Year 5 11+ Tuition – Comprehensive Preparation for Grammar & Independent School Entrance
Structured 11+ preparation for children entering Year 5, with weekly lessons in English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Our Year 5 course develops the knowledge, techniques, speed and confidence children need as they prepare for grammar and independent school entrance examinations.
35 teaching weeks | 2-hour weekly lessons | Zoom or face-to-face
Why Year 5 Is So Important for 11+ Preparation
Year 5 is the main preparation year for the 11+ entrance examinations. Children need to develop strong subject knowledge while also learning how to apply that knowledge accurately and efficiently under examination conditions.
At Smart Learning Tuition, we do not believe successful 11+ preparation should simply consist of repeatedly practising exam papers or learning shortcuts. Children need strong underlying skills in reading, vocabulary, mathematics, written English and reasoning.
Our Year 5 programme develops these skills systematically throughout the academic year. As the year progresses, the work becomes increasingly demanding and increasingly focused on the requirements of the actual entrance examinations.
Children who have completed our Year 4 course progress naturally into Year 5, but children do not need to have attended Smart Learning Tuition in Year 4. We also welcome pupils joining us directly in Year 5.
How the Year 5 Course Works
Children attend one 2-hour group lesson each week. Lessons are available through live Zoom teaching and face-to-face sessions.
We teach all four principal areas required for 11+ preparation:
- English
- Mathematics
- Verbal Reasoning
- Non-Verbal Reasoning
The subjects alternate each week. One week focuses on English and Verbal Reasoning, followed by Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning the next.
This gives children regular, structured exposure to all four subjects across the academic year while allowing time between lessons for homework, revision and consolidation.
What Children Develop During Year 5
The course goes beyond simply teaching question types. Throughout Year 5, we work on the academic knowledge, reasoning skills and examination techniques children need for selective school entrance.
- Reading and comprehension – understanding increasingly demanding texts and answering questions accurately
- Vocabulary – developing a broader and more precise understanding of language
- English skills – grammar, spelling, punctuation, written expression and creative writing
- Mathematical understanding – secure mathematical foundations and increasingly challenging problem-solving
- Verbal Reasoning – developing language reasoning and systematic problem-solving techniques
- Non-Verbal Reasoning – developing visual reasoning, pattern recognition and systematic problem-solving skills
- Exam technique – working accurately under time pressure, managing unfamiliar questions and learning when to move on
The aim is to ensure that children understand what they are doing rather than simply memorising methods.
English, Reading and Vocabulary Development
Strong English and vocabulary skills are essential for both grammar and independent school entrance examinations and form an important part of our Year 5 programme.
Throughout the year, children develop their comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, written expression and wider knowledge of English through carefully structured teaching and practice.
Our programme also includes guided reading of carefully selected literature, helping children develop the vocabulary, comprehension and confidence needed to understand increasingly sophisticated texts.
Creative writing skills develop naturally through the wider English programme as well as through specific teaching, providing foundations that can be developed further for pupils requiring more advanced standard-format preparation.
Weekly Homework and Reinforcement
Children receive structured homework every week based directly on the subjects taught in their lesson.
After an English and Verbal Reasoning lesson, homework reinforces those subjects. After a Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning lesson, the homework follows those areas instead.
Parents are provided with answer schemes so that completed work can be marked and corrections made.
Where a child still does not understand a question, support is available so that difficulties can be identified and resolved rather than simply left unanswered.
This helps ensure that homework reinforces the teaching programme and that children learn from their mistakes as the course progresses.
Regular Assessment and Progress Monitoring
We use structured online assessments throughout Year 5 to help monitor each child's progress.
Testing is linked to the material children have been taught and becomes increasingly demanding as the course progresses.
Regular assessment helps children consolidate their learning, identifies areas requiring further attention and develops the ability to work independently, accurately and within a set time.
Test papers and answers are made available for review so that children can learn from mistakes rather than simply receiving a score.
