January 16th, 2020Last updated: September 2nd, 2021

When preparing students for the 9 Plus school entrance exams, you may find that there aren't a great number of resources out there (especially compared with the 7 or 8 Plus). This blog suggests a few resources which can be used by students as a starting point for 9 Plus preparation.

Nine Plus (9+) resources for English and Reasoning

There are comparatively few resources available from schools or elsewhere to help students prepare for the 9 Plus exams, due to the relatively small number of students who sit these exams. The below set of resources is by no means exhaustive, but can be used as a great starting point for parents.

Owl Tutors – How to create excellent writers from reading:

The following blog on our website focusses on developing reading skills. It was written with 7 Plus students in mind, but it is really about standard techniques for reading taught across Primary school years:

https://owltutors.co.uk/how-to-create-excellent-writers-from-reading/

Owl Tutors – 8 Plus reading list:

https://owltutors.co.uk/advice/8-plus/reading-list/

Apps and Games for 9 Plus preparation:

We built the following sets of flashcards to help students keep on track. Again, this was built with 7+ students in mind, but it will be helpful to brush up on key spellings:

https://owltutors.co.uk/advice/7-plus/spelling-flashcards/

I’m not aware of any resources specifically targeted at the verbal and non-verbal reasoning element of the 9 Plus. There are various smartphone apps that claim to develop memory and reasoning skills, and these might add some on-the-move fun to the revision process: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/23/brain-training-apps-five-of-the-best And lastly, although it’s a little out of date, a few years ago the following video game was very popular, and might be an enjoyable extra treat:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Kawashimas-Brain-Training-Nintendo/dp/B0029XAXZI

I hope the above is of some use. If you have any suggestions to help improve it please let me know in the comments below!

Related exam papers

View 8 Plus papers here

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Nine Plus (9+) resources for English and Reasoning

Year 4 reading list from Westminster Cathedral Choir School:

Year 5 reading list from Westminster Cathedral Choir School:

St Paul’s Juniors 8+ reading list: