11+ Verbal Reasoning: Mastering Word Logic for the Medway Test
While the Maths and English papers in the 11+ focus on what your child has learned in school, Verbal Reasoning (VR) looks at how they think. It is designed to test a child’s ability to solve problems, find patterns, and use logic—all through the medium of language.
In the Medway Test, Verbal Reasoning makes up a significant part of the Reasoning paper. For many children, it is the section where they lose the most time. However, because VR is based on specific “types” of puzzles, it is one of the most coachable parts of the entire exam.
The 3 Core Pillars of Verbal Reasoning
Most Verbal Reasoning questions fall into three categories: Word Relationships, Codes, and Logic. Here is how to approach the most common challenges.
1. Cracking the Codes
In these questions, words are translated into number or letter codes (e.g., if CAT is DBU, what is DOG?).
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The Tip: Always write the alphabet out at the top of the page immediately. It’s much faster to look at a physical line of letters than to count forward and backward in your head under pressure.
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Look for: Consistent shifts (e.g., every letter moves forward by 2) or “mirror” codes (A=Z, B=Y).
2. Identifying Word Links
This includes “Synonyms and Antonyms” (finding words with similar or opposite meanings) and “Analogies” (e.g., Glove is to Hand as Sock is to Foot).
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The Tip: If your child is stuck between two similar words, ask them to use each one in a sentence. Often, the context makes the correct choice obvious.
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Focus on: Building a “VR-specific” vocabulary. Words like loathe, abundant, and conceal appear frequently in these papers.
3. Hidden and Compound Words
Children are often asked to find a four-letter word hidden across the boundary of two others (e.g., “The rat eats cheese” — RATE) or to join two words to make a new one (e.g., PAN + CAKE).
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The Tip: Teach your child to use their finger to “scan” through the letters, ignoring the spaces between words. This helps the brain see the letters as a continuous string rather than separate words.
Avoid the “Vocabulary Trap”
Many parents believe that simply reading more books will guarantee a high Verbal Reasoning score. While reading is essential, VR is a logic test. A child can have a brilliant vocabulary but still struggle if they don’t understand the structure of the questions.
For example, “Letter Sequences” (AD, CF, EH…) are purely mathematical logic applied to the alphabet. If your child treats this like an English task, they will likely run out of time.
How Tuition Academy Medway Can Help
At Tuition Academy Medway, we break Verbal Reasoning down into its component parts. We teach our students the specific “mechanics” of all 21 common GL Assessment question types.
Our qualified teachers focus on:
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Time Management: Teaching children when to move on from a “stubborn” logic puzzle.
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Elimination Strategies: How to quickly narrow down multiple-choice options.
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Vocabulary Expansion: Focused sessions on the specific words that appear most often in 11+ papers.
Building Reasoning Resilience
Verbal Reasoning can be frustrating at first. It feels like a series of riddles. But once a child “clicks” with the logic, it often becomes their favourite part of the test. By starting early and practicing the right techniques, you turn a daunting paper into a source of easy points.
Is your child’s word-logic a bit rusty? Contact Tuition Academy Medway today to find out how our Reasoning specialists can boost their scores and their confidence.
