Learn five letters and one rule, and a child never counts from A again.
This is not a question type of its own. It is a piece of mental equipment that makes several question types faster, and it takes about five minutes to teach.
Why this is worth five minutes
Letter sequences, codes and coded calculations all require knowing where letters sit. A child who counts "A, B, C, D..." on their fingers to find that R is the eighteenth letter has spent fifteen seconds and lost their place in the question.
Sections are individually timed and cannot be revisited, so seconds spent counting are marks.
The five anchors
Memorise these five, which are evenly spaced and easy to hold:
| Letter | Position |
|---|---|
| E | 5 |
| J | 10 |
| O | 15 |
| T | 20 |
| Y | 25 |
Then count a step or two from the nearest anchor rather than from the beginning.
Where is R? T is 20, and R is two letters before T, so R is 18.
Where is M? O is 15, and M is two before O, so M is 13. Worth knowing anyway: M and N sit at 13 and 14, right in the middle.
The mirror rule
A letter and its mirror partner always add to 27.
A pairs with Z, because 1 plus 26 is 27. B pairs with Y. C pairs with X, since 3 plus 24 is 27. R pairs with I, since 18 plus 9 is 27.
This is the rule behind mirrored letter sequences such as AZ, BY, CX, and knowing it turns those from baffling into instant. Our guide to letter sequences uses it.
Where it pays off
- Letter sequences, especially mirrored ones.
- Letter codes, where shifts are counted in positions.
- Coded calculations, where letters carry positional values.
- Any question using alphabet order, including some verbal sorting questions.
One practical note: in the test your child may write the alphabet at the top of the page, which is a good habit and worth doing. The anchors are for the moments when they have not, or when they need one letter quickly.
See where your child stands today
Timed sections in the GL Assessment format, marked instantly, with a topic-by-topic breakdown. No sign-up to start.
Five minutes of teaching, bought back all paper
This is the smallest thing on the whole site and one of the best returns. Five anchor letters and the mirror rule, taught in a single sitting, and a child stops counting on their fingers.
It matters because of the timing. The sections are individually timed and a child cannot go back to an earlier one, so fifteen seconds spent counting from A is not just slow, it is a mark somewhere else in that section.
And the mirror rule is the one that makes mirrored sequences obvious. AZ, BY, CX looks like nonsense until a child knows every pair adds to twenty seven, and then it is the easiest question on the page.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
How do you quickly find a letter's position in the alphabet?
Memorise five anchors: E is 5, J is 10, O is 15, T is 20 and Y is 25. Then count a step or two from the nearest anchor. R is two before T, so R is 18.
What is the mirror rule for letters?
A letter and its mirror partner always add to 27. A pairs with Z because 1 plus 26 is 27, C pairs with X because 3 plus 24 is 27, and R pairs with I because 18 plus 9 is 27.
Why does alphabet position matter in the 11+?
Because letter sequences, codes and coded calculations all depend on it. A child counting from A on their fingers loses ten or fifteen seconds and their place in the question, and sections are individually timed with no going back.
Which letters are in the middle of the alphabet?
M and N, at positions 13 and 14. That is a useful anchor in its own right for questions that involve splitting the alphabet or working from the middle.
Should my child write out the alphabet in the test?
Yes, it is a good habit and takes about fifteen seconds once. The anchors are for the moments when they have not written it out, or when they need a single letter's position quickly.