How Abu Dhabi Families Prepare for the 11 Plus (11+)
More and more families in Abu Dhabi and across the UAE are planning ahead for UK school entry. The 11 Plus (11+) exam is a major stepping stone into UK grammar and independent schools, but preparing from abroad presents unique challenges. This guide explains why typical Abu Dhabi schooling sometimes isn’t enough to succeed with competitive UK school entry. Below, we outline what families should build into their preparation, and how to bridge the gap with expert online tuition.
Why Abu Dhabi Schools Don’t Fully Prepare Students for the 11+
Abu Dhabi schools, even those following a British or international curriculum, deliver excellent foundational learning. But there are key differences between their assessments and the UK’s selective exams:
🛑 No Verbal or Non-Verbal Reasoning: Most Abu Dhabi schools don’t teach VR or NVR. Yet 11+ exams rely heavily on these – testing vocabulary manipulation, patterns of words, and visual logic (shapes, sequences).
✏️ English expectations differ: Abu Dhabi curricula often emphasise comprehension and grammar within a classroom context, but 11+ exams demand greater inference, precision, creative/ persuasive writing, and familiarity with British idioms and vocabulary.
⏰ Limited exposure to timed, high-pressure tests: The 11+ isn’t just about content; it’s about processing many questions quickly, avoiding careless errors, and managing exam strategy. Abu Dhabi school assessments are often less time-pressured or cumulative.
🤯 Multiple exam boards with varying formats: UK schools use different exam boards such as GL, CEM, and ISEB, each with its own style and question types. If a Abu Dhabi student doesn’t know which board their target school uses, they may practise with the wrong formats.
Because of these gaps, many top Abu Dhabi students’ 11+ preparation can fall behind their UK peers unless given specialist guidance.
What Abu Dhabi Families Should Build into Their Child’s Preparation
To get ahead, Abu Dhabi-based students should follow a tailored roadmap of preparation:
Start early (12–18 months ahead) 🗓️
Begin by introducing reasoning puzzles, inference tasks, vocabulary expansion, mental maths, reading and creative writing well before exam season. This gives time to build confidence and skill without exam pressure.Balance skill-building and exam practice ⚖️
Foundational phase: Focus on reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, basic maths, and gentle reasoning exercises.
Practice phase: Then move to timed mock papers (GL, CEM, ISEB style) and practice under exam conditions. Remember, the 11 Plus is often your child’s first experience of a formal examination.
Feedback & iteration: After each test or practice paper, analyse errors, revisit weak topics, and refine techniques.
Simulate real test conditions & time zones ⏰
Practice tests should be scheduled to mirror UK exam windows (e.g. morning in UK = afternoon in Abu Dhabi). Students should practice writing by hand, under strict timing, and with minimal breaks, to build stamina and familiarity.Select tutors that know UK entrance exams 🇬🇧
The right online programme will:✅ Use UK-based tutors who understand GL, CEM, ISEB, and independent school expectations
✅ Cover 11 Plus-specific subjects like English comprehension, creative writing, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning
✅ Provide worksheets, practice exercises, full marking and structured feedback
✅ Schedule classes for Abu Dhabi-friendly times, providing notes for follow up and review
How The Exam Coach Supports Abu Dhabi Students
At The Exam Coach, we are 11 Plus exam experts, specialising in bridging the gap between excellent Abu Dhabi schooling and UK school entrance exam readiness. Our weekly online classes are crafted specifically for Abu Dhabi families and led by experienced UK tutors.
To help students master these subjects, we offer the following services:
What we offer:
💻 Online workshops covering English comprehension, creative writing, vocabulary, and reasoning
🇬🇧 Experienced UK tutors who teach specifically for the 11 Plus curriculum
🧠 Verbal Reasoning and English vocabulary sessions tailored to UK exam styles
⏰ Live interactive lessons delivered at times convenient for Abu Dhabi students
🧍♀️ Stand-alone lessons (no long-term lock-ins) so parents can join for exactly what’s needed
We help students gradually build reasoning habits, improve writing technique, and gain confidence in timed exam settings. If you're serious about preparing your child for the 11+, our weekly online tuition for Abu Dhabi students is designed to align with what top UK schools expect.
📚 Weekly Workshops 📚
In our 11 Plus weekly workshops, your tutor will share some background information about themselves and our workshops with new students. This is followed by 40 minutes of teaching time. Weekly workshops usually run at least a week, usually on weekday evenings. The dates and times of these workshops change each week to ensure everyone can benefit from them.
The content within each workshop varies between 11+ creative writing, comprehension, verbal reasoning or English vocabulary. These classes are a great way to experience our tuition and let your child learn something new before booking one of our courses. Weekly tuition allows us to regularly top up your child’s knowledge during the year prior to their exams.
Each weekly tuition workshop is standalone, meaning your child does not need to have attended any previous sessions to join one. Class notes are sent out 24 hours after each workshop to help students recap what they have learnt.
Types of taster workshop:
Tricky Vocabulary Workout
Verbal Reasoning Synonyms/Antonyms
Comprehension
Creative Writing
Details:
45 minutes.
Introduction to The Exam Coach.
Competitive class testing.
Self-assessed testing.
Walkthrough answers.
Class notes.
When they take place:
At least once a week (date and time announced on Mondays via our email newsletter).
How to register:
📝 11 Plus Practice Papers 📝
We have plenty of practice papers available for various 11+ exam boards to help your child prepare. We provide papers for CEM, GL, ISEB, Kent, Sutton, and Independent School exams.
🎙️ Our Vocabulary Podcast 🎙️
Our 11+ Daily Vocab Show podcast is available on our website and all major streaming platforms. In each episode, we teach children a new word, expanding their vocabulary one word at a time.
Every podcast episode focuses on one tricky piece of vocabulary, ensuring that your child’s vocabulary is built up slowly and that they fully understand each word they learn.
All podcast episodes can be found using the links below:
Listen to the first episode, featuring the word ‘siege’, by clicking the image below.
