Three consecutive letters are taken out of a word, and your child has to choose the three that put it back. The partnership calls these Words in sentences, and they are among the most reliable marks available once the method is in place.
What the question looks like
From the partnership's Entrance Test Familiarisation Guide, the worked example is this:
"The cat scratched him with his C_S." The options are LAD, LAW, HAD, RAW and RED.
The answer is LAW, because inserting it gives CLAWS, which completes the sentence sensibly.
Note the three conditions the guide sets. The three letters stay in the order given, they must make a correctly spelt word, and the finished sentence has to make sense. All three have to hold.
The method
- Read the sentence first and work out what the missing word must mean. "The cat scratched him with his..." is almost certainly CLAWS or PAWS before you look at a single option.
- Count the letters. The capitals show you the length: C_S with three inserted gives a five letter word.
- Test each option in order. Letters go in without rearranging.
- Check both conditions: is it a real word, and does the sentence still make sense?
- Move on. If two seem to work, reread the sentence. Only one will fit the meaning.
Predicting the word before reading the options is the step that makes this fast. A child who works through five options cold is doing five times the work.
The trap
| Option | Makes C_S into | Real word? | Sentence makes sense? |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAD | CLADS | Arguably | No |
| LAW | CLAWS | Yes | Yes |
| HAD | CHADS | Obscure | No |
| RAW | CRAWS | Obscure | No |
| RED | CREDS | No | No |
Several options form letter strings that look vaguely wordlike. That is deliberate. The sentence is the tiebreaker, which is why reading it properly comes first and not last.
One caution the guide gives itself, and it is worth repeating: not every type shown will definitely appear, and the real test contains types the guide does not show. Treat it as the best available picture rather than a syllabus.
What it really rests on
Like most verbal reasoning, this looks like a puzzle and runs on vocabulary and spelling.
A child who does not know the word CLAWS, or is unsure how it is spelt, cannot do this question by reasoning. The method speeds up a child who has the words. It does not supply them.
So teach the method in a single session, then put the time into reading. See our guide to vocabulary and our guide to verbal reasoning.
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Predict the word before you read the options
The single thing that makes these fast is reading the sentence and deciding what the word has to be before looking at a single option. The cat scratched him with his something. You know that is claws or paws before anyone has shown you five choices.
Children do the opposite. They go straight to the options and try each one, which is five times the work under a clock that is already tight.
And then underneath it all, as with every one of the language types, it is vocabulary and spelling. If a child does not know the word, or cannot spell it, there is no reasoning route to the answer. Teach the method in one session, then go and read.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
What are Words in sentences questions in the 11+?
Three consecutive letters are removed from a word shown in capitals, and the child chooses the three letters that restore it. The letters stay in the order given, they must make a correctly spelt word, and the completed sentence must make sense.
How do you solve missing letter questions?
Read the sentence first and predict what the missing word must be, then test the options in order. In the official example, "The cat scratched him with his C_S" is almost certainly CLAWS before you look at any option, and LAW is the answer.
Why do several options look like they might work?
Because that is deliberate. Options often form letter strings that look vaguely wordlike, so the sentence is the tiebreaker. A child who checks only whether something could be a word, without rereading the sentence, will pick a wrong answer confidently.
Can you rearrange the letters in these questions?
No. The three letters must go in without changing their order, which is one of the conditions the official guide states. They must also produce a correctly spelt word and a sentence that makes sense.
What do missing letter questions actually test?
Vocabulary and spelling, in a puzzle format. A child who does not know a word, or is unsure how it is spelt, cannot reason their way to it. The method speeds up a child who already has the words; it does not supply them.