Apostrophes do exactly two jobs: they show ownership, and they replace missing letters. Get that straight and you will almost never drop a mark on them again. Yet apostrophes appear on nearly every 11+ English paper — inside spelling and punctuation sections, hidden in comprehension answers, and quietly judged in the writing task — which makes them some of the easiest marks to win and, if you are careless, some of the easiest to lose. This guide breaks the rules down into a system a Year 4, 5 or 6 pupil can actually remember under time pressure, with worked examples, a rules table, and the exact traps GL and CSSE examiners love to set.
Where apostrophes turn up on the 11+
On a typical GL Assessment English paper (around 50 minutes, multiple-choice with a separate OMR answer sheet), apostrophes surface in three places. First, in select-the-error punctuation questions, where you pick which underlined section contains a mistake — often a missing or misplaced apostrophe. Second, in proofreading and SPaG rows, where you decide whether a sentence is correct or spot the faulty word. Third, in continuous or creative writing for CSSE (Essex) and ISEB Common Pre-Test independent schools, where accurate punctuation is part of the mark scheme. In every case the underlying rule is the same, so mastering the two core jobs pays off across the whole paper. You can drill the exact question format in our free worksheets and under timed conditions in a full mock paper.
Job one: contraction (replacing missing letters)
A contraction squashes two words into one and uses an apostrophe to mark the missing letters. Do not becomes don't; it is becomes it's; they are becomes they're; we will becomes we'll. The apostrophe always sits precisely where the letters were removed — not just somewhere near the join. A handy check: if you can expand the word back into two full words and the sentence still makes sense, the apostrophe is doing contraction work.
- can't = cannot (the no is dropped)
- I'm = I am
- she'd = she had or she would
- o'clock = of the clock (a fossilised contraction!)
- won't = will not (irregular, but still a contraction)
Job two: possession (showing ownership)
The second job is showing that something belongs to someone. Here the placement of the apostrophe tells you how many owners there are, so it carries real meaning. The dog's bowl is the bowl belonging to one dog. The dogs' bowl is a bowl shared by several dogs. A reliable trick is to ask "who does it belong to?" first, write that owner down, and only then add the apostrophe and (if needed) the s.
| What you mean | How to write it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One owner | owner + 's | the girl's coat |
| More than one owner (plural ending in s) | owners + ' | the girls' coats |
| Irregular plural (not ending in s) | owners + 's | the children's toys |
| Name already ending in s | name + 's (usually) | James's book |
The it's / its trap
It's only ever means "it is" or "it has". It never shows possession. Possessive its has no apostrophe at all — exactly like his, hers, ours and theirs, which are also possessive but apostrophe-free. So "The cat licked its paws" is correct (the paws belong to it), while "It's raining" means "it is raining". Examiners set this trap constantly, so build a quick habit: whenever you see its or it's, try replacing it with "it is". If the sentence still works, you need the apostrophe; if it sounds silly, drop it.
The common mistake: apostrophes in plurals
Ordinary plurals never take an apostrophe. "I bought three apple's" is wrong — it should be "three apples". This error is so common it has a nickname, the "greengrocer's apostrophe", after the market signs reading tomato's 50p. The only time a word like Apple's is correct is when it genuinely shows possession, as in "Apple's newest phone" (the phone belonging to the company). If you are simply making a word mean "more than one", leave the apostrophe out entirely.
A 60-second checking routine
- Spot the apostrophe. Ask: is this contraction or possession?
- If contraction, expand the word (it's → it is). Does it still make sense? If yes, keep it.
- If possession, name the owner. One owner → 's. More than one already ending in s → s'.
- If it is just a plural, take the apostrophe out.
- Double-check its / it's every single time — it is the most-tested trap of all.
Practise this routine on ten sentences a day and it becomes automatic. Our revision hub groups apostrophe drills with the wider SPaG topics — commas, speech marks and homophones — so you cover the whole punctuation section, and the exam guides show how these skills map onto your region's specific paper, whether that is GL or CSSE.
Frequently asked questions
Are apostrophes really tested on the 11+?
Yes. They appear in the punctuation and proofreading sections of GL and CSSE English papers, and they are marked as part of accuracy in any extended writing task, so they affect your standardised score across the whole paper.
How do I remember its versus it's?
Say "it is" in your head. "It's" always unpacks into "it is" or "it has". If that expansion sounds wrong, use possessive "its" with no apostrophe — just like "his" and "hers", which never take one either.
Does a name ending in s take another s?
Usually yes: "James's coat" and "the bus's wheels" are both standard. Some style guides allow just an apostrophe (James'), but for the 11+ the safest, most widely accepted choice is to add 's.