Move a letter questions appear in almost every GL Assessment-style verbal-reasoning paper, and they trip up capable children for one reason: they look like a puzzle to be solved by instinct. They are not. They are a two-word check with a fixed procedure, and once your child works to that procedure the marks come reliably and quickly. This guide gives you the method, a fully worked example, the traps that cost easy marks, and a home-coaching layer so you know exactly what a wrong answer is telling you.
What a move a letter question looks like
The instruction is always the same: move one letter from the first word to the second word so that both remain real words. The first word loses a letter and stays a word; the second word gains that same letter, in some position, and also stays a word. In Bond's A-to-U labelling of the twenty-one GL verbal-reasoning types, this sits among the letter-manipulation family alongside its close cousin, insert a letter. A typical paper carries three to five of these, each worth the same single mark as any other question, so fast, dependable technique here is some of the highest-value preparation available.
Crucially, GL does not tell you in advance which of the twenty-one types will appear in a given paper, so your child must be equally fluent across all of them. That is why we always name the exact type on every guide, so your practice maps one-to-one onto the real test. For the full landscape, see our 21 VR types overview.
The method: remove, then place
Teach your child this exact routine and drill it until it is automatic:
- Take the first word. Remove each letter in turn, left to right, and ask: is what remains a real word? Keep only the letters whose removal leaves a valid word.
- For each surviving letter, take the second word and try inserting that letter at every position, not just the end. Front, between each pair of letters, and the end.
- Stop the moment both words are real. That is your answer. Write down the letter that moved.
The single most important habit is checking both words every time. A child who only checks the second word will confidently break the first one and lose the mark.
A fully worked example
Question: move one letter from PLATE to CAR so both remain real words.
Work through the first word, removing one letter at a time:
- Remove P from PLATE, leaves LATE, a real word. Keep P.
- Remove L, leaves PATE, a real word. Keep L too.
- Remove A, leaves PLTE, not a word.
- Remove T, leaves PLAE, not a word.
- Remove E, leaves PLAT, not a standard word here.
Now test the survivors against CAR. Try P first: CARP is a real word (the fish). Both words are valid, so the answer is: move the P. PLATE becomes LATE, CAR becomes CARP. Had P not worked, we would have tried L: CARL, CLAR, LCAR, CARL none of which is standard, confirming P is the intended answer.
The classic traps
Most lost marks come from a small set of predictable mistakes. Coach your child to watch for these:
- Only appending to the end of word B. The moved letter often belongs at the front or in the middle. Always test every position.
- Breaking word A without checking it. A remainder that is not a word disqualifies the answer, no matter how neat word B looks.
- Confusing move a letter with insert a letter. In move a letter the first word shrinks; in insert a letter a brand-new letter is added and nothing is removed. Read the instruction line every time.
- Accepting a near-word. Names, abbreviations and plurals of non-words do not count. If your child is unsure whether a string is a real word, it usually is not the answer.
Timing and pacing
GL verbal-reasoning papers run roughly fifty minutes with answers marked on a separate multiple-choice sheet, giving a working budget of about thirty-five to fifty seconds a question. Move a letter should sit at the fast end of that range once the method is fluent. If a question resists after about forty seconds, mark it, move on, and return at the end. A paced pupil who banks the easy marks first always outscores one who stalls on a single stubborn item.
| Stage | What to do | Target time |
|---|---|---|
| Read instruction | Confirm it is move (not insert) | 3 sec |
| Scan word A | Remove each letter, keep survivors | 15 sec |
| Test word B | Insert survivors at each position | 20 sec |
| Commit or skip | Mark answer, or flag and return | 5 sec |
How this lifts the Standardised Age Score
GL marks are converted from a raw score into a Standardised Age Score (SAS), roughly on a 70 to 140 scale where 100 is average, and adjusted for your child's exact age in months so younger pupils are not disadvantaged. Every reliably banked move a letter mark nudges that standardised figure upward. Because the type is so learnable, it is one of the most efficient places to convert practice into a higher SAS, which is why we tie technique to scoring rather than treating drills in isolation.
How to practise, and how to coach at home
Little and often wins: five questions of this type each day for a week beats fifty in one sitting. Mark the work together and pay attention to why a wrong answer happened. If the error was a broken first word, drill the remove-and-check step; if it was a missed middle placement, drill inserting at every position. Our free verbal-reasoning worksheets are organised by exact question type, and once the type feels automatic, fold it back into full timed mock papers so pacing develops alongside accuracy. Building the underpinning vocabulary through flashcards and short word lists also helps, since a broad word bank makes spotting valid remainders far quicker. For a structured route through every skill, the revision hub sequences foundations, build and timed refinement.
Frequently asked questions
How is move a letter different from insert a letter?
In move a letter, one letter leaves the first word and joins the second, so the first word gets shorter. In insert a letter, a new letter is added to make one word and nothing is taken away. Reading the instruction line each time prevents the mix-up.
Does GL tell you which question types will appear?
No. GL does not disclose in advance which of the twenty-one verbal-reasoning types are in a given paper, so children need to be fluent across all of them rather than betting on a few.
What score does my child need?
It depends on the area and year. Many grammar schools look for a Standardised Age Score around 111 or above, but exact qualifying marks vary by consortium and are set each year, so no single number applies everywhere.