11+ Interview Preparation Pack

By the end of this pack your child can answer an interview question with a reason and a real example instead of one flat word, talk through a puzzle they have never seen, give a fair opinion on a tricky question, and stay calm when a strange question comes up. The parent guide gives you a four week plan to get them there, and none of it relies on a memorised answer.

It works with our free practice tool. Every question in the pack is also in the free 11+ interview practice tool, which puts one question at a time on screen with thinking time and a gentle timer, so your child can practise out loud between your practice chats. The pack teaches the method, the tool gives them reps.

What you get (one printable PDF, 35 pages):

• 104 practice questions in 8 areas. The areas run from "tell me about yourself" through books, current affairs, puzzles and ethical questions to group tasks and curveballs. Each area explains what the interviewer is assessing, so practice targets the right thing.
• 7 answer frameworks with worked examples. Each framework is a simple thinking frame a ten year old can hold in their head, such as answer, reason, example. The worked answers are written the way a real Year 6 child talks, with a flat answer and a strong answer side by side so you can hear the difference.
• A parent guide with a four week plan. It shows you how to practise in short ten minute chats, how to tell when practice is turning into coaching, what to do about nerves, and how to handle the day itself.
• 3 mock interview scripts with a scoring sheet. Each script is a complete practice interview you can run at the kitchen table, with timings, questions and the follow-up probes real interviewers use. The scoring sheet shows you what to praise and what to practise next.

The pack exists because interview preparation usually goes one of two ways. Some families do nothing, because there is nothing obvious to revise. Others drill answers until their child sounds rehearsed, and interviewers recognise a rehearsed answer within a couple of questions. This pack takes a third route. Your child practises the skills interviews actually reward, such as giving a reason, adding an example and thinking aloud, on questions that keep changing. One rule runs through every page: practise the skill, never the answer.

Why the rule works. Interviewers test a polished answer with a follow-up question, and a memorised answer has nothing underneath it. A child who has spent four weeks having short, enjoyable practice conversations sounds like themselves, only readier. That is the child interviewers describe as a pleasure to meet.

Who it is for. Parents of Year 5 and Year 6 children facing an interview at an independent school or an interviewing grammar school, whether that is a friendly fifteen minute chat or a formal panel with a poem and a puzzle. It works alongside a tutor or entirely without one, and the scripts also suit tutors who want ready made interview sessions.

Want a full dress rehearsal too? The one thing home practice cannot recreate is answering questions from an adult your child has never met. Our 11+ Mock Interview (£110) is a 1 hour 15 minute online session with your child and you: a realistic interview run the way schools run them, feedback while it is fresh, then written feedback and an action plan. The four week plan finishes with mock interviews, and this session is the strongest way to run the final one.

Not sure yet? Start with our free Complete Guide to 11+ Interview Preparation on the blog. It covers how interviews work and what schools look for. When you want the questions, the frameworks, the scripts and the plan, this pack is the next step.

£14.99, instant download. Add the pack to your basket and download it today. Print the scripts, put the first ten minute chat in the diary for tomorrow, and let the four week plan do the rest.

Which schools does this prepare for?
Any UK school that interviews at 11+. That includes independent day and boarding schools, and the grammar schools that include an interview stage. The parent guide shows you how to weight practice once you know your target schools, from warm conversational interviews through to academic panels with puzzles, poems and group tasks.

Will this make my child sound coached?
It is designed to do the opposite. There are no scripted answers anywhere in the pack. Your child practises thinking shapes, such as give a reason, add an example and talk your thinking aloud, on questions that keep changing, so what develops is confidence rather than a recital. The parent guide also tells you what over-rehearsed children sound like, and when to stop practising.

How long does preparation take?
The plan is four weeks of short, low-pressure chats, five to ten minutes a few times a week, plus two or three mock interviews in the final week. Starting later than that still works. The guide includes a trimmed version of the plan for families who are short of time.

What exactly do I get?
One printable PDF with all four parts inside: the question bank with 104 questions in 8 areas, the 7 answer frameworks with worked examples, the parent guide with the four week plan, and the 3 mock interview scripts with the scoring sheet. The download link arrives automatically straight after purchase.

Do we still need an interview tutor?
Many families use the pack on its own. The mock scripts were written so that any adult can deliver a realistic practice interview with no experience. If you do use a tutor, the pack gives your sessions structure and gives you the practice plan for between sessions, so paid time goes further.

Format: Printable PDF, 35 pages, download link sent automatically straight after purchase. Suitable for: Year 5, Year 6, 11+ and independent school entry.

Refunds: this is a digital product delivered instantly, so it cannot be returned or refunded once the link has been opened. If you have any trouble getting in, email info@shlc-tutor.co.uk and we will sort it out.

Who this is for

Parents of Year 5 and Year 6 children facing interviews at independent schools or interviewing grammar schools, whether that is a friendly fifteen-minute chat or a formal panel with a poem and a puzzle. It works alongside a tutor or entirely without one, and the mock runsheets also suit tutors who want ready-made interview sessions.