One of the most common questions I hear from mums is, “How long should my child’s 11 Plus writing be?” It’s a fair question – but also one that causes a lot of unnecessary stress.

I remember one mum who came to me worried because her daughter was only writing half a page in timed tasks. “She’s not writing enough,” she said. But when I looked at her daughter’s work, it was beautifully structured, descriptive, and finished with a strong ending. The truth is, it’s not about writing pages and pages. It’s about writing with purpose.

One of the biggest lightbulb moments for parents and children alike is seeing real examples of 11 Plus creative writing – not just average ones, but excellent pieces that would earn top marks in a grammar or independent school exam.

I remember a student I worked with called Adam. He was bright, had a great imagination, but didn’t know how to show it on paper. His writing was fine – but nothing stood out. One day, I showed him a few top-level examples from other students his age. As we read through them together, he stopped and said, “I can do this. I just didn’t know how.”