Free 11+ guide
Tiffin Boys Stage 2 format, English and practice papers
Tiffin School Stage 2 uses handwritten English and maths answers, including extended English responses. Start with the school’s illustrative English and maths questions. They show possible tasks, not a released past paper or a guaranteed blueprint for the next test.
Source: Tiffin School 2027 FAQs (accessed 2026-09-24) · Tiffin illustrative English questions (accessed 2026-09-24) · Tiffin illustrative maths questions (accessed 2026-09-24)
What changes between the stages
Source: Tiffin School 2027 FAQs (accessed 2026-09-24) · Tiffin example maths answer sheet (accessed 2026-09-24)
| Stage | Response | Useful preparation |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | English selected answers; maths includes selected and numerical OMR responses. | Answer the question, then transfer carefully to the correct row or digit columns. |
| Stage 2 | Handwritten English and maths. | Explain an interpretation in complete sentences and make the final maths answer unambiguous. |
The FAQ describes papers of roughly 40 to 60 minutes, with Stage 2 similar in length, and warns that question types, counts and timings can change. Content builds on completed Year 5 work, including application in unfamiliar formats.
An original English response to try
Worked example Explain a change of mood
Original teaching example. “At the gate, Leo rehearsed his first sentence. Inside, he saw his sketch pinned beside the finished paintings. He stopped rehearsing and stepped towards the table.” How does Leo’s behaviour change, and which details support your interpretation?
Why this works: A reasonable answer contrasts rehearsing, which suggests uncertainty, with stepping forward after seeing his sketch displayed. Explain the connection: the display may make him feel that his work belongs there. “May” keeps the inference proportionate to the evidence.
Why the tempting route fails: “Leo wins the competition” supplies an outcome that is absent. A quotation alone also leaves the reader to work out your interpretation.
Parent review: ask for one precise detail and one sentence explaining it. Then ask your child to cut a repeated idea. This is our teaching checklist, not Quest’s marking scheme.
Work carefully, then check the answer box
Source: Tiffin illustrative maths questions (accessed 2026-09-24)
Worked example A ratio with a change
Original teaching example. Red and blue counters are in the ratio 3:5. After adding 12 red counters the numbers are equal. How many counters were there originally?
Why this works: The difference is two ratio parts, so one part is 6. There were 18 red and 30 blue counters, giving 48 originally. Check that 18 + 12 = 30.
Why the tempting route fails: 60 counts the newly added counters as part of the original collection. Read the final word “originally” before entering the answer.
The official maths illustrations say rough work is not marked. Use working to reach and check the final answer; do not assume an unfinished method will receive credit.
Use official illustrations, then varied original practice
Source: Tiffin illustrative English questions (accessed 2026-09-24) · Tiffin illustrative maths questions (accessed 2026-09-24) · Tiffin example maths answer sheet (accessed 2026-09-24)
- Open the English and maths source links above and read their cautions before using them.
- Try the numerical OMR example separately from subject practice so answer-transfer errors are easy to spot.
- In Year 4, discuss a short passage and one number problem. In Year 5, build independence before adding a clock.
- Ask any mock provider what is original, how feedback is produced and which format claims the school actually supports.
A complete Stage Two practice task
Source: Tiffin School FAQ, entry September 2027 (PDF) (accessed 2026-09-26) · Tiffin School illustrative English questions (PDF) (accessed 2026-09-26) · Tiffin School illustrative maths questions (PDF) (accessed 2026-09-26)
Stage Two needs handwritten answers in full sentences and clear final answers in maths. Try this task in one sitting, then compare with the model answers. Your writing stays in this browser.
Original practice task. Not a Tiffin School paper: the school publishes illustrative questions only.
Stage Two practice: reading, a longer answer and written maths
Read the passage and answer questions 1 to 3 in full sentences. Question 3 is a longer piece of writing. Then answer the maths questions, writing each final answer clearly.
