The 8 fundamentals needed to be successful in the 4+ Assessments

I speak to a lot of parents every single day. Parents who are thinking of preparing their child for their 4+ Assessment or have already started the process of preparing their child for their 4+ Assessments.

Many parents incorrectly believe that all that is needed to be successful in the 4+ Assessments is to be strong academically. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Being academically able is only a very small part of the pie. 1/8 of the pie to be precise.

In my opinion these are the 8 fundamentals that your child will need in order to be successful in their 4+ Assessments. A good mixture of all of these will guarantee success in any 4+ Assessments.

Here are the 8 fundamentals (in no particular order)

Behaviour - Your child will need to demonstrate exceptional behaviour. Their behaviour will need to be in line with the behavioural expectations of the school/s. In terms of behaviour, your child will be expected to be kind, caring, polite, patient and willing. Without a very high standard of behaviour, your child will never be successful in their 4+ Assessments.

Here is an example. A student was asked to complete a puzzle with another student and to help each other out. That student grabbed the puzzle from the Assessor and said, ‘ No, I will do it alone!’ They were not successful.

Academics - Academically, your child will need to be very strong. They will need to be above national expectations for their age. They will need to be able to answer most questions correctly in their 4+ Assessments. If your child is unable to answer most questions, they will not be successful in their 4+ Assessments. Each school will have their own criteria and your child will need to meet that criteria academically.

Perseverance - Most schools at 4+ will want to see your child show an ability to persevere. To be given a task to do and try their best to complete it.

Here is an example. A student was asked to complete a puzzle and she couldn’t fit together two of the pieces. She threw one of the pieces towards the door. She was not successful.

Resilience- These top schools will also want to see resilience. To be able to try even though the task is more challenging.

Here is an example. A student was asked to create a tower using lego and the instruction was that the tower had to look like the one that they had created. The student completed a few pieces and then couldn’t work out how to slot two of the pieces together in the way that the teacher had done it. He got frustrated and kicked the tower. He was not successful.

Confidence- Demonstrating confidence is a very important fundamental of 4+ Assessment success. Please don’t confuse confidence with being loud. This is not the case at all. I have taught hundreds of more introverted students who were quiet but had lots of confidence.

Here is an example. A student was asked a question about the sky in the image that she was shown. She looked at the assessor and froze. She didn’t answer the question. When she did answer questions, she answered using only one word answers. She was not successful.

Concentration - Concentrating for the duration of the assessment/s is a big ask at this age. Some of the Assessments this year were 90 minutes long! Your child will be expected to concentrate for big chunks of time.

Here is an example. A student was listening to a story being read to the group and began looking around and got distracted by the display of stars on the wall. He then began fidgeting and when the teacher asked him a question, he could'n’t answer it. He was not successful.

Compliance - Doing what is asked and following instructions perfectly is definitely expected of your child in their 4+ Assessments. Not doing what they are asked to do will mean that your child will not be successful in their 4+ Assessment/s.

Here is an example. A child was asked to go and line up and instead he ran to the other side of the room and lay on the floor. He was not successful.

Focus - Your child will be expected to focus and concentrate for the duration of their Assessment. Some Assessments are longer than others so please make sure that you prepare your child for this.

Here is an example. A child was completing a cutting task. He got distracted and looked towards another table of children who were completing a different task. He did not complete his cutting task and what he did complete wasn’t accurate and precise. He was not successful.

Preparing for your child’s 4+ Assessment for 2025 entry?

Book your Sample Lesson Today!