11+ English Sample - Truro School

11+ ENTRANCE EXAMINATION IN ENGLISH
(SAMPLE)
The English papers of the 11+ Entrance Examination are intended to give us an impression of the
level of each candidate’s skills as a reader and writer of English. The paper is in two 25 minute
sections, each carrying equal marks, separated by a short break.
No specific preparation is required for this examination, beyond the work normally undertaken at
Key Stage Two.
Section 1
This requires candidates to read a passage of around 600 words, which will
typically be taken from published fiction or non-fiction suitable for a competent year 6 reader.
Candidates will be tested on their reading through a number of questions on the
passage in various forms, e.g. multiple choice, underlining correct answers, one-word answers
and longer answers. Questions will test candidates’ general understanding, vocabulary, basic
appreciation of stylistic devices (e.g. use of capital letters, italics or punctuation for emphasis) and
will usually include one request that the candidate develop an opinion or idea in brief detail.
Questions may feature references to word classes (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) and / or technical
terms such as simile, metaphor or onomatopoeia, but where these terms are used, there will also
be guidance in simple language to help the candidate answer the question appropriately. The
question sheet will provide space for candidates to write in their answers, and the marks for each
question will be shown; both features should help to guide candidates as to the length of answer
required.
In this section, marks are awarded almost exclusively for the accuracy of
information in the candidates’ answers, which should reflect their reading / comprehension skills.
Nevertheless, it is important that candidates realise that legible handwriting, accurate spelling and
helpful punctuation are expected at all stages of the English examination. Where longer answers
are indicated, these are best written in full sentences.
Section 2
This will require candidates to produce a piece of original writing. There will be a
choice of two tasks – creative (e.g. story) and non-fiction (e.g. letter, diary, report). Each task will
include guidance on content, and candidates will be advised to devote five minutes to thinking and
planning.
Within the time available, it is not anticipated that candidates will produce a lengthy
written response. Usually, between 100 and 200 words are written. It is not advisable to be overambitious,
but nor is it disastrous if the candidate does not ”finish” the piece (s)he intended to
write. The quality of the writing is of the greatest importance in this section. Candidates should
demonstrate their ability to respond appropriately to the demands of the task by writing legibly,
organising their ideas into grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs with helpful
punctuation, and using a varied vocabulary, accurately spelled.
The best candidates will write clearly / interestingly / imaginatively / expressively /
fluently / confidently. They will use language effectively, demonstrating a wide vocabulary, their
sentence structure will be varied, and they will use a range of punctuation marks. Their writing
will present ideas organised into a clear structure, reflected in paragraphing.
A condensed version of a recent paper is appended for your further information.

Time Allowed 50 minutes
This paper is in two sections with a very short break in between.
You have 25 minutes to do this first section. Your answers will then be
collected and you will have 25 minutes for the second section.
You should take care with handwriting, spelling and punctuation.
Starting over the page, is a passage for you to read. When you have
read it, answer all the questions about it on the separate question and
answer sheets, using pen or biro.
Read the questions and follow their instructions carefully. There is no
“set” way to answer apart from what the question tells you.
If you run out of space for an answer, continue writing at the bottom of
the page.
Write your name at the top of the question sheet now.
You have 25 minutes to do this work.
(adapted from “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone” by J K Rowling)
Eleven year old Harry is preparing for his first term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry, helped by Hagrid, who works at the school.
5
10
15
Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up and stretched.
"Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer
school."
Harry had just thought of something which made him feel as though the happy balloon
inside him had got a puncture.
"Um – Hagrid? I haven't got any money – and you heard Uncle Vernon last night – he
won't pay for me to go and learn magic."
"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "First stop
fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank."
"Wizards have banks?"
"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."
Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.
"Goblins?"
"Yeah – so yeh'd be mad ter try and rob it, I'll tell yer that. Never mess with goblins,
Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe."
* * * * * * * *

20
25
30
35
40
45
50
"Gringotts," said Hagrid.
They had reached a snowy-white building which towered over the other little shops.
Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was –
"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps
towards him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever
face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they
walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words
engraved upon them:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn,
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
"Like I said, yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.
A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble
hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter,
scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales, examining precious stones
through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more
goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.
"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr
Harry Potter's safe."
"You have his key, sir?"
"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid and he started emptying his pockets on to the
counter, scattering a handful of mouldy dog-biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The
goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as
big as glowing coals.
"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.

