What is St Olave’s Grammar Schools 11 Plus Exam Format?
St Olave’s School 11+ entrance exam, also known as the Selective Eligibility Test (SET), is set entirely by the school. Created exclusively for incoming Year 7 pupils, the exam is comprised of two stages.
Stage One
- SET involves Logic, Mathematics, and English-based questions;
- Candidates may only sit the exam once.
Stage Two
- Candidates sit 11+ entrance exam (set by St Olave’s);
- Features 2 written papers in English and Mathematics;
- English paper involves a comprehension and writing task;
- Mathematics paper involves KS2 content and some standard format Maths questions.
It is crucial that candidates possess an adept, working knowledge of advanced English comprehension, verbal reasoning, and advanced Maths topics. Whilst there is minimal information regarding Stage One, please find below a useful breakdown of Stage Two:
English
Paper 1
- Tests reading comprehension skills and understanding via long answer and objective style questions with multiple-choice answers;
- Vocabulary strength and knowledge of inference-based reasoning are vital.
Paper 2
- Candidates are expected to write an essay in response to material provided e.g. an article, poem, story etc.;
- Accurate use of punctuation, spelling, and grammar is essential, as is originality.
Mathematics
Paper 1
- Contains 30 questions in increasing order of difficulty.
Paper 2
- Involves numeracy, problem-related questions, and questions pertaining to shape and space;
- Candidates should carry a ruler, protractor, and HB pencils with an eraser.
Whilst offering limited 11 plus sample papers free, official and exact replicas of St Olave's Grammar School entrance exam remain unavailable. Consequently, there is simply no access to St Olave’s sample papers free download.
To combat this lack of grammar school test papers with answers, we suggest practising a variety of Maths problems and different styles of English comprehension questions. If you are truly determined to achieve admission to St Olave’s School, Pi Academy strongly recommends practicing these free sample papers available on our website as part of your preparation:
- For Maths: over 3000+ maths questions with detailed stepwise answers will help your child perform to the best of their ability. Helpfully, every question is segregated as per the topic. To access these see 11+ Maths test paper with solutions. Parents/Carers should ensure their child has a ruler, protractor, and HB pencils with erasers;
- For English: Your child’s English comprehension skills will improve infinitely with the help of our 11+ English Papers with Detailed Answers. Helpful hints are provided for each question.
Evidently, our tutors, many of whom are English and Mathematics experts, have written many 11 plus test papers free download, as well as an extensive number of detailed, comprehensive answers. Our tutors’ study these with potential candidates because they are the best resources to gain ample practice in Maths and English, indicative of what candidates may expect in their actual exams.
These have helped many former Pi Academy pupils to gain admission to St Olave’s School, as well as other prestigious institutions.
How Competitive Is St Olave’s Grammar School?
Immensely popular, over 1,400 boys compete every year for the 124 available places in Year 7.
Statistically speaking, only 8-9% of students are admitted into St Olave’s. Rigorous preparation and focused study of our resources is a sure-fire recipe for boosting your chance of success.
St Olave’s Grammar Schools Outstanding A-Level and GCSE Results 2018/19
A-Levels:
- 94% achieved A*/B grades
- 72% achieved A*/A grades
- 27 pupils achieved A* grades in at least 3 subjects
GCSEs:
- 86.7% achieved 9-7 or A*/A grades
- 72% achieved 9/8 or A* grades
- 19 pupils achieved ten or more GCSEs at grades 9/8
- 7 pupils achieved 9 or A* in every subject
St Olave’s Grammar Schools 11+ Exam: Expert Tips
As mentioned above, there are no publications of St Olave's Schools 11 plus sample papers with answers or sample papers free download, thereby leaving parents worried and anxious. However, to circumvent this issue we believe that it is critical for candidates to have working knowledge of advanced Mathematics topics and a good command of verbal reasoning.
Thus, our sample English and Maths papers which prioritise difficult topics, in a variety of formats/questions, are highly-important for enhancing logical thinking and problem-solving skills.
For English, we recommend practising various styles of comprehension questions e.g. short, long and multiple choice. Meanwhile, for Maths, to increase effectiveness and efficiency, all questions from eleven plus sample papers are segregated as per the topic. This helps resolve weak areas and gaps in your child’s knowledge by allowing you to pinpoint relevant questions segregated by topic, so that you may practice them.
