Verbal reasoning is the most coachable 11+ subject: the GL Assessment question types are published, stable and learnable one by one. A child who has methodised all 21 types has almost no surprises left on exam day. Unlike maths, where a novel problem can catch a well-drilled pupil out, VR rewards recognition — spot which of a fixed menu of question types you are looking at, run the matching method, and move on. This guide maps every type, gives worked examples for the trickiest ones, sets a realistic timing budget, and explains how your child's raw marks become the Standardised Age Score that grammar schools actually use.
Where VR sits in the 2026 11+ landscape
Most selective regions now use GL Assessment papers, which test four skill areas: English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. CEM's separate 11+ tests were phased out around 2022-2023, so if you read older advice about "CEM-style" VR, treat it with care — many former CEM areas moved to GL or to bespoke papers. Essex families sit the CSSE consortium exam (which includes free-response maths), and many independent senior schools use the ISEB Common Pre-Test. This guide focuses on GL-style VR, the format the majority of grammar-school candidates meet.
The single most useful fact for parents: GL draws from a fixed set of about 21 verbal reasoning question types (the Bond series labels them Type A to U), and it does not tell you in advance which will appear in a given paper. That is why breadth matters — a child who has only practised synonyms and codes can lose easy marks to a type they simply have not seen. Work through the full menu once, then rehearse the weak ones. Our 21-type overview lists them all in one place.
The GL verbal reasoning question types
Here is a compact map of the most common families, each with a one-line description and a mini example. Learn one method per day and the list stops feeling overwhelming.
| Type | What it asks | Mini example |
|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | Pick the word closest in meaning | HAPPY → (glad, tall, red) |
| Antonyms | Pick the opposite in meaning | ANCIENT → modern |
| Odd one out | Two words don't belong by meaning | rose, tulip, oak, daisy, lily → oak |
| Word analogies | A is to B as C is to ? | Kitten is to cat as puppy is to dog |
| Hidden words | A 4-letter word hides across a join | "the green door" → GREEN? see below |
| Compound words | Join a word from each group | foot + ball → football |
| Move a letter | Move one letter; both words stay real | see below |
| Insert a letter | One letter ends word 1, starts word 2 | see below |
| Letter sequences | Continue a paired-letter series | AZ, CY, EX, ? → GW |
| Letter codes | Encode/decode with a shifted alphabet | CAT = DBU (+1 each) |
| Number sequences | Find the missing term | 3, 6, 12, 24, ? → 48 |
| Sentence completion | Choose the best fit word (cloze) | The dog ___ loudly → barked |
Others you will meet include anagrams, word ladders, closest word pairs, "complete the word", and number-code substitutions that fold a little maths logic into the verbal paper. Technique guides for the fiddly ones — including word codes, hidden words and logic deductions — each give the method, a worked example and the traps to avoid.
Three worked methods parents can teach tonight
Letter codes. Write the alphabet out first — always. If CAT is coded DBU, line up C→D, A→B, T→U and count the hop: each letter has moved forward one place (+1). To decode PVU, count back one: OTT. Writing the alphabet strip turns invisible hops into something you can point at.
Alphabet sequences. For AZ, CY, EX, ? treat the two letters separately and "draw the hops". First letters A, C, E climb +2 each, so the next is G. Second letters Z, Y, X fall -1 each, so the next is W. Answer: GW. Most mistakes here come from trying to hold both patterns in your head instead of splitting them.
Move a letter and insert a letter. In "move a letter", you remove one letter from the first word and add it to the second so both remain real words — e.g. take the S from STABLE (→ TABLE) and add it to CAR (→ CARS). The golden rule children forget: check both words are real, not just the one you were staring at. "Insert a letter" is a cousin — find the single letter that finishes the first word and starts the second, as in HEAR( T )ABLE where T completes HEART and begins TABLE.
For hidden words, scan the join between two words: in "a lovely picnic near the lake" the run C-N-E-A does not spell a word, so slide the window until a real 4-letter word appears across a boundary. Teaching the "slide the window across each gap" habit turns a guessing game into a system.
Vocabulary is the fuel
At least half the VR types — synonyms, antonyms, analogies, odd-one-out, sentence completion — are vocabulary in disguise. No method rescues a child who does not know the word. The fix is little-and-often: five to ten new words a day, revisited with flashcards, beats a weekend cram every time. Group words by relationship (synonym clusters, antonym pairs, "degrees of" ladders like warm-hot-scorching) because analogies test exactly those links. Our vocabulary plan feeds all the word-based types at once, and the revision hub keeps the review cycle on track.
- Keep a running word book: new word, meaning, one synonym, one antonym.
- Read widely — good vocabulary comes from books, not just word lists.
- Practise analogy relationships explicitly: synonym, antonym, part/whole, cause/effect, category, and degree/intensity.
Timing, pacing and the seconds-per-question budget
GL VR is multiple-choice, answered on a separate OMR sheet, with no calculator and tight timing — roughly a minute a question, often less. A typical paper gives you around 50 minutes, so build a concrete pacing plan rather than hoping to "go fast".
| Paper length | Time allowed | Target per question | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~50 questions | ~50 min | ~55 seconds | Skip-and-return on any stall over 60s |
| ~80 questions | ~50 min | ~35 seconds | First pass fast, second pass for skipped |
Teach the skip-and-return habit hard: if a question has not yielded in the target time, mark it, move on, and come back. One stubborn code question is not worth three easy synonyms left unanswered. Because there is no negative marking on GL papers, every blank should be filled with a best guess before time is called. Rehearse this under a real clock with timed VR mocks and free worksheets so pacing becomes automatic.
Common traps to warn your child about
- Reading letters, not meaning. In odd-one-out, the answer is decided by meaning — "row" can be a boat action or an argument, so read for sense.
- Forgetting to check both words in move-a-letter and insert-a-letter questions.
- Not writing the alphabet strip before a code or sequence — the top cause of avoidable code errors.
- Red herrings. An answer option that looks tidy but breaks the pattern is there on purpose; verify the rule holds all the way through.
- Mismarking the OMR sheet. Skipping a question but not skipping the answer bubble shifts every later answer down a row.
How raw marks become a score: the SAS
Grammar schools rarely look at raw marks. They use a Standardised Age Score (SAS), which adjusts for your child's exact age in months so that a summer-born pupil is not disadvantaged against an autumn-born classmate. The scale runs roughly 69 to 141, with 100 as the average; many grammar schools look for around 111 or above, though exact qualifying scores vary by area and year and are not published in advance. The practical takeaway: getting the harder, rarer question types right is what lifts a good score into a competitive one, so do not neglect the types your child instinctively avoids.
Frequently asked questions
How many VR question types are there?
Around 21 in the common GL/Bond framework, labelled Type A to U. You do not need to memorise the labels — you need to recognise each type on sight and run its method.
Does GL tell you which types appear in the paper?
No. GL does not disclose in advance which of the types will show up, which is exactly why breadth of practice matters. Cover them all, then drill the weak ones.
How long is a VR paper and what score does my child need?
Expect roughly 50 minutes and about 50-80 questions, so 35-55 seconds each. Scores are reported as an age-adjusted SAS (about 69-141, 100 average); many grammars want around 111+, but check your specific area as pass marks vary.