Free resources
The 11+ reading list
The single most powerful thing you can do at home costs nothing: read widely, often, and together. Here's exactly where to start.
Why reading matters most
Reading is the real 11+ advantage
The GL Assessment English and Verbal Reasoning papers reward a wide vocabulary and confident comprehension — the kind built over years of reading for pleasure, not crammed from a word list the week before.
A child who reads broadly meets tens of thousands of words in context, absorbs how good sentences are built, and reads exam passages faster and with more understanding. No worksheet matches it. The lists below are a starting point — choose what your child will actually enjoy.
Where to start
Books by reading level
Build confidence
Age ~8–10 · fluent and fun
- Roald Dahl — Matilda, The BFG
- Michael Morpurgo — Kensuke's Kingdom
- Dick King-Smith — The Sheep-Pig
- Cressida Cowell — How to Train Your Dragon
- Jacqueline Wilson — The Story of Tracy Beaker
Stretch & vocabulary
Age ~9–11 · richer language
- Katherine Rundell — Rooftoppers
- Philip Pullman — Northern Lights
- Frances Hardinge — The Lie Tree
- Eva Ibbotson — Journey to the River Sea
- Kiran Millwood Hargrave — The Girl of Ink & Stars
Classics & comprehension
Timeless · exam-style language
- C.S. Lewis — The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Frances Hodgson Burnett — The Secret Garden
- E.B. White — Charlotte's Web
- Kenneth Grahame — The Wind in the Willows
- L.M. Montgomery — Anne of Green Gables
Beyond stories
Variety builds comprehension
- A good children's poetry anthology
- First News — newspaper for young readers
- Quality non-fiction (DK, Horrible Histories)
- Myths, legends and folk tales
- Children's magazines on their interests
How to get the most from it
Five habits that build exam skills
- Read together and talk about it — Predict what happens next, ask why a character acted that way, and share opinions. Inference is exactly what comprehension questions test.
- Keep a vocabulary notebook — Jot down new words and look them up together. This does more for Verbal Reasoning than any drill.
- Mix it up — Fiction, non-fiction and poetry each stretch different skills — variety beats re-reading the same favourite.
- A little, often — Fifteen to twenty minutes a day beats one long session a week. Consistency builds the habit.
- Let them choose — Enjoyment sustains the habit — a book they love beats a 'correct' book they abandon.
Not sure where your child stands? Our free online diagnostic shows their reading and reasoning levels in about 25 minutes — a useful place to start.
Want a plan tailored to your child?
Start with a free, no-obligation assessment — we'll show you exactly where your child stands and how to help at home.