11+ Maths · Grammar & independent schools · Years 5–6

11+ maths tutoring
for Year 5 and Year 6

One-to-one preparation for the maths in the 11+, from £11 a class with the same teacher every week. We teach the maths paper only — not verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning or English — and we would rather say so before you book.

Start with a free class 55 minutes · no card required

ClassArc is live one-to-one online maths tutoring for school-age children. One teacher and one child, for 55 minutes. The same teacher every week. Classes run inside our own classroom software, not a video call: a shared worksheet you both write on, a shared whiteboard, and answers that sync live.

How a class works · About ClassArc · Pricing

The maths part of the 11+,
and nothing else

Most 11+ tests have several parts: maths, English, and in many areas verbal and non-verbal reasoning. ClassArc teaches the maths. If your child's test includes reasoning or English papers, those need preparing elsewhere, and it is better to know that now than in July.

Keeping to maths is deliberate. Our teachers are maths teachers, and a lesson split four ways tends to leave every paper slightly under-prepared.

55

minutes of maths, one to one, with the same teacher each week. The first class is free and needs no card.

Which 11+ test
is your child sitting?

The 11+ is not one exam. It is a family of entrance tests for Year 7 entry, and the maths inside each one looks different depending on who wrote it.

GL Assessment writes the test for many grammar school areas. Its papers are usually multiple choice, answered on a separate sheet, and each area decides which subjects to include.

Cambridge Select Insight is the name, since April 2025, of the computer-based test once called CEM Select, used mainly by independent schools. A guide that still talks about a CEM grammar test may simply be out of date.

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is an online, adaptive multiple-choice test used by many independent schools. Because it adapts, a run of hard questions usually means a child is doing well, not badly.

School-set papers vary the most. Sutton's Selective Eligibility Test, for instance, covers maths and English with no reasoning papers, and children who pass sit a written second stage in October.

Tell us the schools first. The format decides half of what the preparation looks like.

What we ask an 11+ parent

Three reasons 11+ maths feels harder than school maths.

i

Speed,
not new content.

Most of the maths draws on Key Stage 2, but a child gets far less time per question than on a school test. Quick, secure fractions and times tables are what buy that time back.

ii

Several steps
in one question.

One question can ask for a percentage, then a ratio, then a change of units. Children who manage each step alone often lose the thread between them.

iii

Wording they
have not met.

Missing-number puzzles, algebra described in words, a sequence with a twist. The maths is familiar; the way it is asked is not, and that unsettles a ten-year-old.

From solid Key Stage 2
to test-day pace

The order matters. Timed papers on shaky foundations mostly teach a child to guess faster.

Nearly every 11+ problem we are shown turns out to be a fractions or place-value problem wearing a disguise.

What the first class usually finds
i
🔍

Find the real gap

The free class starts a little above your child's current work and steps back until the ground is firm, so preparation begins from what is actually secure.

ii
🧩

Stretch past Year 5

Area of compound shapes, multi-step word problems, simple algebra and number sequences: the topics these papers reach for before school has finished teaching them.

iii
🎯

Practise the format

Multiple choice means learning to rule out wrong options and move on. Written papers mean setting out working clearly enough for a marker to follow it.

iv
⏱️

Timed sections, then mocks

From the spring or summer of Year 5, practice moves to timed sections and then full papers in the format your child will actually meet.

The maths an 11+ paper tends to ask

Built on the Key Stage 2 curriculum, usually asked faster and in less familiar ways than at school.

Six things you can
count on before test day

Honest about scope

We prepare the maths paper. We will not pretend to cover reasoning or English, and we tell you if your child's test weights those heavily.

The same teacher each week

One person who learns how your child thinks under time pressure, rather than a new tutor at every session.

The working is visible

Teacher and child write on the same live worksheet, so a slip in step two of a four-step problem is caught where it happens.

Homework that gets read

Set to match the lesson, submitted inside ClassArc as a photo or typed answer, and reviewed by the teacher before the next class.

No promise of a place

Entry depends on each school's scores and how many children apply that year. Anyone promising a pass is selling a certainty they do not have.

Blocks, not contracts

Classes come in blocks that never renew by themselves, and unused classes are refunded if you stop.

Choose your plan

Starter
Try the platform
£13
per class
8 classes · £104 total
  • 8 live 55-minute classes
  • KS2 & 11+ maths
  • Weekly homework
  • Termly parent meeting
  • Same teacher every class
  • Free reschedule
Begin
Committed
For the long road
£11
per class
~48 classes · £528 total
  • ~48 live 55-minute classes
  • KS2 & 11+ maths
  • Weekly homework
  • Termly parent meeting
  • Same teacher every class
  • Free reschedule
  • 15% saved vs Starter
Best value

Prices in pounds. Every class is 55 minutes, one-to-one, with the same teacher. First class free, no card required.

Year 5, Year 6 and the tests in between

The school years the 11+ sits across, explained for parents.

Does ClassArc teach verbal and non-verbal reasoning for the 11+?
No. ClassArc teaches the maths part of the 11+ only, not verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning or English. If your child's test includes those papers, plan separate preparation for them.
When should 11+ maths tutoring start?
Year 5 is the usual starting point, because most grammar school tests are sat in September of Year 6 and registration tends to close during the summer term of Year 5. Starting later can work with more classes a week and a narrower focus; the free class shows how much ground there is.
How many classes a week does 11+ preparation need?
Two a week suits most children in the final six months, often rising to three in the last few weeks before the test. Earlier in Year 5, one or two a week is usually enough to settle the Key Stage 2 base.
How do I find out which 11+ format my child will sit?
Read the admissions page for each school or area you are applying to, and look for its familiarisation materials. Providers do change, so a guide from a few years ago may describe a test that no longer runs. Tell the teacher which schools you are considering and the practice will follow their format.
Can you promise my child will pass?
No. A place depends on each school's scoring and on how many children apply in that year, which no tutor controls. What we can do is make your child's maths as secure and as quick as possible on the day.
Do you prepare for independent school written papers?
Yes. Many independent schools set their own maths papers where working earns marks, so the teacher checks that each step is written down clearly and in order, not only that the final answer is right.
Is the first 11+ class free?
Yes, with no card required. It is a full 55-minute maths lesson with the teacher who would prepare your child, and afterwards we tell you plainly how ready their maths looks, including if we think tutoring is not needed.
free

On us, always

55 minutes. The real classroom. No card. We confirm details on email and WhatsApp within a day.

1
A full 55-minute class, exactly like a real lesson, not a sales pitch.
2
Schedule details sent via email and WhatsApp within 24 hours.
3
If it doesn't click, you owe nothing. No card, no commitment.
WhatsApp

Book your first class

We'll respond by email + WhatsApp.

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Got it.

We'll WhatsApp and email you within a day to set up your free class. In the meantime, feel free to email hello@theclassarc.com with anything specific you'd like the teacher to focus on.

Something went wrong. Please try again, or just email us directly at hello@theclassarc.com and we'll set up your class manually.