What is really expected in terms of spellings and handwriting in the 7+ Assessments?

Pretty much perfection is what is expected. 

Your child will need to know how to spell all of the Year 1 and 2 words perfectly well. 

Your child will need to know to to spell all of the High Frequency words perfectly well. 

Your child will need to know most of the Year 3/4 spellings words. If your child is given a spelling test, expect the level of most words being assessed to be Year 3 and 4 spelling words. 

When your child writes a story in their 7+ Assessments, the level and quality of their spellings and handwriting will be assessed. You must always keep in the back of your mind that your child will be up against the brightest minds in the UK. How will their handwriting compare to the handwriting of others? How will their spellings compare to the spellings of others?

Many of you ask if handwriting should be joined or not? Of course it should be and of course it will be. And if it isn’t because you just don’t have the time for your child to master cursive handwriting, then please ensure that their writing is the neatest and the best that it can be. Do not force cursive handwriting - it will not end well. And ultimately, if the assessors cannot mark your child’s writing, then that would be even worse wouldn’t it? Messy, unclear. poorly formed cursive writing will not cut it. 

Handwriting needs to be neat, legible and perfectly joined. 

Spellings need to be as perfect as can be. A knowledge of spelling patterns needs to be well embedded into your child’s mind. A deep understanding of suffixes and prefixes is needed. A deep understanding of double letters is needed. I could go on!

A parent said to me today, ‘I understand that the expectations at these schools will be quite high.’ 

That is an understatement. The expectations will be extraordinarily high. 

Know that. 

Understand that. 

Expect that. 

If you are truly serious about supporting your child to be wildly successful in all of their 7+ Assessments,  join our 3 month Intensive programme and let’s all be committed and dedicated in supporting your child to have tremendous success in all of their 7+ Assessments