Complete 11+ Revision with Collins’ Books
M&D asked a maths tutor from Manchester for her opinion on Collins’ 11 plus Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning revision books. Dr Oksana Kiseleva, BSc, MSc, PhD (University of Manchester), teaches mathematics privately to primary and secondary school children and has many years of experience in preparing children for maths entrance exams at grammar and public schools.
While the natural ability of a child is a necessary condition, it is by no means a sufficient one for passing an entrance examination at a selective secondary school. Your child should also be well-prepared. Such preparation requires discipline, motivation, and a lot of good quality material for revision and practice. Given that most schools provide candidates with limited -if any- practice material, there is a lot of reliance on commercial resources. However, although these resources are abundant, suitable material for the exams is not so easy to find. In my opinion, Collins is one of the publishers that offers a good variety of well-designed preparation books.
11 PLUS MATHS COMPLETE REVISION, PRACTICE & ASSESSMENT
I often hear parents saying, “ my child is flying through the maths papers”, not realizing that the papers they are practicing are too superficial, and do not prepare the child for the school they wish to apply to. Another problem in my view is the overuse of assessment papers during exam preparation. Instead of focussing on topics which require revision and improvement, children end up practicing assessments, going through test after test, which makes them feel bored and drained. I also see many overly difficult “problem solving” practice questions, which in addition to being demotivating, are unlikely to be used in a timed exam.
It takes a lot of expertise to prepare quality maths resources for the teaching and assessment of young children, and therefore, it is important to buy such resources from a reputable organisation. Some of the best exam preparation packages on the market at the moment are Collins “11 plus Maths Complete Revision, Practice & Assessment”, published in 2020. There are two packages – one is designed to fit the format of the GL Assessment, and another the CEM test. Both the GL Assessment and the CEM test are multiple choice exams, and are used by selective grammar schools in Greater Manchester.
As a maths teacher, I am not too concerned with the exam format, especially at an early stage of preparation. A bright and genuinely well-prepared child can easily switch from one format to another, and children living in the Trafford and Manchester area usually sit several types of exams. Moreover, there is no 100 % certainty about what type of assessment a school will do. Short-notice changes in entrance exam formats have happened several times, for example from written to oral entrance examinations at public schools during the 2021 winter lockdown. However, one thing is for certain – at a top school, your child will be rigorously assessed on mathematics, and the Collins exam preparation books are designed within the spirit of such assessment. The Collins preparation packages have a practical all-in-one format, published as a single paperback book. Each book includes a maths revision chapter, topical practice tests, several assessment papers, and answers and solutions to practice questions.
Revision
Both books have an identical revision chapter which consists of 50 pages of well-structured, visual, comprehensive, and immaculately published material, covering all the maths that your child should know for the exam. However, it is important to warn parents that the revision guide should not be used as a substitute for a textbook. A child who has too many gaps in their knowledge will be overwhelmed by the amount of information the revision guide contains. The maths is basic, but one has to remember that it took humankind thousands of years to develop this basic maths, and our children need years, not weeks or months, to learn it.
Practice tests
The practice tests in the book for the GL Assessment and the book for the CEM test are different as they are designed to reflect the style of each exam. In the book for the GL Assessment the practice tests are structured by topic, in the same way as in the revision chapter, and I would suggest using them together. In the CEM preparation book the practice tests are split into three parts: numeracy, problem solving, and cloze (problems on comprehension) – each part covers a range of topics. It worth buying both books, then you will have plenty of useful questions to practice.
The practice test papers are designed to be timed, but I would recommend using the timing with discretion. A child should be timed only after they master their accuracy.
Assessment papers
When a child is reasonably confident with all of the maths topics, they can be given the assessment papers to practice. There are clear instructions in the books about how to use these papers, and you might wish to present the assessment papers as “mock” exams.
Answers and Solutions: Parents rarely have teaching experience, and are not always sure which method to use when solving a maths problem, or how to explain it to a child. The Collins’ books provide complete solutions to all the questions. Having solutions in addition to answers reassures many parents that they are on the right path.
11 PLUS NON-VERBAL REASONING, COMPLETE REVISION, PRACTICE & ASSESSMENT
A test on Non-Verbal Reasoning forms part of the assessment of applicants at many selective schools. The Non-Verbal Reasoning tests are based on the recognition of patterns. Recognising patterns is particularly important in maths and I regularly give exercises on patterns to children during my maths lessons. Some children are much better at such exercises than other; however, every child can improve with practice and the Collins books have everything that you might need to organise this practice.
The Collins Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) books have the same format as the maths preparation books. One book is for the GL Assessment and the other is for the CEM test. Each book includes detailed descriptions of different types of patterns, plenty of exercises to practice, assessment papers suitable for mock tests, and answers with explanations of how each pattern works.
The Collins NVR books will make you and your child experts on patterns. There are about 150 pages in each book but do not get alarmed, many children find practicing NVR questions the easiest and most enjoyable part of their 11 Plus preparation. The books are full of many interesting and creative patterns, and I would like to issue a warning: patterns are addictive!
Exam preparation is a reiterative process and you will be using the different parts of the preparation books repeatedly. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that the Collins’ preparation books are impeccably printed on high quality paper and are suitable for extensive use.
Good luck with the preparation!
Get yours from collins.co.uk using the discount code MUMSDADS25 at checkout (T&C apply, code expires on 30th November 2021).
Really handy review – it’s so useful to have some help navigating through the mass of materials available out there!