Example 1 · level 1 — a gentle start
Each shape has a code. What is the code for the last shape?
?
- UZ
- VZ
- UY
- VY
Answer: UY — One letter stands for one feature and the other for a second. Work each letter out separately from the examples.
11+ shape codes questions
Shape codes 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
- Each shape has a code. One letter stands for one thing, the other for something else.
- Find two shapes that differ in only ONE way. Whichever letter changed is the letter for that.
Where marks get lost: Work out each letter on its own, then put them together for the new shape.
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
Each shape has a code. What is the code for the last shape?
?
- VM
- UN
- UM
- VN
Answer: VM — One letter stands for one feature and the other for a second. Work each letter out separately from the examples.
Example 3 · level 3 — standard paper difficulty
Each shape has a code. What is the code for the last shape?
?
- RD
- QE
- QD
- PF
Answer: QD — One letter stands for one feature and the other for a second. Work each letter out separately from the examples.
Example 4 · level 4 — a harder paper
Each shape has a code. What is the code for the last shape?
?
- RE
- PE
- RD
- PD
Answer: RD — One letter stands for one feature and the other for a second. Work each letter out separately from the examples.
Example 5 · level 5 — the level that separates candidates
Each shape has a code. What is the code for the last shape?
?
- RN
- QN
- QM
- PN
Answer: PN — One letter stands for one feature and the other for a second. Work each letter out separately from the examples.
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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