Spelling

‘They’re’ means ‘they are’.
Don’t forget the apostrophe when spelling this word!

They’re arriving tomorrow morning.
They’re excited about the new zoo.

‘Their’ shows ownership or belonging.

Their dog won the competition.
I borrowed their laptop for the project.

‘There’ can refer to a place or mean something exists.

There is a spider on the ceiling. – existence
Look over there, by the trees. – location

‘You’re’ means ‘you are’.
Don’t forget the apostrophe!

You’re going to love this book.
You’re making great progress in maths.

‘Your’ shows ownership or belonging.

Your shoes are by the door.
Can I borrow your pen for a moment?

‘We’re’ means ‘we are’.
Don’t forget the apostrophe when spelling this word!

We’re planning a surprise party.
I think we’re in the wrong room.

‘Were’ shows something that happened in the past.

They were at the zoo yesterday.
How were things at school today?

‘Where’ refers to a place or situation.

Where did you put my keys? – location
That’s the café where we met. – location
Homework is a situation where time management is important. – situation

‘To’ is used before a verb (action) or to show direction.

• He wants to learn how to juggle. – action
• We’re walking to the station. – place

‘Too’ means ‘as well’,  ‘too much’ or ‘too many’

• I’d like to come too. – as well
• It’s too noisy in this room. – too much noise
• I’ve eaten too many cookies.

‘Two’ is the number 2.

• She has two pet rabbits.
• There are two pencils on the desk.

Should have / Could have / Would have – don’t use ‘of’ 

After the words ‘should’, ‘could’ and ‘would’, always use have, never of.

Wrong: I could of called my mum, but I called my dad instead.
Right: I could have called my mum, but I called my dad instead.

It’s = it is or it has

• It’s nearly lunchtime. = It is nearly lunchtime
• It’s broken. = It is broken
• It’s been fixed. = It has been fixed
• It’s raining. = It is raining

Its = shows something belongs to ‘it’

• The cat licked its paw.
• The robot flashed its lights.
• The book lost its appeal.
• The tree has lost its leaves.

Then vs Than

Then = used when talking about time or what happens next. It can also show cause and effect. 

• I was born in the 80s. Back then, we didn’t have smartphones. (time)
• If you want to pass your exam, then you’ll need to study! (cause and effect)
• First I’ll finish my chicken, then I’ll listen to music. (what happens next)

Than = used when comparing things

• She’s taller than her brother.
• This book is better than the last one.
• My brother is much faster than me.

If you practise often, then you’ll feel more confident. Your marks might be higher than before!

Off vs Of

Of = shows something is part of or belongs to something

• A glass of milk
• The roof of the house
• A piece of the puzzle

Off = means something is moving away, not on, or being removed

• The switch is off.
• The cat jumped off the wall.
• I took the book off the shelf.
• The alarm went off.

Being vs Been

Being = happening now (in the present) or happened in the past. It’s often used like this…

is/am/were/was + being + describing word or phrase

• He is being silly.
• She was being so kind.
• They were being really rude to us.
• I am being quiet.

‘Been’ is similar to ‘being’, but it’s only used to talk about the past and we use different words with it:

Been = have/has/had + been

• I have been to Manchester. / I’ve been to Manchester.
• She has been so kind to me. / She’s been so kind to me.
• They had been to York twice before. / They’d been to York twice before.

Tip: Look at the word before ‘been’ or ‘being’:

• ‘Being’ usually follows versions of ‘to be’, like ‘am’, ‘are’, ‘is’, ‘were’ and ‘was’.
• ‘Been’ can only follow ‘had’, ‘have’ or ‘has’.

Most plurals are made by adding s:

sheet → sheets
computer → computers
hand → hands
snake → snakes

For words ending in ch, x, s, sh, or z, add es:

speech → speeches
fizz → fizzes
box → boxes
octopus → octopuses

Words ending in y – two rules:

First of all, you need to know the difference between vowels and consonants.

The vowels are: a, e, i, o, u

If there’s a vowel before the y, just add s:
toy → toys
monkey → monkeys

The consonants are all of the other letters!: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z

If there’s a consonant before the y, change y to ies:
butterfly → butterflies
sky → skies

Words ending in f or fe often change to ves:

• knife → knives
• calf → calves
• leaf → leaves
• life → lives
• half → halves
• self → selves

Some plurals stay the same as the singular word:

• information → information
• research → research
• feedback → feedback
• advice → advice
• staff → staff
• work → work
• sheep → sheep

Others change completely:

• child → children
• man → men
• woman → women
• tooth → teeth
• foot → feet
• goose → geese
• mouse → mice
• person → people

1. Read as often as you can

Reading helps your brain get used to the way words are spelt. It doesn’t have to be just books. Magazines, websites, comics and even TV subtitles all count. The more you see correct spelling, the more it sticks.

2. Use the SACWAC technique

SACWAC stands for:
Say And Cover, Write And Check

Here’s how it works:

• Say the word out loud
• Cover it up
• Write it from memory
• Check if you got it right

If it’s wrong, try again until it feels natural. Use this for tricky words you often get wrong, or choose words from a spelling list to practise.

3. Spell checkers can help… if you use them wisely!

Spell check is great for learning, but don’t just let it fix everything for you.

Next time you see a red squiggle under a word while typing, correct it, write it down, then practise it using SACWAC.

Remember: there won’t be a spell checker in your 11+ exam, so get used to spotting mistakes yourself.

4. Always leave time to check

Before you finish any writing task, leave five minutes to read back through your answer. Check carefully for any spelling slips.

The more you do it, the faster and more accurate you’ll become.

1. Swap Out the Everyday Words

When you check a practice answer, challenge yourself to replace the most common words:

Read through your draft and highlight any bland words (e.g. nice, good, bad, thing, stuff).

Open a thesaurus (this isn’t cheating; it’s smart)!

Choose a replacement that fits the tone and meaning.

Example: ‘The day was nice’ → ‘The day was splendid’

Tip: Only pick a word if you’re absolutely sure of its meaning. Using a word incorrectly can be much worse than sticking with a simple one!

2. Read Widely

The quickest route to new vocabulary is through reading: your child could look at books, articles, even adverts – whatever interests them.

Whenever they spot an unfamiliar or striking word, they should:

• Write it down in a notebook or add it to a typed list.
• Look it up in a dictionary (online or paper) to confirm its meaning.
• Use it in their own sentences. They could write it in a diary entry, a letter to a friend, an article or a story.

3. Master Topic-Specific Vocabulary

Some questions will centre on a theme. For example, it might focus on the environment, health, technology, history, etc. Learning words from a range of topics can help children to improve their writing and adapt to different exam questions.

For example, if your child needs to write about plastic pollution, they might include words like:

• recycling
• landfill
• littering
• greenhouse gases
• ecosystems
• global warming
• climate change