Buckinghamshire 11+ Verbal Reasoning

Verbal reasoning is word and letter logic. It is not a vocabulary test, although a wide reading habit certainly helps, and it is not comprehension either. What it measures is whether a child can spot a rule in a small amount of text and then apply it accurately under time pressure.

On the GL Assessment Transfer Test used in Buckinghamshire, verbal reasoning questions appear alongside maths, English and non-verbal reasoning rather than in a paper of their own, and the mix of types changes from year to year. That is why we teach the whole set rather than a favoured handful: your child should be able to look at any of these questions, recognise the shape of it within a couple of seconds, and know which method to reach for.

Which types pupils find hardest

The types pupils most often find difficult are the coded ones — letter codes, number codes, and word-and-number codes — because they ask a child to hold a rule in mind while applying it in reverse. Logic problems and true-statement questions come next, since they involve keeping several facts straight at once. The word-meaning types, such as synonyms, antonyms and analogies, tend to be easier to start but keep growing with reading.

The order we teach them in

Our own order is straightforward. In Year 4 we begin with the types that have a short, teachable method and no reliance on advanced vocabulary: hidden words, compound words, insert a letter, alphabetical order and letter sequences. Codes come mid-way through Year 4 once the alphabet is secure in both directions. Logic problems and multi-step reasoning arrive in Year 5, when a child can comfortably hold two steps in mind, and everything is then revisited inside mixed practice, where switching between types is the real skill being tested.

Every one of these types has a lesson page of its own, with what the question is really asking, where the marks go and how to practise it at home. They are all listed on the verbal reasoning page.