11 Plus 5-Day ISEB Common Pre-Test English Comprehension, Punctuation and Grammar Course (Online) 26th - 30th October

Course Outcomes

• Improved exam technique resulting in faster and more accurate completion of the 11+ ISEB Common Pre-Test comprehension exam.

• Confidence deciphering unfamiliar vocabulary and sentences where the meaning is not obvious.

• Better able to spot clues for inference and deduction questions.

• A more systematic and thorough process when answering questions (reduces careless errors).

• Strong exposure to a variety of different texts (fiction, non-fiction, poetry).

• Calm, assured approach. Students will develop different strategies and how to use them depending on the exam questions and text presented.

• Advanced ability to navigate a text efficiently in order to locate answers.

The skills above represent the level required for success in top grammar and independent school 11+ comprehension exams.

-

Who this course is for?

• Year 6 students preparing for imminent 11+ exams.

• Year 6 students able to complete comprehension exercises at year group level.

Exam style: suitable for students sitting the ISEB 11+ Common Pre-Test, CEM Select or other online multiple choice comprehension exams.

-

What’s included

✔ 5 live workshops (7.5 hours total).

✔ A worksheet for every workshop.

✔ Comprehension extracts for every workshop.

✔ Detailed class recap notes to help consolidate knowledge.

✔ 5 structured homework tasks (25 minutes each, around 2 hours in total).

✔ Detailed marking on every piece of homework.

✔ Personalised audio feedback for each student (up to 5 minutes for each piece of homework). Returned within 48 hours, often sooner.

✔ Small group teaching for individual attention (8-12 students per intensive course).

✔ 11 Plus exam-focused instruction.

Worksheets, comprehension extracts, class recap notes and homework are sent via email before the start of the course. These can either be printed or viewed digitally.

-

Tuition Method

• Sessions are run in small groups (typically 8–12 students).

• Each lesson is interactive, focused on learning and applying techniques within an exam context.

• Group discussion helps combine and contrast thinking styles and techniques.

• The tutor presents optimal methods, the children are then instructed to adapt the method to their own preferred style.

• Emphasis is placed upon teaching students how they can arrive at the correct answer through demonstration, rather than just telling them the answer.

• After every session:

  • Students complete a structured homework task.

  • Work is carefully marked and returned (usually within 48 hours, often sooner).

  • Each child receives personalised audio feedback to assist fast uptake and knowledge retention. This ensures that every student receives clear, individual guidance on exactly what to improve and how it can be done.

-

The Tuition Team

This course will be delivered by The Exam Coach tuition team. All of the team have:

1. Passed competitive exams such as the 11 Plus.

2. Attended a Russell Group University in the UK.

3. Taught our 11 Plus exam preparation curriculum on a regular basis within the last year.

In every session, two members of staff will always be on hand: the tutor and a technical support assistant. This means sessions always start smoothly and on time with a seamless teaching experience throughout.

The lead tutor for each session may vary, the marking feedback will also be delivered by a separate tutor. This offers students a variety of teaching styles and perspectives, whilst at the same time, all teaching is consistently framed within the techniques discussed in the course.

-

Course structure

If your child is preparing for the 11+ ISEB Common Pre-Test for independent school entrance, there will always be an English exam. This exam will focus on comprehension, punctuation and grammar. During an ISEB comprehension exercise, students are required to quickly read through a passage of text (fiction, non-fiction or poetry) and answer different types of questions about the text. These questions test a student's understanding of the text, as well as the role of specific phrases and words within it. Questions cover skills such as:

1. Retrieval

2. Vocabulary

3. Inference

4. Literary Devices

5. Authorial Intent

6. Types of words and phrases

In an ISEB punctuation and grammar exercise, students will be presented with several question types to test their understanding and use of both punctuation and grammar.

The structure of the course is designed to cover all possible varieties of comprehension text that could come up in the exam. The technique (covered on day 1) is reviewed and practised within the context of all of the following sessions. Day 5 (written answer comprehension) uses a different exam format to help students sharpen their ability to score highly in the multiple choice exam format. Throughout the course, vocabulary expansion and knowledge of literary devices are also supported. We will then explain and practise each possible type of ISEB punctuation and grammar question. Through this, we will ensure students’ understanding of correct punctuation and grammar usage has improved. Overall, this will result in them feeling confident and prepared for their ISEB English exam.

Day 1 — Technique

Day 2 — Fiction

Day 3 — Non-Fiction

Day 4 — Poetry

Day 5 — Written Answer Comprehension

This course is designed as a structured system, not isolated lessons. Each lesson builds on the last through worksheets to be completed during the session and follow-up homework.

This course replaces the inconsistencies of weekly individual tutoring with a structured system, creating a cycle of improvement.

learn → apply → feedback → improve → repeat over 5 days within a supportive and motivating group format → 11 Plus exam ready

-

Course schedule

Dates: Monday 26th – Friday 30th October (5 days).

Time: 9:00am – 10:30am (UK time).

Session length: 1.5 hours, with a 5 minute break in the middle.

Total course length: 9.5 hours (7.5 hours of live workshops and 2 hours of homework time).

Format: live online sessions. All sessions include follow-up homework and feedback. In exceptional circumstances, recordings are available if a session is missed. Live attendance is a requirement of the course.

-

Parent Reviews/Success Rate

We don't rely on headline "success rate" claims.

Each year, many parents tell us their child secured a place at a top grammar or independent school after having attended one of our courses.

Some of them have also written public Google reviews — you can read them here.

-

How To Join

After purchase, you will receive a confirmation email. You will receive the course invitation and all resources two weeks before the course starts. If you have booked within 2 weeks of the course starting, you will receive all of the necessary information very shortly after payment. These will be sent to the email address entered at checkout.