11 Plus Year 3 Syllabus

There is no official 11+ syllabus for Year 3, because each school or area sets its own test. The English and maths parts of the 11+ are mostly based on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum, so the best Year 3 syllabus is the official Year 3 curriculum: place value to 1,000, 3 digit addition and subtraction, the 3, 4 and 8 times tables, simple fractions, measures and time, plus reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, grammar and writing. Add a little fun with reasoning puzzles, which are not taught in school but appear in many 11+ tests. 

Is there an 11 plus Year 3 syllabus? Not officially, but there is a clear map of what your child should learn. This guide shows the English and maths topics from the national curriculum, the gentle thinking skills that help later, and a simple plan for the year.

11 plus Year 3 syllabus

Parents often search for the "11 plus Year 3 syllabus" and are surprised to find that there is not one official list. Here is why. The 11+ is not a national test. Each grammar school, area or independent school chooses its own test, its own subjects and its own dates. Because of that, there is no single government syllabus for it, and some test providers, such as CEM, do not publish a syllabus at all.

The good news is that the English and maths parts of most 11+ tests are based on what children learn in Key Stage 2, which runs from Year 3 to Year 6. Many guides say these tests draw on content up to the end of Year 5. So the best Year 3 syllabus is simply the official Year 3 curriculum, learned well and practised often.

That is how we plan our Year 3 11 plus tuition for younger children. We take the Year 3 curriculum, make it fun, and add small amounts of 11+ style thinking. Your child gains confidence, and you always know what to practise.

What does the 11+ test? English, maths and reasoning

Most 11+ tests include some or all of four areas. The mix depends on the school or area.

Two big test providers are GL Assessment and CEM. GL tests are usually split by subject, while CEM tests focus on verbal, non-verbal and numerical reasoning. Some independent schools set their own papers too. Always check which test your child's target school uses.

Year 3 is a long way from the test, so there is no need to learn every test type now. Think of Year 3 as the planting stage. You are building the roots.

11 plus Year 3 maths syllabus

Here is what the official Year 3 maths programme of study expects, with a note on why each part helps later.

11 plus Year 3 English syllabus

The English national curriculum covers Years 3 and 4 together as one programme of study. Here are the main parts for Year 3 in simple words.

Reading and comprehension

Comprehension is the heart of 11+ English. In Years 3 and 4, children learn to:

• Read and discuss a wide range of stories, poems, plays and non-fiction

• Check that a text makes sense and explain the meaning of words in context

• Use a dictionary to check what words mean

• Make inferences, such as guessing how a character feels from what they do, and give evidence

• Predict what might happen next from clues in the text

• Find the main ideas in more than one paragraph and summarise them

• Find and record facts from non-fiction

Spelling and vocabulary

• Use more prefixes and suffixes and know how to add them

• Spell more homophones, such as "there" and "their"

• Spell words that are often misspelt

• Place the possessive apostrophe correctly, for example girls' and children's

• Use the first two or three letters of a word to find it in a dictionary

Grammar and punctuation

• Join clauses with words like when, if, because and although

• Use the present perfect form of verbs, for example "she has finished"

• Use fronted adverbials, such as "Later that day," with a comma after them

• Choose nouns and pronouns carefully to avoid repeating words

• Write and punctuate direct speech

Writing

• Plan, draft and write short pieces, such as stories with a setting, characters and plot

• Organise paragraphs around one theme

• Check and improve their own writing, and proofread for spelling and punctuation

• Use joined handwriting that is neat and quick enough to keep up with their ideas

Every one of these skills feeds into 11+ English, which often includes comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar, and sometimes writing.

Verbal and non-verbal reasoning in Year 3

Many 11+ tests include verbal and non-verbal reasoning, but most primary schools don't teach them as separate subjects. That is why a little early practice can help your child feel at home with them later.

The key word for Year 3 is gentle. You do not need workbooks or timed tests. Play games instead.

Our tutors weave these games into lessons so your child sees them as play. Formal reasoning practice can wait until Year 4 and Year 5.

Year 3 11 plus syllabus checklist

Use this quick list at the end of Year 3 to see where your child stands. If a box is not ticked yet, that is fine. It just tells you what to practise next.

How to practise the 11 plus Year 3 syllabus at home

You do not need to be a teacher. Small, happy habits work best.

1. Read every day

Even 15 minutes counts. Reading builds vocabulary and comprehension, which feed into English and reasoning.

2. Play times tables games

Use songs, races, card games and quick quizzes for the 3, 4 and 8 tables. Make it fun, not scary.

3. Talk about what you read

Ask 'Why do you think she did that?' and 'How do you know?' This trains inference, a key 11+ skill.

4. Use real life maths

Cooking, shopping, telling the time and measuring all practise Year 3 maths without a worksheet in sight.

5. Add a puzzle a day

Odd one out, number patterns, riddles and spot the difference all build thinking skills gently.

6. Keep lessons short and happy

Ten to fifteen minutes of good practice beats an hour of tears. Stop while your child is still smiling.

If you would like expert help, our 11 plus tutors in Birmingham make the Year 3 syllabus feel easy and fun, and we give you clear ideas for home after each lesson.

Final thoughts

There is no official 11 plus Year 3 syllabus, but there is a clear and friendly path. Follow the Year 3 national curriculum in maths and English, add a little reasoning play, and keep everything short and happy. That is the strongest start any child can have. At Pass 11 Plus Grammar, we are here to help at every step.