My experience of the 7+ Assessments (2022-2023)
/We currently await the final results from our current cohort who have now completed their 7+ examinations. All of our students have done exceptionally well and worked incredibly hard. When you choose to embark upon tuition with Creative Minds Tutors, you do not just get a lesson once a week. It is the ongoing communication between teacher and parent that sets us apart. You will have direct access to your teacher at any point from the end of the lesson to the start of your next lesson. In this way, your child will have the best possibility to succeed. I truly believe that this beautiful communication is what will allow us to have so much success this year and is what has allowed us to be so successful in the last 16 years!
When I teach children for their 7+ assessments, I do not just have the 7+ assessment in mind. I am looking long term. I am looking to support my students to achieve to the best of their ability, not only to perform well in their assessment but to also develop skills that they can take with them well after the tuition is complete. In fact 75% of our students return to us after a year or 2 to continue with tuition because our clients see the incredible value that we provide.
The 7+ this year has been like every other year with one main difference that I noted at all schools. The level expected of children was higher. This is where you need an expert to guide you as to exactly what level your child needs to be at in order to be successful in their assessment. The biggest problem that I saw last year was with parents beginning one or two months before the assessment. This is a problem because it isn’t enough time. Of course the lessons will no doubt support them with their learning but it won’t be enough to help them to be successful in the 7+.
Children need to aim to achieve at least 80% in all of these areas (of course depending on the school)
Maths - reasoning and problem solving
English - comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar
Story writing
Verbal and non verbal reasoning
Please keep in mind that all schools have different assessment procedures and it is important that you familiarise yourself with exactly what your child needs to be able to do at the school/s that they are sitting assessment for. If you have tuition with us, we will guide you every step of the way. We have experience with every single school at 7+.
Ultimately, the children who scored the highest will be invited to interview (round 2 or 3, again depending on the school you are applying to)
Maths - At most schools, the level of maths has been at a year 3/4 standard. This may seem shocking to you but with enough preparation, your child will be ready to tackle any question presented to them. Problem solving has been big this year with schools wanting to see how children apply their mathematical knowledge to 2 and 3 step worded problems.
English - Some schools did a comprehension and others didn’t. Regardless whether the school you are applying to tests comprehension or not, it is still vital that your child practises their reading. They need to be able to read proficiently to answer even just their maths paper. So much mathematical language needs to be known and understood, otherwise questions cannot be answered. Some schools did story writing and others didn’t. The level of the story needs to be high. It’s not about the quantity but all about the quality. I provide a lot of support for story writing and have many FREE resources. Please email me if you’d like me to send you extra support for story writing (office@creativemindstutors.com). I have also written several of my own models which can help guide you as to the level needed.
Verbal and non verbal - This was challenging at most schools this year. Your child needs a lot of exposure and practise with both verbal and non verbal reasoning. The best resources that I have used for this are the Bond Books (aim to get to age 8-9 but start at the age your child is currently) and also Schofield and Sims have excellent resources.
Other areas - You will need to practise general knowledge with your child, interview questions if they are called to round 2, dictations if this is a requirement of the school/s you are applying to.
The children who were successful at round 1 this year (I’m still awaiting round 2 data and then will update) were the children who started tuition in January/February of the year of their assessment (so when they were in year 1, we also have several who started in reception who were also successful) and had nearly a full year of tuition, one hour once per week. The children who were successful were those who completed all of their home learning each week and worked on all of the feedback that I provided them. The children who were successful were those who were able to score excellent results (above 80%) in all of the areas I’ve mentioned above.
If you choose to support your child yourself, we also offer Massive Action Months where I will send you all of the materials each week, mark all learning and guide you as to exactly what you need to be doing each week to support your child with their learning. Massive Action Months are £75 per week. Schedule your FREE 15 minute trial lesson to see what these are like. Read our incredible reviews here to see what other parents have to say!
