11+ English Tuition & Creative Writing · Year 4 · London
the 11+ foundation year
Most 11+ exams are sat in Year 6, but the skills they test take years to build properly, not months. Year 4 is where we lay those foundations, working towards the standard that Henrietta Barnett and Queen Elizabeth's set.
Children also begin to build good study habits — structure, organisation and the discipline to work carefully — so that when the demands increase in Year 5, they are ready for them.
London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and wider Home Counties
Three terms, each building on the one before — from the first sentence to a child who works with real independence.
Sentence-level accuracy — punctuation, structure and control — the raw material every 11+ paper is marked on, alongside the habit of sitting down and staying with a task.
Writing planned with a clear beginning, middle and end, comprehension answers grounded in the text, and the stamina to read a full passage with attention.
These habits become second nature, so Year 5 continues building on solid ground, rather than starting from scratch.
This is where the real work of Year 4 begins. Reading slowly and noticing the detail — reading for detail rather than the gist, answering in full sentences, working out word meaning from context, and beginning to explain why. Everything else in English rests on it.
Planning first, then writing. Developing an idea rather than rushing from one event to the next, choosing precise words over vague ones, describing what a character sees, hears and feels — and showing rather than telling, one idea at a time.
My daughter began lessons in Year 4 to prepare for the 11+ exams and continues even after securing a place in her preferred school. Sumona is exceptionally dedicated to her students, always going the extra mile to ensure lessons are structured and paced to meet each student's needs.
— Sandeep Vishnu
Sumona has supported both our children with comprehension and creative writing, and both have flourished under her tutelage — especially in the detailed scene descriptions that make all the difference to good writing.
— Anurag Narain Singh
Sumona has been working with my daughter since the beginning of Year 4 and the support she has provided has been incredible. Throughout the year I've seen a remarkable boost in my daughter's confidence, particularly in creative writing.
— Asherhetal8