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What is the 7-plus exam?
The 7-plus is used by independent schools to admit children to their institutions on the basis of academic ability. The exam is sat by students in year 2 for entry into year 3. Students normally take the exam in January of year 2, however, some schools have their tests earlier in December. It is really important to check the school websites to confirm the dates.
What is the 8-plus exam?
The 8-plus like its sister exam is also taken by children applying for independent schools in the UK and is sat by children in year 3 for entry into year 4 the 8plus was designed for boys and the 7-plus for girls, this is because traditionally girls mature faster than there male counterparts. Assessing them later gave boys more of an opportunity to show their full potential. However, now different schools offer both 7&8 plus for both boys and girls depending on the institution.
What is its format?
The format does vary from school to school but broadly speaking the 7-plus/8-plus will include an assessment in Maths and English. Competitive schools such as the City of London Girls, have multi-stage admission processes where students have to pass an initial assessment before being able to the main 7-plus/8-plus assessment. Even though the format can vary from school to school you would expect similar to the 11-plus there to be
- A non-calculator Maths component.
- A comprehension.
- A Creative writing exercise.
 
Benefits for early acceptance
The 7 & 8-plus exams have become increasingly more popular as parents realise the increased competition for places at 11-plus. Taking the exams a few years earlier ensures that their children already have places and don’t have to go through the stress or competition of the 11-plus process, and may also confer an advantage if the student has any siblings, it may become easier for them to gain acceptance to the same school.
An important aspect to note is that if you are not successful in the 7-plus, reapplying for the 8-plus is an option but parents should be wary of applying for 7-plus with a blase attitude that there is always 8-plus or 11-plus. Unsuccessful the 7-plus can be used as a trial run, there can be a lot of development in one year but this does mean the student will have to go through the exam cycle more than once which some families may find stressful.
Maths – What are schools expecting?
By the time students take the exam, they should know all of the key stage one syllabus and a significant proportion of the key stage 2 syllabus despite the fact that many students will not have reached that stage in the national curriculum at school, which means students will need to be comfortable with content that they have not actively learnt at school.
Children will need to have good mental arithmetic and be comfortable with word problems and also have a good grasp of the four number operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and have a good knowledge of their times tables. If you’re not sure, a good place to start would be the Keystage 1 and Keystage 2 national curriculum.
English – What are Schools expecting?
Similar to the expectation for maths students preparing for 7 and 8-plus should be familiar with both key stage 1 and key stage 2. Similar to 11-plus there will be a comprehension therefore students should be able to read fluently and answer comprehension questions including quotes if necessary. Along with comprehension, there will be a creative writing component. Students are expected to be able to write a composition with a definitive beginning, middle and end, using correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Is there a reasoning component?
The majority of schools do not have a reasoning component at 7 and 8 plus but for the schools that do students should be familiar with identifying patterns and codes.
How can Sam Tutoring Help?
Before making the decision to enter your child for the 7 or 8 plus it is important that you assess where they currently are and make a decision If they are both academically and emotionally ready to embark on an exam cycle. This can be via a Sam Tutoring consultation or you can obtain practice papers online and ask your child to complete them. If you are thinking of entering your child into the 7 or 8-plus we can help, from understanding how the whole process works and helping you make the right decisions for you and your family to actively preparing children to take the exams. Get in touch today and see how we can help.
Samuel Adu-Gyamfi is the CEO and founder of Sam Tutoring, tutoring service and consultancy in London he founded a decade ago.
Sam Tutoring provides private one-to-one tuition along with group and online tuition for families in Central London and internationally, as well as tailor-made services for schools.
Working with students from the ages of 7-18 we provide academic support and mentorship.
Email info@samtutoring.london, to book a consultation or visit www.samtutoring.London to see how we can help your child succeed.
Read more tips by Sam tutoring here.
