11+ · Topic guide

Hertfordshire (SET/Moderator)-Style Mixed Mock

The Hertfordshire (SET/Moderator)-Style Mixed Mock reflects Hertfordshire's approach to 11+ selection, where each selective school, or small group of schools, sets and administers its own entrance test rather than one county-wide test, sometimes moderating results against a shared standard so scores from different sittings can be compared fairly. This mock focuses on non-verbal reasoning, since spatial and pattern-based reasoning is a common component across most Hertfordshire schools' own tests, with questions described in words rather than pictures.

Year 5-6 (11+)Non-Verbal ReasoningGL AssessmentCEM

Before you start

Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:

Method

  1. Since Hertfordshire schools set their own tests, check your specific target school's sample papers or admissions guidance closely, rather than assuming its format matches a neighbouring school's.
  2. For any shape sequence, compare consecutive shapes systematically across every property you can think of (number of sides, shading, size, rotation, number of internal marks) rather than stopping at the first difference noticed.
  3. State a suspected rule in words and test it against every shape given, not just the first two, since a rule that fits two shapes does not always fit a third.
  4. For symmetry questions, check for both line symmetry (a mirror line) and rotational symmetry separately, since a shape can have one without the other.
  5. For reflection questions, work out the mirror line's position first, then check each point or feature is the same distance from the mirror line on the opposite side.
  6. Work at a brisk, practised pace once a rule is confirmed, since non-verbal reasoning sections typically contain many short questions worth equal marks.

Worked example

A shape has 2 lines of symmetry in Step 1, 4 lines of symmetry in Step 2, and 6 lines of symmetry in Step 3. Following the same rule, how many lines of symmetry does the shape in Step 4 have?

  1. Compare the number of lines of symmetry across the steps: 2, 4, 6.
  2. Identify the rule: the number of lines of symmetry increases by 2 at each step.
  3. Apply the rule to find Step 4: 6 + 2.
  4. Calculate: 6 + 2 = 8.
  5. Final answer: the shape in Step 4 has 8 lines of symmetry.

Practice questions

Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.

Q1A shape is reflected in a vertical mirror line. A dot is 3 cm to the left of the mirror line. Where does the reflected dot appear?Show answer

Answer: 3 cm to the right of the mirror line, at the same height.

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Q2A shape has rotational symmetry of order 4. Through what angle must it be rotated to look exactly the same again for the first time?Show answer

Answer: 90 degrees (360 divided by 4 = 90).

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Q3Four shapes are described: a regular pentagon; a regular hexagon; an irregular pentagon with sides of different lengths; a regular octagon. Which is the odd one out?Show answer

Answer: The irregular pentagon, since it is the only shape whose sides and angles are not all equal (the others are all regular polygons).

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Q4A sequence of shapes shows the number of shaded squares increasing: 1, 4, 9, 16. How many shaded squares does the next shape have?Show answer

Answer: 25 (these are square numbers: 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5).

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Q5A shape is rotated 180 degrees. If a marked corner started at the top-left, where does it end up?Show answer

Answer: At the bottom-right (a 180-degree rotation moves a point to the diagonally opposite position).

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Q6A net has five faces arranged so that folding it produces an open-topped box (no lid). How many faces does the finished box have, including the base?Show answer

Answer: 5 faces (4 sides and 1 base, with no top face since the box is open).

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Exam-style questions

Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.

Q1[4 marks]

A sequence of shapes changes in two ways: the number of sides increases by 1 each time, and the number of lines of symmetry equals the number of sides for each regular shape in the sequence. Shape 1 is an equilateral triangle (3 sides, 3 lines of symmetry). Shape 2 is a square (4 sides, 4 lines of symmetry). Work out the number of sides and the number of lines of symmetry for Shape 3, explaining your reasoning.

Show mark scheme

Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.

Nothing ticked yet - 4 available

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Q2[4 marks]

A square is reflected first in a vertical mirror line, then the resulting shape is reflected again in a horizontal mirror line. A marked dot starts in the top-left corner of the original square. Explain, step by step, where the dot ends up after both reflections.

Show mark scheme

Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.

Nothing ticked yet - 4 available

Got it right?

Free printable worksheet

Want more practice on paper? Download the hertfordshire (set/moderator)-style mixed mock worksheet pack - 21 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.

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