What is Verbal Reasoning and why does my child need it for the 11+?

If your child is preparing for a grammar school entrance exam, you have probably seen the words Verbal Reasoning on the syllabus and wondered what on earth it actually means.

Verbal Reasoning is essentially the ability to understand and reason using words. The 11+ tests it because grammar schools want to see how well a child can think with language, not just how much they have memorised.

In practice, the questions look at things like: finding words with similar meanings, spotting patterns in letter sequences, working out which word completes a sentence, or identifying the odd one out in a group of words.

The tricky part is that most children do not encounter this style of question in school at all. That is why so many children find it unfamiliar at first, even very bright ones. It is not that they cannot do it. They just have not seen it before.

The good news is that Verbal Reasoning is very learnable. With the right practice and a bit of time, most children pick it up quickly and start to enjoy the puzzle-like nature of the questions.

If you would like to find out how your child is getting on with Verbal Reasoning, I offer a free, no obligation first conversation.

📞 07523 434161 tom@tomsandersontutoring.com