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11+ Stage 2: what examiners look for

Stage 2 is where written answers replace multiple choice. Marks go to method, evidence and control of writing, not just to a right answer. This guide shows how each paper is marked and walks through an annotated model answer for each.

Mark weightings below are indicative, based on published school guidance and specialist sources. Exact splits change by year, so always check your target school's own admissions page.

Which schools have a written Stage 2?

Henrietta Barnett, St Olave's, Tiffin School and Tiffin Girls': written English and maths.
Sutton Grammar, Wilson's, Wallington and Nonsuch (via the Sutton SET): 60-minute extended writing and a 45-minute written maths paper.
CSSE (Essex) and Dame Alice Owen's: entirely written papers.
QE Boys, Latymer, Newstead Wood, the Kent Test and the Bexley and Redbridge schools have no common written Stage 2.

See each school's own page under school formats.

1. Written maths: method marks

Examiners award marks for each correct step (method marks), then a mark for the accurate final answer with its unit. A wrong answer with clear working still earns most of the marks.

Pens are sold in packs of 6 for £2.40, or singly for 50p each. Sam needs exactly 20 pens. What is the cheapest way to buy them, and how much does it cost? (5 marks)

3 packs give 18 pens; 20 − 18 = 2 more needed. [M1: uses packs first]
3 × £2.40 = £7.20 [M1: cost of packs]
2 × 50p = £1.00 [M1: cost of singles]
Total £7.20 + £1.00 = £8.20 [A1: correct total, with £]
Check: 4 packs (24 pens) cost £9.60, which is more [B1: comparison]

Answer: 3 packs and 2 single pens, costing £8.20.

M = method mark, A = accuracy mark (only awarded after the method), B = independent mark. Missing the £ sign or the comparison would cost a mark even with the right total.

Write one step per line and label what each line finds.
Keep units with every value that has one.
If you spot a mistake, cross it out neatly rather than erasing, so any correct method still shows.

2. Written comprehension: point, evidence, explain

Written comprehension is marked for accurate points, evidence taken from the text, and an explanation of what the evidence shows. One mark is usually available per distinct point.

Passage: Bringing Back the Dark (a non-fiction article about light pollution). Using evidence from the fourth paragraph, explain how the writer shows that good lighting and a dark sky are not enemies. (3 marks)

What earns the marks

1 mark: identifies a feature of the "good" lighting (shielded, points down, dimmed when nobody is about).
1 mark: cites the towns' results (residents felt no less safe, spent less on electricity, saw the stars again).
1 mark: draws the conclusion that safety and a visible sky can exist together.

1-mark answer (a point, no evidence)

"The writer says good lighting can be used without spoiling the sky."

2-mark answer (a point and evidence, but no conclusion)

"Good lighting is 'shielded so that the beam points down', and towns that fitted it found residents 'feel no less safe'."

3-mark answer (point, evidence and conclusion)

"The writer describes lighting that is shielded so it points down, no brighter than needed, and dimmed when nobody is about. Towns that fitted this found residents felt no less safe, spent less on electricity, and began to notice the stars again. This shows that practical, safe lighting and a visible night sky can exist at the same time."

Match the number of marks to the number of separate points you make.
Keep quotations short, and always say what they show.
Use the words of the question in your answer so it reads as a direct response.

3. Creative writing: the rubric

Extended writing is usually marked against four strands. Typical weightings vary by school:

Strand	Henrietta Barnett / Tiffin / Latymer	St Olave's / Sutton SET
Content and ideas	about 40%	about 50% (content and organisation together)
Organisation and structure	about 30%	about 50% (content and organisation together)
Vocabulary and sentence control	about 20%	about 30%
Spelling, punctuation and grammar	about 10%	about 20%

Prompt: "Describe a place that seems ordinary in daylight but completely different after dark."

Weaker opening

"The playground was empty at night. It was dark and scary. There were shadows. It was very quiet."

Short, repeated sentence patterns; general words ("dark", "scary") that tell rather than show; no senses beyond sight.

Stronger model (annotated)

By day the playground was nothing special: a scuffed rectangle of tarmac, a rusting climbing frame, a faded hopscotch grid that nobody hopped on any more.¹ But when the last car had crunched out of the gravel and the caretaker had rattled the gate shut, it changed.² The streetlamp beyond the fence buzzed into life and laid an orange stain across the ground, and the climbing frame stretched a long, crooked shadow that seemed to reach for the door.³ Somewhere a loose chain tapped against a pole (tick, tick, tick) like a slow clock counting down to nothing.⁴ The air smelled of cold metal and damp leaves.⁵ Even the hopscotch numbers, so cheerful at noon, looked like a code no one had been meant to read.⁶

Specific details (scuffed, rusting, faded) build the "ordinary" half of the prompt.
Structure: a clear turning point ("it changed") organises the whole piece around the prompt's contrast.
Precise verbs and personification (buzzed, laid, seemed to reach) instead of generic description.
Sound and simile, with a varied sentence rhythm.
A second sense (smell): short, controlled sentence for contrast.
Closing image that echoes the opening (the hopscotch grid), giving a sense of completion.

Spend the first 5 to 10 minutes planning: opening image, turning point, closing image.
Show feelings through actions and details, not by naming the emotion.
Vary sentence openers and lengths; use one or two well-chosen figures of speech.
Leave the last 5 minutes to proofread spelling, punctuation and tense.

Practise Stage 2 with marking guidance

Worded problems, written comprehension and creative-writing prompts in your target school's style, each with a mark scheme and model answer.

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Practice materials are original and independently produced. They are not official school papers and do not guarantee admission. School arrangements can change; parents should check each school’s current admissions information.