Why Planning Matters

Failing to Plan…is Planning to Fail. Or put another way, ’Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.’ Either way, this old adage rings true for almost everyone. For those currently engaged in or considering 11 Plus tuition, it is clear that thinking and planning ahead most certainly produces better results than acting spontaneously. Finding an 11 Plus tutor to help with learning, enrolling your child in an 11 Plus tuition centre – and of course completing 11 plus mock exams are methods guaranteed to bring in better results and keep your child in the top tier of applicants.

Yet, although this approach applies to all kinds of challenges and to people of all ages – preparation being the key to success –  many of us fail to put it into good practice. For parents, the planning element revolves around giving your children the best chance by finding an experienced 11 plus teacher or centre, and allowing them to practice relevant skills and topics, as well as sitting as many 11 Plus mock test papers as possible. Visiting schools and attending open days also gives children the insight they need to understand their goals plus the inspiration to succeed and take those important next steps in their educational career.

For the children, the planning element finds its roots in the overall approach described above- getting as much practice as possible to familiarise themselves with the style of assessment and types of questions they will face. On the micro-scale, the planning and preparation aspect is crucial when attempting English papers. There are highly important planning skills required to maximise performance in both comprehension and composition tasks. The majority of students who perform better in English papers invariably have comprehension exam technique mastered and also make use of simple plans every time they produce a piece of writing. With maths and reasoning, speed and accuracy are of the essence, so, by getting as many practice questions under their belts, you are giving your child the best chance to answer correctly and speedily by the time the exam comes around.

Of course, spontaneity can be a good thing – but when tasked with the prospect of assessment and evaluation – at any and all levels – the ability to splatter your thoughts onto a page is something that must be regulated. We must follow a system, adhere to a structure, and deliver a final product or result based on a set framework. Examiners mark papers based on fairly rigid schemes – by fully understanding the tasks at hand and planning ahead, your child will make it easy for them to gift marks and higher grades.

To help with this, we conduct regular mock tests for all subjects at 11 Plus London. On top of this, our upcoming April Intensive Course carries the theme: Can You Try? The week is focused on building your child’s confidence when facing new challenges. Children often ‘don’t know where to start’ with many difficult tasks – so by giving them a framework, especially in English, which they can apply to almost all types of questioning, they will gain confidence in their own ability to consistently produce quality work. They will also be encouraged to persevere when having a crack at solving problems in maths and reasoning too.

As the saying goes: Give a man a fish and he can feed his family for a day. Teach him how to fish and he can feed them for an entire lifetime.  Giving your child the ability for independent and confident planning and methodology will support them through demanding school exams – and way beyond, as they face the challenges of adulthood.