The note
How schools teach it now
Not taught in school. The 11+ strategy: take one letter position at a time. Find two figures sharing that letter and ask what they have in common (shape, shading, size, arrow direction). Some features change but are not in the code, so ignore them.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
Lay out playing cards and invent a code: the first letter for colour (R red, B black), the second for picture or number (P or N). Write codes for a few cards, then let your child write the code for a new card. Swap roles.
Worked example
A white circle is AX, a black circle is AY and a white square is BX. What is the code for a black square?
- Both circles start with A, and the square starts with B: the first letter is the shape.
- Both white shapes end in X, the black one in Y: the second letter is the shading.
- Black square: B for square, Y for black.
Answer: BY
Common mistakes to watch for
- Guessing what a letter means from one figure instead of comparing two.
- Being distracted by a feature that changes but isn't in the code.
- Writing the letters in the wrong order.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “Compare two figures that share a letter. That's great detective work.”
- Rather than
- “Hurry up, it's only two letters.”