NVR - Looking at a Shape and Making a Code (3)

What Makes These Code Questions More Advanced?

In most Non-Verbal Reasoning code questions, each letter represents one visual feature of a shape.

In this final Codes guide, the same idea still applies, but the questions can be trickier.

Children may need to use a letter that has not appeared in the sample codes. They may also meet different shapes that share the same code, which means they have to think carefully about what the code letters really describe.

How Are These Questions Shown in the 11 Plus Exam?

Candidates are shown a group of shapes or symbols with matching code letters.

They are then shown a test shape and asked which code should go with it.

The difference in these examples is that the code may use three letters, include a new letter, or show two different shapes with the same code.

Example One: Working with Three-Letter Codes

The key to this type of question is to look for similar code letters and work out what each letter position means.

Start with the second letter, M or N.

The first and third shapes both have the letter M. They are both black with a white shape inside.

The second shape is different and has the letter N.

The test shape is not like either of those groups, so it needs a new second code letter. The answer options suggest that this new letter is O.

Finding the Internal Shape Letter

Next, look at another repeated letter.

The first and second shapes both have X, and both contain a triangle in the middle.

The third shape contains a circle and has Y.

The test shape contains a diamond, so it needs another new letter. The answer options suggest this is Z.

At this stage, the code must end in OZ.

Finding the Main Shape Letter

There are still two possible answers ending in OZ, so the remaining letter must also be decoded.

The test shape is a parallelogram.

The third sample shape is also a parallelogram and begins with C.

The other sample shapes are different and have different first letters, so the test shape should also begin with C.

The full code is therefore COZ, which is answer E.

Technique Tip: New Letters Can Be Correct

Some children feel unsure when the correct code contains a letter that did not appear in the original examples.

That is normal in more advanced code questions.

As long as the child has decoded the right feature, a new letter can be the correct answer. The answer options are there to show which new letter is available.

However, if a code letter appears in only one answer option, children should be cautious. It may be too easy and could be a trap unless the rest of the code also fits.

Example Two: When Different Shapes Share a Code

This example introduces a rarer situation: two different shapes have the same code.

The first two shapes are both coded AJ.

Because they share the full code, it is not immediately clear which visual feature belongs to A and which belongs to J.

Children therefore need to look at the other coded shapes to work out the meaning of the letters.

Using the Other Shapes to Decode the Rule

The third and fourth shapes both have the letter B.

They are different shapes and their arrows point in different directions, but in both shapes the two arrows point the same way as each other.

The first two shapes do not have B, and their two arrows do not both point the same way.

This suggests that B means the two arrows point the same way.

The test shape does not have both arrows pointing the same way, so it must use A instead.

Finding the Second Letter

The second letter must describe the overall shape, because the arrow direction changes between examples.

The test shape matches the shape type linked with K.

The full code is therefore AK, which is answer B.

Common Mistakes to Watch For

Children may lose marks on advanced code questions because they expect every code letter to appear in the examples.

Common mistakes include:

• Rejecting a new code letter even when the test shape needs one
• Not decoding three-letter codes one feature at a time
• Getting stuck when two different shapes share the same code
• Failing to use the other sample shapes for comparison
• Choosing an answer because one letter fits, without checking the whole code
• Forgetting that each letter position usually describes a different type of feature

A calm, letter-by-letter method is usually more useful than guessing. Accuracy should come before speed during early 11 Plus revision.

11 Plus Practice Quizzes for Codes

This free guide completes the Codes section, but practice helps children become more familiar with the format.

Education Quizzes has fourteen quizzes that support this skill, including Code Breaker and Shapes and Letters quizzes.

Final Steps for Parents

This guide completes the 11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning exam illustrations in this section.

Across the guides, children have seen progression questions, matrices, analogies, odd one out questions, similar shapes and codes.

The main skill running through them all is careful comparison: looking at shape, size, direction, position, shading, number, rotation and pattern before choosing an answer.

With regular practice, children can become more confident at spotting these features quickly and explaining their reasoning clearly.