Example 1 · level 1 — a gentle start
The first shape changes into the second. Which shape completes the second pair?
?
Answer: — Find the ONE thing that changed between the first pair, then do exactly that to the third shape.
11+ shape analogies questions
Shape analogies is pure pattern-spotting — no reading, no arithmetic. Here is what the figures are doing, the order to check things in, and five worked examples with the reasoning written out, easiest first.
Non-verbal reasoning · examined by GL and CEM · 5 worked examples
What your child needs to know
- Look at the first two shapes. Exactly ONE thing changes between them.
- Here the shape has been turned. Nothing else changed — same shape, same shading.
Where marks get lost: Now do that SAME change to the third shape. Turn it the same way.
Worked examples
Every question below is generated by the same engine your child practises on, and every answer is derived by our checker rather than written by hand — which is why we can put them on a public page at all.
Example 2 · level 2 — typical of early practice
The first shape changes into the second. Which shape completes the second pair?
?
Answer: — Find the ONE thing that changed between the first pair, then do exactly that to the third shape.
Example 3 · level 3 — standard paper difficulty
The first shape changes into the second. Which shape completes the second pair?
?
Answer: — Find the ONE thing that changed between the first pair, then do exactly that to the third shape.
Example 4 · level 4 — a harder paper
The first shape changes into the second. Which shape completes the second pair?
?
Answer: — Find the ONE thing that changed between the first pair, then do exactly that to the third shape.
Example 5 · level 5 — the level that separates candidates
The first shape changes into the second. Which shape completes the second pair?
?
Answer: — Find the ONE thing that changed between the first pair, then do exactly that to the third shape.
How to practise this at home
- Non-verbal reasoning improves fastest with a fixed checking order — count, then look at shading, then rotation, then position.
- Encourage your child to say the rule out loud before choosing. A rule they can state is a rule they can apply to the options.
- Do not rush to timed papers. Accuracy on the rule comes first; the speed follows it, never the other way round.
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