Parent guide
Marking 11+ verbal reasoning
The question types you'll see
| Type | What it looks like | How to mark |
|---|---|---|
| Word codes | Letter-to-number or letter-to-letter substitution. | Chain rule — reward consistent decoding even if the seed is wrong. |
| Analogies | Apple : fruit :: carrot : ____ | Only the mark-scheme answer counts. Synonyms do not. |
| Closest meaning | Find the word closest in meaning to 'abundant'. | Single correct option. Near-synonyms are wrong even if plausible. |
| Missing word / sentence completion | Pick the word that best fits the blank. | Only the mark-scheme answer. Watch for tense and number agreement. |
| Odd one out | Which of these words doesn't belong? | Only the mark-scheme answer. If the child can justify a different odd-one-out, it's still wrong in the exam — teach the exam's logic. |
The chain-question trap
A cluster of questions share a code — e.g. "If BAT is 2 1 20, decode CAB." If the child gets the first one wrong by misreading the code, every subsequent answer in the chain will also look wrong. Walk through their working: if they applied the same rule consistently, give them partial credit at least on the later answers. They didn't suddenly stop knowing the method.
Parent questions
Why does verbal reasoning feel so hard to mark?▾
Answers look 'wrong' when actually the child picked a reasonable synonym the mark scheme didn't list. Closest-meaning questions are famously subjective — Bond and CGP mark schemes sometimes disagree on the same question.
What's a chain question?▾
Where the child has to decode a word using a given rule, then apply the decoded letters elsewhere. If they get the rule wrong at step 1, every later answer will look wrong — but the method was consistent. Give credit for a consistent chain, even if the seed is wrong.
Closest meaning — which answer counts?▾
Only the one the mark scheme lists, unfortunately. Verbal reasoning mark schemes are tighter than English. If your child picks a valid synonym that isn't on the key, that's a teaching moment about 'which word fits the exam style'.
How much is speed worth?▾
11+ verbal reasoning papers are usually tightly timed. A child who's 100% accurate but finishes half the paper will score lower than one at 85% accuracy who finishes it all. Marking 'how fast was this done?' is worth tracking next to accuracy.
Should I worry about vocabulary?▾
Yes. Most VR marks are lost on vocabulary — the child doesn't know the target word, so they guess. Widening vocabulary has the biggest effect on VR scores. Daily reading beats drilling.
Verbal reasoning, marked in one pass
Scan a VR paper and we'll extract every answer, mark the objective ones, and flag the chain questions that deserve follow-through credit. Your child's weak skill areas land in the dashboard automatically.