Tiffin's FAQ says Stage One papers take about 40 to 60 minutes each and Stage Two papers are similar in length. Pick one clock for the English and one for the maths.
The lost property box
[1]The lost property box outside the school office had been overflowing since September. Nadia walked past it twice a day and had long ago stopped seeing it.
[2]On Wednesday, a single blue glove lay on top of the heap. It was hand-knitted, with a white star stitched onto the back and the thumb darned in slightly darker wool. Somebody, Nadia thought, had mended that thumb very carefully.
[3]At lunch she took the glove to the office. The secretary shrugged. "Nobody ever claims gloves," she said. "One glove is no use to anyone." Nadia asked for a sheet of paper anyway. She drew the star as neatly as she could, wrote FOUND: ONE BLUE GLOVE underneath, and pinned it to the noticeboard by the gate, where parents waited at the end of the day.
[4]The next afternoon, the notice had gone. In its place was a small card in careful handwriting: Thank you. It was my grandmother's last pair. Nadia read it twice, then looked at the lost property box, where a green scarf was trailing onto the floor.
Why does Nadia think the glove might matter to its owner? Refer to paragraph 2.
How does Nadia's attitude to the lost property box change between paragraph 1 and the end? Use evidence from both.
Longer answer: write the next scene, in which Nadia decides what to do about the green scarf. Keep the same characters and setting. Show her thoughts through what she does and says.
Plan for a few minutes first. Your plan and draft stay on this device only.
0 words
A tank is three fifths full. Adding 18 litres makes it nine tenths full. What is its capacity?
A bag contains red and white beads in the ratio 5:3. There are 18 more red beads than white beads. How many beads are in the bag?
Nia spends one third of her money, then £8. She has one quarter of her original money left. How much money did she have originally?
A rectangular tile grid has 9 rows and 12 columns. Every tile touching the outer edge is blue; all other tiles are white. How many tiles are blue?
Questions parents ask
Are there Tiffin Boys Stage 2 past papers?
No. Tiffin School says it does not publish past papers. It publishes illustrative English and maths questions covering both stages, and warns that the number of questions, timings and question types change every year.
How long are the Tiffin Stage 2 papers?
The 2027 FAQ says Stage One papers take about 40 to 60 minutes each and that Stage Two papers are similar in length. It does not give exact Stage Two timings, so treat any exact time on a practice paper as a guess.
Who marks Tiffin Stage 2?
The FAQ says Stage One is marked by computer and Stage Two is marked by Quest, using subject specialists in English and maths.
Is working marked in the Tiffin maths papers?
The school's illustrative maths questions say rough work is not marked. Keep working to check your method, but make sure the final answer is written clearly.
Want to keep going?
If the written answers were the hard part, the free lesson works on one skill at a time with feedback. Everything above stays free without an account. A free account saves your child's progress through the lessons so you can pick up where you left off.
Or leave your email and we may write, with the school's source link, if a date or rule on this page changes. Nothing is sent automatically, so check the school's own page before you act.
Sources and independence
Sources
Tiffin School 2027 FAQs. Official guidance. Accessed 2026-09-24. Read the official sourcehttps://www.tiffinschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/FREQUENTLY-ASKED-QUESTIONS-FAQs-Entry-Sept-2027-03.07.26.pdf
Tiffin illustrative English questions. Official guidance. Accessed 2026-09-24. Read the official sourcehttps://www.tiffinschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Illustrative-questions-English.pdf
Tiffin illustrative maths questions. Official guidance. Accessed 2026-09-24. Read the official sourcehttps://www.tiffinschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Illustrative-questions-Maths.pdf
Tiffin example maths answer sheet. Official guidance. Accessed 2026-09-24. Read the official sourcehttps://www.tiffinschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Example-OMR-Marksheet.pdf
Accessed 2026-09-24. Independent preparation, not affiliated with or endorsed by the school or test provider. Activities and routines are our suggestions, not official questions, marking schemes or promises of admission. Check the entry year before using a policy.