Example 1 · level 1 — a gentle start
Which shape completes the grid?
?
Answer: — Across each row the shape turns 180°; down each column the shading changes.
11+ matrices questions
Matrices 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 · 5 worked examples
What your child needs to know
- A grid has TWO rules: one going across, one going down.
- Find the across rule first. Here the square turns 90°.
Where marks get lost: Then the down rule. Here the shading changes. The missing shape obeys BOTH.
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
Which shape completes the grid?
?
Answer: — Across each row the shape turns 270°; down each column the shading changes.
Example 3 · level 3 — standard paper difficulty
Which shape completes the grid?
?
Answer: — Across each row the shape turns 90°; down each column the shading changes.
Example 4 · level 4 — a harder paper
Which shape completes the grid?
?
Answer: — Across each row the shape turns 90°; down each column the shading changes.
Example 5 · level 5 — the level that separates candidates
Which shape completes the grid?
?
Answer: — Across each row the shape turns 45°; down each column the shading changes.
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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