A GUIDE FOR PARENTS

What Is the Syllabus for 11+ Verbal Reasoning Exams?

Explore 21 verbal reasoning question types and discover practical ways to help your child prepare.

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The 11+ verbal reasoning syllabus

Verbal reasoning questions test how your child understands and works with words, identifies patterns and uses information to reach a logical answer.

Our practice materials cover 21 verbal reasoning question types. Each type can appear in different forms, so preparation should focus on understanding the method as well as recognising the question format.

Verbal reasoning questions are mainly language-based, but some involve numbers, letter sequences or codes. The question types and format your child encounters will depend on their assessment.

Check your child's assessment requirements. Use the list below as a guide to our practice materials. Refer to the relevant school or assessment provider's guidance and familiarisation materials to find out what your child should prepare for.

How can I help my child prepare?

Structured practice can help your child become familiar with different question formats and develop a clear approach to solving them. Start by understanding the technique, then work towards answering accurately and confidently within the time available.

Build vocabulary and word skills

  • Read widely: encourage your child to explore different books and discuss unfamiliar words and their meanings.
  • Play word games: games such as Scrabble provide opportunities to practise spelling and explore vocabulary.
  • Explore word relationships: practise synonyms, antonyms and homophones.
  • Try word puzzles: use anagrams, hidden words and missing-letter activities to practise recognising patterns.

Your child may already have met many of these ideas in English lessons. Verbal reasoning practice helps them apply that knowledge to unfamiliar questions.

Whether the assessment uses multiple-choice or written answers, encourage your child to read the instructions carefully and check how each answer should be recorded.

Tips and techniques for each question type

Our authors have created Tips and techniques pages for the 21 question types listed below. These explain approaches your child can use when working through the questions. As part of your subscription, you can download these guides at no additional cost.

21 verbal reasoning question types

Select a question type to read more about it.

  1. Type 1: Add a letter

    Add a letter to make four new words.

    Read more about Type 1

  2. Type 2: Related words

    Find the two words that do not belong with the other three.

    Read more about Type 2

  3. Type 3: Letter codes

    Solve codes using letters.

    Read more about Type 3

  4. Type 4: Synonyms

    Find two words with similar meanings.

    Read more about Type 4

  5. Type 5: Hidden words

    Find a four-letter word hidden in a sentence.

    Read more about Type 5

  6. Type 6: Missing words

    Find a three-letter word missing from a larger word.

    Read more about Type 6

  7. Type 7: Letters as numbers

    Solve calculations using letters to represent numbers.

    Read more about Type 7

  8. Type 8: Move a letter

    Move a letter from one word to another to make two new words.

    Read more about Type 8

  9. Type 9: Letter sequences

    Find the next letter in a sequence.

    Read more about Type 9

  10. Type 10: Word connections

    Identify relationships between words, such as goat is to kid as horse is to foal.

    Read more about Type 10

  11. Type 11: Number sequences

    Identify the pattern in a series of numbers.

    Read more about Type 11

  12. Type 12: Compound words

    Combine words to form compound words.

    Read more about Type 12

  13. Type 13: Create the middle word

    Create the middle word using letters from the outside words.

    Read more about Type 13

  14. Type 14: Letter connections

    Identify relationships between letter groups, such as AB is to CD as EF is to GH.

    Read more about Type 14

  15. Type 15: Logical deductions

    Read information and use it to work out a logical answer.

    Read more about Type 15

  16. Type 16: Antonyms

    Find two words with opposite meanings.

    Read more about Type 16

  17. Type 17: Maths equations

    Complete the calculation to make the equation correct.

    Read more about Type 17

  18. Type 18: Related numbers

    Calculate the middle number using the outside numbers.

    Read more about Type 18

  19. Type 19: Number codes

    Solve codes in which numbers represent letters in words.

    Read more about Type 19

  20. Type 20: Make a second word

    Work out how a second word is made from the first word.

    Read more about Type 20

  21. Type 21: Words with two meanings

    Identify words that have two different meanings.

    Read more about Type 21

Explore our online 11+ verbal reasoning practice

Try our free demo and help your child become familiar with verbal reasoning questions.

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