NAME:_______________________________________________________________
TRURO SCHOOL 11+ ENTRANCE EXAMINATION 2009 - ENGLISH
SECTION 1 (50 marks) - Time Allowed 25 minutes
ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS
1 Read the following statements about what happens in the passage.
Write either YES (true) or NO (not true) after each one.
For example: Harry and Hagrid visit Gringotts. YES
a) Harry's uncle wants to pay his school fees. _____
b) Gringotts is in London. _____
c) Gringotts is one of many banks that wizards use. _____
d) Hagrid considers Gringotts to be a safe place to keep anything precious. _____
e) Hagrid brings his dog to the bank with him. _____
(5 marks)
2 Underline the three words below, which correctly describe goblins in the
passage:
TALL POLITE INTIMIDATING SHORT-SIGHTED HUMOROUS HARD-WORKING
(3 marks)
3 Write down another word or phrase of your own which could be used to replace the
following words in this passage:
(12 marks)
towered over (line 20)______________________________________________________________
burnished (line 21)_________________________________________________________________
scarlet (line 21)____________________________________________________________________
swarthy (line 23)___________________________________________________________________
take heed (line 28)__________________________________________________________________
vast (line 38)______________________________________________________________________
- 2 -
[Turn over

4 This passage is written in the
FIRST PERSON
THIRD PERSON
(underline the correct answer)
(1 mark)
5 Hagrid talks differently from Harry, and the writer shows this by spelling his words
the way they sound, rather than with their correct spelling.
Below is a list of some of Hagrid's words, which you must write with their correct
spelling (the first one has been done for you).
(8 marks)
e.g. ter (line 2) should be spelt to
Hagrid's word
Correct spelling
yer (line 2)
fer (line 2)
an' (line 2)
gotta (line 2)
yeh (line 15)
outta (line 43)
6 (a) Look back at lines 4 and 5, where Harry is described as feeling “as though the
happy balloon inside him had just got a puncture”.
The writer has used a metaphor to explain Harry's feelings.
Explain, in your own words as far as possible (do not use "balloon" or "puncture"),
what Harry's feelings are at this moment in the story.
(4 marks)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

- 3 -
(b) In lines 48 and 49, Harry is watching a goblin weighing “a pile of rubies as big
as glowing coals”
" rubies as big as glowing coals" is an example of a
CLAUSE SIMILE SENTENCE METAPHOR
(underline the correct answer)
(1 mark)
c) When the writer compares the rubies to "glowing coals", how do these words help us
to see what the rubies look like?
(4 marks)
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
7 In line 14, the writer puts Harry's word "Goblins?" into italics (slanted writing).
Explain, as fully as you can, why you think she has done this?
(3 marks)
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
- 4 -
[Turn over

8 Hagrid tells Harry, "Never mess with goblins" (line 14).
How does the writer make it clear to us at two other points in this extract that
Hagrid is wary, and perhaps just a little frightened, of goblins?
(3 marks)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
9 Look back at the description of Gringotts and the goblins (included between lines 20 –
43).
How does the writer help you to form impressions and feelings about the bank and
the goblins who run it?
(Back up your opinions with examples from the passage and make as many comments as you can
about the way this section has been written.)
(6 marks)
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
IF YOU HAVE ANY SPARE TIME, GO BACK AND CHECK THROUGH YOUR ANSWERS.

ENGLISH - SECTION 2 (50 marks) - Time Allowed 25 minutes
In this section you can write either a description or a story which you make up using your
imagination.
You will have 25 minutes to do this work.
Spend a few minutes thinking and planning before you begin writing, and leave time to
check through what you write.
Remember to take care with handwriting, spelling, punctuation and paragraphs.
Your choices are:
EITHER 1 A Description
Describe your first visit to a big and busy place.
(for example, a hospital, an airport, a stately home)
You could include something about
• what you see, hear and smell
• what sort of people are in this place, and what they are doing
• any interesting or unusual things that you see, or that happen
• how you feel about being in this place
OR 2 A Story
I don't believe in magic or the supernatural. Fairies, witches, angels ? No, it's rubbish,
the lot of it – isn't it ? The thing is, though, when I think back to the afternoon I met
him, I just can't explain what happened in any ordinary way . . .
Write on from this point.
(DO NOT COPY OUT THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE!)
You should think about
• the person who is telling the story
• who the storyteller met
• what happened, and why it can't be explained as ordinary
• how whatever happened has made the storyteller uncertain about his, or her, beliefs.
Choose either question 1, the description, or question 2, the story which you make up.
Now write your name on top of the sheet of paper.
Write the number of the question you have chosen in the margin, and begin writing when
you are told to.