What subjects are tested on the FSCE 11 plus?
An FSCE assessment may include questions from any of the following subjects your child is taught at school, up to the end of Year 5:
- Art & Design
- Computing
- Design & Technology
- English
- Geography
- History
- Languages
- Maths
- Music
- Physical Education
- Science
Which of these appear depends on the assessment an individual school has commissioned. None of the subjects go beyond what children will have covered in primary school by the end of Year 5, so the content will not be unfamiliar.
The aim is to assess how children apply what they already know, rather than testing for facts crammed outside the classroom.
The sections below cover question types that families commonly meet in Key Stage 2 and that are useful to practise. They are not a guide to what will appear in any particular school's assessment — question types and content can change from year to year, and your school's official familiarisation materials are the only definitive source.
1. English
Where an assessment includes English, question types can include reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling.
Reading comprehension
Questions assess how well children understand a short passage of text, and their ability to analyse and interpret it. The passage could be fiction or non-fiction.
Take a look at an example comprehension question.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary questions test word knowledge and understanding. For example, children may be asked to identify the word that is a close match (synonym) for a given word from a set of options.
Take a look at an example below.
Missing letters (spelling)
Spelling is assessed through missing letters questions. Children see a word with some letters removed and must identify the full, correctly-spelt word in context.
Here is an example of a ‘missing letters’ question.
2. Maths
Where an assessment includes maths, questions draw on the Key Stage 2 curriculum up to the end of Year 5. Topics your child may meet include:
- Number and place value: round numbers, negative numbers, and Roman numerals
- Calculations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, factors, and prime, square and cube numbers
- Fractions, decimals and percentages: comparing and ordering, adding and subtracting, multiplying and rounding, and an introduction to percentages
- Measurement: units, perimeter, area and volume
- Geometry: 2D shapes, 3D shapes, angles, reflection and translation
- Statistics: tables and line graphs
Here is an example maths question.
3. Creative writing
Where a school includes the Discovery Paper, your child will see a prompt to use as the basis for an extended piece of original writing.
Planning
- Planning space is typically provided in the question booklet.
- Planning is not marked, but your child should use the time to structure their ideas.
- Children are usually asked not to write on the answer sheet during planning time.
Writing
Your child will be told when the planning time has finished, and when to start writing on the answer sheet. Any work written in the question booklet will not be marked.
Marking criteria are set by individual schools, but strong creative writing generally shows:
- creativity and imagination
- good structure and pace
- correct and effective use of spelling, punctuation and grammar
- an extensive and interesting vocabulary
- varied sentence structures
