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This is a full-length CSSE 11+ practice paper combining both English and Maths — just like the real exam day. In the actual CSSE exam, you sit two separate papers. This practice paper simulates both papers back to back.
Read the following passage carefully.
The allotments at the end of Birch Lane had been there for over a hundred years. Rows of vegetable patches stretched out behind a low brick wall, each one tended by a different family. In summer, the air smelled of sweet peas and freshly turned earth. In autumn, the sheds were stacked with jars of homemade chutney and bags of seed potatoes.
Mrs Abara's plot was the finest. Her runner beans climbed trellises made from old broomsticks, and her tomato plants — fed with a secret compost recipe she refused to share — produced fruit so red and plump that the other gardeners could only shake their heads in admiration. She had worked the same patch of soil for forty years, ever since arriving in England from Nigeria with nothing but a suitcase and a handful of okra seeds.
But now the council had other plans. A letter arrived announcing that the allotments would be sold to a property developer. Sixty new flats were to be built on the land. "Progress," the letter called it.
Mrs Abara folded the letter carefully and placed it on the kitchen table. She did not cry. She did not shout. She sat very still for a long time, looking at her hands — hands that had planted thousands of seeds, pulled thousands of weeds, and coaxed life from the cold English soil year after year.
The next morning, she walked to the allotments as usual. She watered her beans, pinched out the side shoots on her tomatoes, and talked to her sweetcorn as she always did — convinced that plants grew better when they heard a kind voice. At the gate, she met Mr Kowalski, who grew prize-winning dahlias in Plot 7. His eyes were red.
"What do we do?" he asked.
Mrs Abara looked at her garden, then back at Mr Kowalski. "We keep growing," she said quietly. "Until they tell us to stop."
Q1. How long have the allotments been at the end of Birch Lane? (1 mark)
Q2. Give two details from the passage that show Mrs Abara is an exceptional gardener. (2 marks)
Q3. "She had worked the same patch of soil for forty years, ever since arriving in England from Nigeria with nothing but a suitcase and a handful of okra seeds."
What does this sentence tell us about Mrs Abara's character and her journey? (3 marks)
Q4. The council calls the redevelopment "Progress." Why does the writer put this word in inverted commas? (2 marks)
Q5. How does Mrs Abara react to the letter? What does her reaction tell us about her? (3 marks)
Q6. "We keep growing. Until they tell us to stop." What does this final statement suggest about Mrs Abara's attitude? (2 marks)
Q7. Choose the word closest in meaning to "coaxed" as used in the passage. (1 mark)
(a) Forced (b) Gently encouraged (c) Pulled roughly (d) Ignored
Q8. Why do you think the writer chose the title "The Last Garden"? Consider what it means both literally and figuratively. (3 marks)
Q9. Do you think the council's decision is the right one? Give reasons for and against using evidence from the passage. (3 marks)
Q10. Choose the correct spelling. (5 marks)
| Sentence | Options |
|---|---|
| The garden was in ___ condition. | excelent / excellent / exellent |
| She showed great ___. | perseverence / perseverance / perserverance |
| The ___ arrived yesterday. | equiptment / equipement / equipment |
| His explanation was very ___. | persuasive / perswasive / persuassive |
| The building required immediate ___. | maintanance / maintenance / maintenence |
Q11. Add the missing punctuation. (5 marks)
Write a letter to the local council arguing that the allotments should be saved. Use persuasive techniques such as rhetorical questions, emotive language, facts, and the rule of three.
Your letter should be approximately 150–200 words.
Q1. 7,856 + 4,389 = ? (2 marks)
Q2. 8,501 - 3,764 = ? (2 marks)
Q3. 386 x 45 = ? (2 marks)
Q4. 1,848 / 12 = ? (2 marks)
Q5. Simplify 54/72 to its lowest terms. (1 mark)
Q6. Calculate 2/3 + 5/8. Give your answer as a mixed number. (2 marks)
Q7. Find 40% of 350. (2 marks)
Q8. A jacket costs 120 pounds. It is reduced by 35% in a sale. What is the sale price? (2 marks)
Q9. Put these in order from smallest to largest: 0.7, 13/20, 68%, 7/10. (2 marks)
Q10. What is 7/12 of 96? (1 mark)
Q11. A triangle has angles in the ratio 1:2:3. What is the largest angle? (2 marks)
Q12. A rectangle has a perimeter of 52 cm. Its length is 3 times its width. Find the length and width. (3 marks)
Q13. Share 150 pounds between three people in the ratio 2:3:5. (2 marks)
Q14. A bus leaves the station every 15 minutes starting at 07:00. Emma arrives at the station at 08:22. How long does she wait for the next bus? (2 marks)
Q15. The range of a set of numbers is 18. The smallest number is 5. The mean of the five numbers is 14. What is the sum of all five numbers? (2 marks)
Q16. A square has a diagonal of 10 cm. What is the perimeter of the square? (Give your answer to 1 decimal place. You may use the fact that the diagonal of a square = side x 1.414.) (3 marks)
Q17. A water bottle holds 750 ml. How many full bottles can be filled from a 10-litre container? How much water is left over? (2 marks)
Q18. If 3 pens and 2 rulers cost 4 pounds 40, and 1 pen costs 80p, what is the cost of 1 ruler? (2 marks)
Q19. A number is multiplied by 4, then 7 is added. The result is 39. What was the original number? (2 marks)
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