For convenience, the links to our 11 Plus Maths and English Practice Papers are below:
- 11 Plus Maths Past Papers with Detailed Answers (For Maths)
- 11 Plus English Past Papers with Detailed Answers (For English)
To perform well, all exam questions should be answered, so it is indispensable that practice attempts are within timed conditions because Stage Two of St Olave’s Schools 11+ exam tests candidates’ time-management skills. Moreover, when marking the 11+ practice papers, parents should clearly identify weak areas which should then be corrected through extensive practice. This consolidates knowledge and boosts confidence.
Our website offers free 11 practice papers download with writing tasks and solutions, written by our Oxford and Cambridge educated tutors. Equally useful are the 11 plus maths papers free download which we advise students to practise, especially the papers with answers. Effective use of them will strengthen your child’s exam technique, preparing them for a variety of questions which may feature in the examination.
Having downloaded the free 11 test papers created by our experienced tutors, from our website, parents should follow our 4-step guide when practising:
- Print the paper;
- Supervise your child, ensuring that they complete the paper under timed conditions;
- Revisit the website to mark the answers;
- Make note of weak areas and then practice more questions on similar topics by revisiting the website.
On our website you will find a plethora of Verbal and Non-verbal resources featuring problem-solving questions and word problems, all uniquely different. See our highly rated papers below:
- 11 Plus Maths Past Papers with Detailed Answers
- 11 Plus Maths Topic Wise Questions
- 11 Plus English Practice Papers
- 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning Practice Papers
- 11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning Practice Papers
- 11 Plus online Mock Exams
Avoiding the ineffective resources commonly present in the market, our tutors work diligently to prepare and solve a variety of 11 Plus sample papers with answers for our students to practice. Instead of being limited by typical 11+ resource providers, our tutoring classes expose students to different resources e.g. 11 independent school sample papers. This allows our students to stay one step ahead of the competition thus increasing their chances of success.
How to Revise for St Olave’s Grammar School?
To those applying to multiple schools, including St Olave’s School, please note that, broadly speaking, the core subjects for the 11+ entrance test are English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-verbal Reasoning, and Mathematics.
The earlier you prepare dictates how useful your revision is, so begin preparing by completing our sample 11 plus papers and free 11 exam papers. Focused study of our sample English and Maths exam papers is an effective way of strengthening Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, respectively.
Below is a revision schedule all Pi Academy students studiously followed in their Mathematics tutoring sessions when revising sample test papers. Consequently, applicants for 11+ entry successfully secured a place at St Olave’s School, among other equally prestigious schools.
Please download this spreadsheet; updating the relevant fields provided will help you track your child's progress. To avoid wasting time on irrelevant resources and incorrect questions, subscribe to our 11+ Papers with Detailed Answers.
As our system shows topic wise segregated questions, it is beneficial for practising questions on the same topic in a focused manner. Our subscription service is a one stop haven which supports frequent revision and provides reliable and realistic guidance.
How to Secure Proficient Tutelage for St Olave’s Grammar Schools 11+ Exam?
Our private tutors are dedicated, organised, and adept at problem-solving. Their creative teaching style and excellent communication skills allow them to effectively teach a wide range of children by prompting them to practice our free 11 plus past papers.
We prioritise practising lots of our eleven plus papers with answers because candidates noticeably improve in skill and confidence, proceeding to then achieve brilliant marks when practising with our 11+ sample papers for Maths and 11 plus English comprehension papers. The marks are indicative of what could be achieved in the real exam; indeed, our tutoring methodology has resulted in a large quantity of our former pupils succeeding in securing a place at St Olave’s School, among other prestigious, selective institutions.
Be sure to visit our website for more tutoring pages:
- 11 plus Maths courses for CEM and GL
- 11 plus English courses for CEM and GL
- 11 plus Verbal Reasoning courses for CEM and GL
- 11 plus Non-Verbal Reasoning courses for CEM and GL
To avoid missing out, don’t delay in completing this form which will match you with one of our expert tutors; their invaluable experience will be a huge asset to your journey with St Olave’s School.