"Insert a letter" and "move a letter" are two of the most common GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning question types, and children who learn a reliable method for them pick up marks quickly. Both test the same underlying skills — a wide vocabulary and fast mental manipulation of letters — but they follow slightly different rules, and mixing the two rules up is the single biggest reason able children drop marks here. This guide gives you a clear method for each, several fully worked examples, the traps to watch for, and links to free practice on Quest Arena so your child can drill both types under real exam timing.
Where these types sit in the GL paper
GL Verbal Reasoning papers draw on a bank of around 21 named question types (Bond's popular workbooks label them Type A to Type U). Insert-a-letter and move-a-letter are two of those types, and crucially GL does not tell you in advance which types will appear in a given paper. That is why breadth matters: your child needs to recognise each type on sight rather than expecting a fixed running order. GL papers are multiple-choice, answered on a separate answer sheet, tightly timed at roughly 35 to 50 seconds a question, with no calculator. For a full map of the other families — synonyms, antonyms, analogies, hidden words, letter and number codes — see our GL 11+ papers guide and the exam guides hub.
Insert-a-letter: the method
In an insert-a-letter question you add one letter to an existing word to make a new, longer real word. The added letter usually goes at the start, the middle or the end. For example: BEAR becomes BEARD (add D), PLANE becomes PLANET (add T), and RIP becomes RIPE, TRIP or GRIP depending on where the letter lands.
- Read the word and ask: "Can a single letter be added at the front, in the middle, or at the end to make another word?"
- Run through the highest-yield letters first — S, T, E, R, D, Y, N, P — because these form the most new words in English.
- Check the new word against the answer options. If two additions both work, the correct one is the letter that matches the multiple-choice list.
Worked example. "Insert one letter into RAIN to make a five-letter word." RAIN is already four letters, so you are looking for a longer word: try adding a letter at the front — TRAIN, BRAIN, DRAIN, GRAIN all work. The correct answer is whichever appears in the options, so always let the answer sheet guide the final choice rather than stopping at the first word you find.
Move-a-letter: the method
In a move-a-letter question you take one letter out of word 1 and add it into word 2 so that both results are real words. The letter that moves is the one whose removal still leaves word 1 as a valid word. This "check both words" rule is the whole game.
- Look at word 1: which single letter can be removed to leave a smaller real word?
- That removed letter is your candidate to move.
- Add it to word 2 and confirm word 2 is now a real word too. If either half fails, try a different letter.
Worked example. "Move a letter from PLATE to CAR so both become new words." Test the letters of PLATE one by one. Remove P and you get LATE — valid. Add that P to CAR and you get CARP, a fish — valid. Both words work, so the answer is: move the P. (Removing L gives PATE, which is a real but obscure word; adding L to CAR gives CARL, which is not standard — so P is the cleaner answer. This is exactly why you must test both halves before committing.)
Insert versus move: don't confuse them
These two "confusable" types trip up quick readers who skim the instruction. The difference is simple once named:
| Type | What you do | How many words change |
|---|---|---|
| Insert a letter | Add one new letter to a single word | One word gets longer |
| Move a letter | Take a letter from word 1, put it in word 2 | Both words stay the same length overall |
Read the instruction line first, decide which type you are dealing with, and only then start manipulating letters. Ten seconds spent reading the rule saves a wrong answer.
Common mistakes and traps
- Stopping at the first word. With insert-a-letter, several additions can produce real words. Always match to the options.
- Forgetting to check both words. With move-a-letter, a letter that leaves word 1 valid but breaks word 2 is a trap. Verify both halves every time.
- Only trying the end of the word. Letters can be inserted at the start or in the middle — TRAIN, not just RAINS.
- Guessing at obscure words. If your answer relies on a word your child has never met, it is probably wrong; the intended answer is nearly always a common word.
How to build the vocabulary these types reward
Speed on insert and move questions comes almost entirely from vocabulary. A child who instantly knows CARP, PATE, LATHE, ORATE and GRAIN solves these puzzles far faster than one who has to reason from scratch. Build word knowledge little and often: a five-minute daily session with flashcards or a family word list beats an hour once a week. Tie this into your wider revision plan on our revision hub, and reinforce it with timed drills so recognition becomes automatic under pressure.
Practise on Quest Arena
Every skill on Quest Arena pairs a free downloadable worksheet with a free timed mini-mock, so your child can learn the method and then prove it under real GL timing. Our VR worksheets include dozens of insert and move-a-letter drills, and full-length mock papers place these types alongside the other 20 in exam conditions. If you are targeting a specific school, our centre-specific mocks match the format used in your area.
Frequently asked questions
Does GL tell you which VR question types will appear?
No. GL draws from a bank of around 21 types and does not publish the mix for any given paper, so children need to recognise every type on sight, including insert and move-a-letter.
What is the difference between insert and move-a-letter?
Insert-a-letter adds one new letter to a single word to make it longer. Move-a-letter takes a letter out of one word and puts it into a second word so that both remain real words.
How do these marks affect the final score?
GL raw scores are converted into a Standardised Age Score (SAS), roughly on a 69 to 141 scale with 100 as average and adjusted for your child's exact age in months. Getting more questions right — including the quicker insert and move types — lifts the raw score and therefore the SAS.