Can Summer Holidays Impact Your Child’s 11 Plus Exam Performance?

The 11 Plus is an essential exam for 11-year-olds dreaming of a place in grammar schools. For school-going students, summer holidays are a time for lazy mornings, family trips, and hangouts with friends. However, for students preparing for the 11 Plus exam, the summer holidays look a lot different. For them, it's the time for quick revisions and overcoming weak areas to boost 11 Plus exam performance. 

This blog explores in detail how summer holidays impact your child’s 11 Plus exam performance, with effective tips to make the most of the summer. 

Can Summer Holidays Impact Your Child’s 11 Plus Exam Performance?

Yes, summer holidays can significantly impact your child’s 11 Plus exam performance. Summer holidays can have either a positive or negative impact, depending on how your child decides to spend the summer break. 

Do Summer Holidays Help or Hinder 11 Plus Success?

• If your child effectively does 11 Plus exam revision, whether at home or by joining summer 11 Plus revision courses, the summer holidays will supercharge their 11 Plus exam preparation.
• If your child spends the whole summer break playing and having fun without studying, they will even forget the things they covered before the holidays, and summer holidays will be a significant hindrance to their 11 Plus progress.

How Summer Holidays Can Boost Your Child’s 11 Plus Exam Performance?

The summer holiday is the perfect time to give a boost to your child’s 11 Plus exam preparation because there’s no academic pressure from schools. 

1. 11 Plus Summer Revision Courses

The 11 Plus intensive summer revision courses are the most effective resource for supercharging exam preparation during the summer holidays.

• Effective Revision: 11 Plus summer revision courses provide quick, intensive, and effective revision over 4-6 weeks. With highly qualified tutors and regular mock exams, the 11 Plus summer online learning programme boosts your child’s 11 Plus exam performance. 
• Mock Exams: Regular mock exams are a part of most of the 11 Plus summer revision courses, which familiarise your child with exam format and provide much-needed exam practice before the final day.
• Live Small Group Classes: The 11 Plus summer revision courses include live small group classes, which allow tutors to give personalised attention to each child. 

1. Freedom to Focus on 11 Plus Exam Preparation

Due to holidays from school, there is less to no academic pressure on students, allowing them to focus on 11 Plus exam preparation and revision.

• Your child can effectively cover the key 11 Plus subjects, develop exam techniques, and take mock exams. 
• Children who focus on 11 Plus exam preparation and revision during the summer holidays are better prepared for the exam day.
• Children who enjoy a complete break during the summer holidays often feel stressed in September as the exam date approaches because they lack effective revision.

1. Opportunity to Build Exam Techniques

Achieving success in the grammar school entrance exam is no easy task. Those who score above 85% marks in the 11 Plus exam not only cover the key subjects but also master the essential exam techniques.

With no academic pressure and distractions, summer holidays are ideal for your child to master the following exam techniques, which are key to 11 Plus exam success. 

• Problem solving
• Time management 
• Stress management 
• Critical thinking

How to Balance Fun and 11 Plus Exam Preparation during Summer Holidays?

Hear us out, summer holidays are a time for rest and recharge for the next school term as well. It is important to balance fun, relaxation, and 11 Plus exam preparation to avoid burnout. 

• The first effective tip is to allocate 2-3 hours in the morning for 11 Plus exam preparation and revision, and then have fun for the rest of the day.
• Try to make 11 Plus preparation and revision fun using interactive tools.
• Let your child have lazy mornings, little screen time and 2-3 days long family trips, because it's summer holiday and a little fun doesn’t hurt anybody (11 Plus exam preparation)
• Encourage your child to have focused and consistent 1-2 hour study sessions. 

Conclusion 

Summer holidays can positively or negatively impact your child’s 11 Plus exam performance, depending on how your child utilises the time during summer holidays. If your child effectively does the 11 Plus exam revision, the summer holidays will have a positive impact on their 11 Plus exam preparation. If your child spends the whole summer break playing and having fun without studying, their summer holidays will likely negatively impact their 11 Plus exam performance.