths in learningI can resist distractions in order to accurately complete my workI am aware of the consequences of my actionsI can hold a conversation with an adultI am confident in meeting new children and teachersI can listen and respond to others in a conversationExpected six months prior to the exam
I know how to be friendly towards othersI can take turns when I play a gameI can wait my turn to say something in a classroomI can share with othersI can concentrate and pay attention to the task in handI know that I have to work hard to achieve my goalsI can explain what I am good at and what went well in a taskI can tell you something special about meI say “please” and “thank you”I can fasten my own jacket and put on my shoesI can listen to and follow instructionsI can play and work in a group with other childrenMaths
Addition and Subtraction
I can recall and use addition and subtraction facts to 20 fluently, and derive and use related facts up to 100 (5 resources)I can add and subtract numbers mentally and using formal written methods, including: a two-digit number and 1s a two-digit number and 10s 2 two-digit numbers 3 one-digit numbers (4 resources)I can recognise and use the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction and use this to check calculations and solve missing number problemsI can solve problems, including missing number problems, using number facts, place value, and more complex addition and subtractionFractions
I can recognise and use fractions as numbers: unit fractions and non-unit fractions with small denominatorsI can recognise and show, using diagrams, equivalent fractions with small denominators (1 resources)I can add and subtract fractions with the same denominator within one wholeI can compare and order unit fractions, and fractions with the same denominators (1 resources)I can solve problems that involve all of the above. (1 resources)I can recognise, find, name and write fractions of a length, shape, set of objects or quantity: unit fractions and non-unit fractions with small denominators (1 resources)Measurement
I can record and compare time in terms of seconds, minutes and hours; use vocabulary such as o’clock, am/pm, morning, afternoon, noon and midnightI know the number of seconds in a minute, minutes in an hour, hours in a day and days in each month, year and leap year (1 resources)I can compare and order lengths, mass, volume/capacity and record the results using >, < and =I can measure the perimeter of simple 2-D shapes (1 resources)I can recognise and use symbols for pounds (£) and pence (p)I can find different combinations of coins that equal the same amounts of moneyI can solve problems in a practical context involving addition and subtraction of money in both £ and p, including giving change (1 resources)I can tell and write the time from an analogue clock, including using Roman numerals from I to XII, and from a 12-hour digital clock (1 resources)I can choose and use appropriate standard units to estimate and measure length/height in any direction (m/cm); mass (kg/g); temperature (°C); capacity (litres/ml) to the nearest appropriate unit, using rulers, scales, thermometers and measuring vesselsMultiplication and Division
I can calculate mathematical statements for multiplication and division within the multiplication tables and write them using the multiplication (×), division (÷) and equals (=) signsI can show that multiplication of 2 numbers can be done in any order (commutative) and division of 1 number by another cannotI can use formal written methods to multiply a two-digit number by a one-digit numberI can solve problems, including missing number problems, involving multiplication and division, including positive integer scaling problems and correspondence problems in which n objects are connected to m objects.I can recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 multiplication tables, including recognising odd and even numbersNumber and Place Value
I can solve number problems and practical problems involving these ideasI can count on and back in multiples of 2, 3, 4 and 5 from 0, and in 10s from any number, forward and backwardI can find 10 or 100 more or less than any given number (5 resources)I can recognise the place value of each digit in a three-digit number (100s, 10s, 1s) (2 resources)I can compare and order numbers up to 1000 (1 resources)I can round any number to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000 (1 resources)I can identify, represent and estimate numbers using different representations (2 resources)I can show that addition of 2 numbers can be done in any order (commutative) and subtraction of one number from another cannotI can read and write any three-digit whole number in figures and words (1 resources)Properties of Shapes
I can identify and describe the properties of 3-D shapes, including the number of edges, vertices and facesI can identify 2-D shapes on the surface of 3-D shapesI can recognise angles as a property of shape or a description of a turnI can identify right angles, recognise that 2 right angles make a half-turn, 3 make three quarters of a turn and 4 a complete turnI can identify horizontal and vertical lines and pairs of perpendicular and parallel linesI can order and arrange combinations of mathematical objects in patterns and sequencesI can use mathematical vocabulary to describe position, direction and movement including movement in a straight line and distinguishing between rotation as a turn and in terms of right angles for quarter, half and three-quarter turns (clockwise and anti-clockwise).I can identify and describe the properties of 2-D shapes, including the number of sides and line symmetry in a vertical lineStatistics
I can solve one-step and two-step questions using information presented in scaled bar charts and pictograms and tables.I can interpret and construct simple pictograms, tally charts, block diagrams and tablesDownload the Owl Tutors 7 Plus Curriculum Tracker here:
The 7 plus is a heterogeneous collection of admission tests to various independent schools for entry into year 3 in the United Kingdom. As these tests are not standardised and every school is free to set their own exam, defining a curriculum to cover the entire 7 plus is challenging. Having said this, given the age of the applicants, the relative subject knowledge and skills that can be expected from children of this age, one can make a well-educated guess as to what a 7 plus exam will cover. This is what we have done here to assist tutors and parents that are preparing their students for the 7 plus test.
After having consistently prepared students for 7 plus exams since their rapid increase in popularity in the late noughties, feedback from our tutors, students and clients have suggested that 7 plus exams to competitive schools expect students to be operating approximately one year ahead of national averages at the time they take the exam (November to January). As such, we have distilled the expectations in English, Maths and Interpersonal skills from the United Kingdom’s National Curriculum that students are expected to be achieving by the end of year 3 to create what successful 7 plus students should be able to complete half way through year 2. We then cross-referenced this list of learning objectives with various 7 plus sample exams published on independent school websites in order to refine the list of objectives.
As a result of this exercise, the list of learning objectives below represent what we currently feel students should be able to perform in order to be successful at 7 plus. We would like to emphasise however that even by being able to demonstrate aptitude in all of these learning objectives will not provide a guarantee of success in these competitive school entrance exams. Please also note that a student may not need to show aptitude in all of these learning objectives upon sitting the test and that the learning objectives laid out below are exceptionally high expectations for a student to achieve in year 2!
