11 Plus Cloze Tests Explained for Parents

If your child is preparing for the 11 Plus selection tests for grammar schools, you may have come across the term ‘cloze’ tests in your research.

What is the Cloze Test?

The 11+ cloze task is used to test a child’s English ability, with a series of questions where they are required to fill in the blanks in a passage.

What is the purpose of the 11 Plus Close Test?

Cloze is used to test a child’s ability in:

• vocabulary
• spelling
• grammar
• understanding of the English language
• being able to think critically and analysing text

What Types of Questions are in the 11+ Cloze Test?

Cloze tests are used in the grammar school selection tests, especially in CEM papers, and the questions are presented in the following forms:

• Cloze Words

This type of exercise involves filling in the missing letters within words. For example:

John was the F _ _ _ _ _ T runner on the team and ran in county competitions.

The missing letters are: ‘ASTES’, to make ‘FASTEST’.

• Cloze Paragraphs

In this exercise, words are missing from a paragraph and must be filled in so that the sentence makes sense. For example:

Jo caught a bad cold and was _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to stay at home till she was better, for Mrs Smith didn’t like to hear people read with colds in their heads.

The missing word is ‘ORDERED’. In some papers, a list of words are provided for your child to select (a word bank), and in others, they will need to work out the missing word without a word bank.

How Can You Prepare Your Child for the 11+ Cloze Test?

It goes without saying that any English-based questions in the 11 + exams require an understanding of the English language and it’s forms and a wide vocabulary. The best way to support your child in learning words and building a broad range of vocabulary is to encourage reading. These days, most children are in awe of David Walliams, Jacqueline Wilson, and similar authors who write humorous books. I am all for encouraging children to read as much as possible. However, the 11 Plus exams use words that stretch children far beyond this genre and level. Please take a look at our 11 Plus reading lists for year 4 and year 5 to get some recommendations of books to read. If you prepare your child for grammar school selection tests, make sure that cloze test practice is part of that preparation. We have an 11 Plus Cloze downloadable guide, with exercises and tips for your child to use to get a head start in their practice.