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Cover of English for the CSSE 11+

CSSE 11+ · English · PDF

English for the CSSE 11+

The CSSE English paper, both halves. Five kinds of reading question, one chapter each, with a passage and questions on lines; then the writing task in six chapters, from the five-minute plan to the final check. A timed test with a passage of its own, The Fence, and a writing task.

76pages, A4
11chapters
110practice questions
1timed test
£7.99 Members save 20%: £6.39 Buy on the guides page
Free sample chapter (PDF, 9 pages) The cover, contents, Before you start and chapter 1, exactly as printed.

Also in The CSSE bundle: both guides at £12.99 for 2 guides.

Who it is for

Who this book is for

For a child who can read the passage and still not know what a three-mark answer looks like. CSSE English is marked on lines: a quotation, an explanation, a point of your own. This book shows each kind of answer, gives the mark points for every question, and teaches the writing task as a set of habits a child can practise in ten minutes a day.

How every chapter works

  • What it looks like. The question as the paper prints it, and an example.
  • The method. Five steps, written to be said aloud.
  • Worked example. Step by step, and why each wrong option is there.
  • The three traps. How the question is usually lost, and what to do instead.
  • Try it. Ten questions, easier first, exam level from question 4, with working space.

What is inside

The 11 chapters

  1. 1Finding it in the text
  2. 2Reading between the lines
  3. 3The writer's choice of words
  4. 4In your own words
  5. 5The longer answer
  6. 6Planning in five minutes
  7. 7Openings and endings
  8. 8Sentences that do something
  9. 9Words that show
  10. 10Speech and punctuation
  11. 11Spelling and checking

Then the timed test, every answer with its reason, a glossary and a progress page.

How the book reaches you

A PDF, A4, made to read on a tablet or print at home. It is licensed to your household and every page carries your name and email, so please keep it in the family. Download it up to five times a month from the guides page; it stays on your account.

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Checked twice

Every practice question in the book was generated and checked by machine, then read by a person before it went in. The answers at the back give the reason for every one, so a child who gets a question wrong can see why, not just that. If you find a fault, email info@uplift-learning.co.uk and it will be corrected in the next edition.

Members of Uplift Premium pay 20% less on every guide and bundle.

Questions

Questions parents ask

Which exam is this for?

The CSSE 11+ English paper for the Essex grammar schools. It is a written paper with a comprehension and a writing task, unlike the multiple-choice GL English paper, which has its own guide.

How is the writing marked?

The timed test's writing task is marked out of 20 on the book's own scheme, printed with the answers: the plan, content and organisation, sentences and punctuation, and spelling, each with the marks it carries. The six writing chapters build those habits one at a time, from the five-minute plan to the final check.

Are the passages new?

Yes. The reading chapters use three passages written for the book, and the timed test uses a fourth, The Fence, that appears nowhere else.

The set

The other guides

Maths for the CSSE 11+Vocabulary and Exam Tips

Not sure which paper your child will sit?

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