Using Atom Home for CSSE exam preparation

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key. We recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes, focusing on your child's tailored learning plan. 

Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right difficulty level to keep them motivated and challenged. 

CSSE exam format

The maths paper lasts one hour. Questions are based on the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum. Your child will be assessed on their arithmetic, reasoning, and problem-solving skills.

Key topics:

• number and place value

• operations

• fractions (including decimals and percentages)

• ratio and proportions

• measurement

• geometry

• simple statistics

The English paper lasts one hour, with an additional 10 minutes for reading. It consists of two sections.

The first section is a reading comprehension task. Children have 10 minutes to read a passage of text which could be fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. They then answer questions to demonstrate their understanding of what they have read.

The second section is a continuous creative writing task. This involves writing a response to a prompt. Children are assessed on vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, grammar, the originality of their ideas, and the use of varied structure.

For support with creative writing, please see our creative writing guide here. 

You can also find creative writing familiarisation tests on the Test page of your account. These can be used to prepare for the CSSE exam, and you can read more about them here. 

👉 More information on the CSSE exam, including important dates, can be found here.

Refine exam technique

Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions.

With an Exam Preparation Plus subscription, you have access tests to help your child prepare for every aspect of the CSSE.

Unlimited mock tests 

Our CSSE-style mock tests help your child get familiar with question types, time pressure, and working through longer papers. These are available to take as many times as you like and can be downloaded as printable practice papers, too.

Written tests

Our written tests for each subject are designed to help your child practise the written element of the CSSE, where they'll need to show their working in maths and write longer, free-text responses in English.

Here's what to expect:

• Format: Timed written task with multi-mark questions, completed online.
• Marking: Their writing will be marked thoroughly, with clear feedback on how marks were achieved and where improvements can be made, helping your child understand their strengths and build confidence
• Number of tests: These are single-use. Unlike the unlimited mock tests, the total number is limited. 
  
  

You can find both your mock tests and written tests on the Test page of your account.