Easter and Summer Preparation
Preparation continues beyond the normal weekly lessons.
Children receive an Easter Pack and a Summer Pack containing additional practice material to complete during the school holidays.
These provide valuable opportunities to consolidate learning and maintain momentum outside the normal teaching weeks.
The Summer Pack forms an important part of the final preparation leading into our mock examinations and the real 11+ entrance tests.
Eight Face-to-Face 11+ Mock Exams
The Year 5 programme culminates in a substantial series of eight face-to-face mock examinations during the summer.
These mock examinations give children repeated experience of sitting papers under formal examination conditions shortly before the real 11+ examinations.
They help children develop the ability to work accurately under time pressure, manage a complete paper, cope with unfamiliar questions and remain focused throughout an examination.
By the time children sit their actual entrance examinations, sitting an examination should no longer feel unfamiliar.
Mock performance also provides valuable information about a child's strengths and areas requiring further attention as the real examinations approach.
Grammar and Independent School Preparation
Our Year 5 programme develops the core English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning skills required across a wide range of selective school entrance examinations.
As the year progresses, preparation becomes increasingly focused on examination technique and the different demands children may encounter in the entrance examinations they will be sitting.
For pupils targeting grammar schools with a further stage of selection, or independent schools with similarly demanding standard-format entrance examinations, additional preparation is available through our Stage 2 Programme.
Additional Stage 2 Preparation
Some grammar schools use a further stage of selection after the initial entrance examination. For pupils targeting these schools, as well as independent schools with similarly demanding standard-format entrance examinations, we offer additional preparation through our Stage 2 Programme.
This provides more demanding preparation appropriate to the higher level required, with particular emphasis on the skills children need for challenging standard-format examinations.
Creative writing skills developed throughout Year 5 are further refined and developed within the Stage 2 Programme where appropriate.
Many Smart Learning Tuition pupils have successfully progressed through demanding grammar and independent school entrance examinations, giving us considerable experience of the level of preparation required.
Why Parents Choose Smart Learning Tuition
- More than 20 years of 11+ experience
- Over 4,000 children placed at top UK schools in the past 20 years
- Preparation for both grammar and independent school entrance examinations
- Same expert tutor throughout the year for continuity
- Structured Year 5 preparation rather than short-term exam cramming
- English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning taught throughout the course
- Strong emphasis on reading, comprehension, vocabulary and written English
- Weekly homework linked directly to lessons
- Regular online assessment and progress monitoring
- Easter and Summer preparation
- Eight face-to-face mock examinations
- Additional Stage 2 preparation for relevant grammar and independent school examinations
- Live Zoom and face-to-face teaching options
- Parent involvement, guidance and access to feedback
20+ Years of Grammar and Independent School Success
Over 4,000 children placed at top UK schools in the past 20 years — including Tiffin, QE, HBS, Sutton, Bucks, St Paul's, Eton, Westminster, Latymer, Hampton and LEH.
Our aim is not simply to prepare children for an entrance examination, but to develop the underlying academic skills that selective schools value and which continue to benefit children afterwards.
What Parents Say
"Our daughter received offers from SPGS, LEH, and Guildford High — all with scholarships. Thank you for everything."
— Parent, 2025
"Smart Learning laid the foundation for our son's Tiffin and Oxford success."
— Parent, 2024
"Pawan is one of the best teachers we've met. Thank you for helping our child win scholarships to St Paul's and King's."
— Parent, 2023
Year 5 11+ Tuition – Face-to-Face and Online
Face-to-face lessons are available in West London (UB2), while our live Zoom lessons allow children to join us from across the UK and internationally.
Whichever option families choose, children follow the same structured teaching programme, homework and assessment system.
Year 5 11+ Tuition
If your child is entering Year 5 and you are considering grammar or independent school entrance, submit an enquiry and we will contact you to discuss our programme and whether Smart Learning Tuition would be suitable for your child.