Dorset (GL)-Style Mixed Mock
The Dorset (GL)-Style Mixed Mock is modelled on the 11+ entrance test a small number of Dorset grammar schools deliver through GL Assessment, which for many GL-based consortia covers a combination of English, maths and reasoning papers. This mock focuses on the English strand of a GL-style Dorset test: reading comprehension of a short unseen extract, together with vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar items.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the whole extract once for overall sense (setting, characters, mood) before turning to the questions, since most GL-style comprehension questions expect you to already understand the passage as a whole.
- Underline the key instruction word in each question (explain, find and copy, in your own words) so you answer in the way the question actually demands.
- Return to the specific paragraph a question points to rather than answering from memory, since GL comprehension answers are almost always traceable to the text.
- On vocabulary questions, use the surrounding sentence for context clues if you do not recognise a word, rather than leaving it blank.
- On SPaG items, work quickly and flag any you are unsure of to revisit at the end, since these are usually worth only one mark each.
- Match the length and detail of your answer to the marks available: a one-mark question needs a single clear point, while a three or four-mark question needs more than one developed point.
Worked example
Extract: 'Ellie stood at the school gates long after the last pupil had gone, watching the empty playground, unwilling to be the first to leave.' Question: What does this sentence suggest about how Ellie is feeling, and why might she be reluctant to leave? (3 marks)
- Identify the literal action: Ellie is standing at the gates after everyone else has left, and she is described as 'unwilling to be the first to leave'.
- Read this as evidence of an emotional state rather than just a physical fact: staying behind on purpose suggests she does not want to go home, or is avoiding something.
- Consider possible reasons using only what the extract supports: without more context, the safest inference is that Ellie is reluctant, hesitant or possibly troubled about something waiting for her elsewhere.
- Support the answer with the specific phrase 'unwilling to be the first to leave', which shows this is a deliberate choice, not an accident.
- Final answer: Ellie seems reluctant or troubled. The detail that she is 'unwilling to be the first to leave' shows she is deliberately delaying going home, suggesting there may be something she is avoiding or dreading.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1In the sentence 'Liam's shoulders slumped as he read the letter', what does 'slumped' suggest about how Liam feels?Show answer
Answer: Disappointed, defeated or upset, since slumping shoulders is a physical sign of low mood.
Q2Choose the correctly spelled word: (a) recieve, (b) receive.Show answer
Answer: (b) receive.
Q3'The old house creaked and groaned in the wind.' Name the technique used in this description.Show answer
Answer: Personification (the house is given human-like sounds of creaking and groaning).
Q4Rewrite this sentence with the correct capital letter and full stop: 'the museum opens at nine oclock'Show answer
Answer: The museum opens at nine o'clock.
Q5Give one word that means the same as 'exhausted'.Show answer
Answer: For example, tired, weary or drained.
Q6'Despite the rain, the match continued.' What does 'despite' tell the reader about the relationship between the rain and the match continuing?Show answer
Answer: That the match continued even though the rain might have been expected to stop it; 'despite' signals a contrast.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Extract: 'Noah checked his bag for the third time, though he already knew everything was inside.' Find and copy the phrase that shows Noah is anxious, then explain what it suggests about his state of mind. (2 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 2 available
Extract: 'The waiting room clock ticked loudly, each second stretching longer than the last, until finally the door creaked open.' Explain how the writer's language builds a feeling of tension in this sentence. (4 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 4 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the dorset (gl)-style mixed mock worksheet pack - 18 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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