This page is designed for families preparing for Year 7 (11+) entry. You will find realistic paper formats, a practical plan, and coached practice questions to build accuracy and timing.
Year 7 School Entry Papers
11+ Past Papers, Practice Questions and Preparation
Want a focused plan? Stop guessing which papers matter. Get a targeted roadmap based on your school list.
Useful foundations: CAT4 tests explained and CAT4 practice tests.
What’s included in Year 7 entry papers?
- English: comprehension (literal plus inference) and sometimes a writing task.
- Maths: arithmetic fluency plus multi-step reasoning and word problems.
- Verbal reasoning: coding, synonyms, analogies, cloze, logical sequences.
- Non-verbal reasoning: pattern recognition, matrices, transformations.
Useful links
- Year 6 school entry papers resources
- CAT4 practice tests
- Our CAT4 test practice
- Year 7 school entry papers resources
Comparison table: independent 11+ vs typical 11+
| Area | Independent school style | Common pitfalls | Best preparation focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| English writing | Stronger structure and voice expected | Weak openings, unclear paragraphs | Plan fast, write clearly, edit |
| Maths | More reasoning, less routine | Rushing setup, missing key detail | Annotate problems, show method |
| VR/NVR | Speed and accuracy both matter | Guessing, inconsistent methods | Repeatable rules, timed drills |
Practice questions (coached)
Q1 (Maths): Multi-step word problem
A coach hires a minibus for £96 and pays £12 per passenger. If there are 7 passengers, what is the total cost?
- £108
- £168
- £180
- £192
Correct answer: B
Coached explanation: Passenger cost is 7 × 12 = 84. Add fixed cost 96, total 180? Careful. 96 + 84 = 180, so the correct option is C. The trap is mis-adding under time pressure.
- A is wrong because it ignores most passenger cost.
- B is wrong because it is a common mis-add or partial calculation.
- D is wrong because it overcounts passenger cost.
Q2 (English): Best summary
A paragraph explains that a city reduced traffic by improving bus routes, creating safe cycle lanes, and charging cars to enter the centre. What is the best summary?
- The city banned cars entirely.
- The city reduced traffic using a combined transport strategy.
- The city only improved bus routes.
- The city reduced traffic by building more roads.
Correct answer: B
Coached explanation: The paragraph lists multiple measures, so the summary must capture the combined approach.
- A is wrong because it exaggerates beyond the text.
- C is wrong because it is too narrow.
- D is wrong because it contradicts the strategy described.
Q3 (NVR): Pattern logic (conceptual)
In a sequence of shapes, the shading alternates dark, light, dark, light while the shape rotates by 90 degrees each step. What comes next after a light-shaded square rotated 180 degrees?
- Dark-shaded square rotated 270 degrees
- Light-shaded square rotated 270 degrees
- Dark-shaded square rotated 90 degrees
- Light-shaded square rotated 90 degrees
Correct answer: A
Coached explanation: After light comes dark, and rotation continues by +90 degrees: 180 to 270.
- B is wrong because shading does not alternate.
- C is wrong because the rotation resets incorrectly.
- D is wrong because both shading and rotation rules fail.
8-week preparation plan (high conversion simple)
- Weeks 1–2: diagnose, build methods, remove avoidable errors.
- Weeks 3–5: timed drills, vocabulary and comprehension routines.
- Weeks 6–7: full papers and structured review.
- Week 8: stabilise timing and confidence, reduce score volatility.
If you want results, not just practice,
…book a diagnostic review or start with practice packs that mirror real entry formats.