Eleven Plus — Codes and Logic

Following precise instructions

Execute multi-step instructions EXACTLY as written, spot the moment an instruction is easy to misread, and work through steps in the correct order under timed conditions.

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💡Understand

11+ instruction questions often contain several steps that must be followed in the EXACT order given, using the EXACT operation described — not the operation you expect or assume. Misreading a single word (like 'before' vs 'after', or 'add' vs 'remove') changes the entire answer.

“Instruction: "Take the word GARDEN. Remove the third letter. Then move the new first letter to the end." Step 1: GARDEN → remove 3rd letter (R) → GADEN. Step 2: move new first letter (G) to the end → ADENG.”

Each step must be applied to the RESULT of the previous step, not the original word — a common mistake is removing the third letter of the ORIGINAL word 'GARDEN' correctly, but then moving the first letter of GARDEN again instead of the first letter of the NEW word GADEN.

🔍Spot it

What is the correct result of following these instructions exactly?

Question 1

"Take the word CHAIR. Remove the first letter. Then add an S to the end." What is the result?

💡 Step 1: remove first letter (C) from CHAIR → HAIR. Step 2: add S to the end of HAIR → HAIRS.

Question 2

"Take the word STONE. Swap the first and last letters." What is the result?

💡 S and E swap places: S-T-O-N-E becomes E-T-O-N-S.

Question 3

"Take the number 8. Double it. Then subtract 3." What is the result?

💡 Step 1: double 8 = 16. Step 2: subtract 3 from 16 = 13 (not from the original 8).

🧠Think about it

Why is it so easy to make a mistake by applying the SECOND step to the ORIGINAL word instead of the result of the FIRST step?

✍️Try it

Follow the instructions exactly, step by step.

"Take the word BREAD. Remove the second letter. Then move the new last letter to the front."

Question 1

What is the final result?

💡 Step 1: BREAD, remove 2nd letter (R) → BEAD. Step 2: move BEAD's last letter (D) to the front.

📝Practise

Follow each set of instructions exactly, step by step.

Question 1

"Take the word PLANT. Remove the last letter. Then add an S to the front." What is the result?

💡 Step 1: PLANT → remove last letter (T) → PLAN. Step 2: add S to the front → SPLAN.

Question 2

"Take the number 12. Halve it. Then add 7." What is the result?

💡 Step 1: 12 halved = 6. Step 2: 6 + 7 = 13.

Question 3

"Take the word SMILE. Remove the first letter. Then reverse the remaining letters." What is the result?

💡 Step 1: SMILE → remove first letter (S) → MILE. Step 2: reverse M-I-L-E to get the answer.

Question 4

In one word, what should each step in a multi-step instruction be applied to — the original, or the result of the __ step?

💡 It's the key principle explained in this lesson's Understand section.

Question 5

"Take the number 20. Subtract 5. Then double it." What is the result?

💡 Step 1: 20 - 5 = 15. Step 2: 15 doubled = 30.

Question 6

Why is writing down each intermediate result a useful habit for these questions?

🎯Apply

Read the passage, then answer the questions below.

Exam question: "Take the word FRIEND. Remove the third letter. Then remove the new third letter. Then add a Y to the end."

Question 1

What is the word after Step 1 (remove the third letter of FRIEND)?

💡 FRIEND = F-R-I-E-N-D. The third letter is I. Remove it.

Question 2

What is the word after Step 2 (remove the new third letter of FREND)?

💡 FREND = F-R-E-N-D. The third letter is now E. Remove it.

Question 3

What is the final word after Step 3 (add a Y to the end of FRND)?

💡 Simply add Y to the end of FRND.

🏆Challenge

Write your own three-step instruction sequence for a five-letter word of your choice, then solve it yourself step by step, showing the intermediate result after each step.

🔄Review

A quick mastery check — 3 questions.

Question 1

"Take the word TABLE. Remove the last letter. Then move the new first letter to the end." What is the result?

💡 Step 1: TABLE → remove last letter (E) → TABL. Step 2: move new first letter (T) to the end → ABLT.

Question 2

"Take the number 9. Add 7. Then halve it." What is the result?

💡 Step 1: 9 + 7 = 16. Step 2: 16 halved = 8.

Question 3

The most common mistake in multi-step instructions is...