Exam Day: The Final Week, the Night Before, and the Morning Itself

The final week: taper, don't cram

New material learned in the last week rarely earns marks; exhaustion loses them reliably. Taper like an athlete: light daily practice (15–20 minutes of familiar question types to stay sharp), one final gentle mock no later than 4–5 days out, vocabulary and times-table maintenance, and protected sleep all week — not just the night before. If a topic still isn't mastered by now, let it go; securing the marks your child CAN win beats chasing the ones they can't.

The night before

• •No practice after mid-afternoon — the brain consolidates during rest
• •Lay everything out: clearance letter/admission card, pencils, eraser, sharpener, water bottle, watch if allowed (check the rules), glasses
• •Confirm the venue, journey time and parking — arriving stressed costs real marks
• •Normal dinner, normal bedtime routine, screens off early
• •One calm message: 'You've done the work. Just show what you know.'

The morning and the exam itself

Wake with time to spare, a breakfast with protein (not just sugar), and leave early. Remind them of the three golden rules on the way — read the whole question, skip and return to anything stubborn, and if time is running out on multiple choice, an educated guess beats a blank.

Nerves are normal and even useful; a slightly nervous child is alert. If panic hits mid-paper: pause, three slow breaths, answer one easy question to rebuild momentum.

Afterwards — whatever happens

Don't run a post-mortem in the car. Ask how they felt, mark the day with something nice, and park the topic. Results arrive in mid-October; between now and then, nothing anyone says changes the score. And keep perspective where your child can hear it: the 11+ is one route to one kind of school — a child who worked hard for it has built study habits that will pay off wherever they land. That's true, and children need to hear their parents believe it.