Using the app
Which schools and regions are covered?
248 selective schools: grammar schools across England, partially selective schools, and Northern Ireland's SEAG schools. Each entry knows which subjects that school tests, so practice stays focused on what your child will actually sit.
Which devices does it run on?
iPhone and iPad. The app is designed for both, including full support for iPad layouts in portrait and landscape — and the working-out notepad gets a bigger canvas on iPad.
Does my child need an account or an internet connection?
No accounts at all, and once installed the app works fully offline. All data stays on the device — see our privacy policy.
Is it suitable for children to use on their own?
Yes — the child experience is friendly, self-contained and free of external links, ads and chat. Settings, data and anything parent-facing sit behind a PIN-protected Parent Mode. The kids' guide shows exactly what they see.
Can they show their working out, like on paper?
Yes. Maths and Verbal Reasoning quizzes and mocks have a floating squared-paper notepad — your child drags a little Taco bubble anywhere on screen, taps it, and draws their working with a finger. It's just as useful for letter codes and alphabet positions as it is for long multiplication. Each new question starts on a fresh page.
Will it send my child notifications?
Only if you switch them on. Practice reminders are set up by you in Parent Mode, delivered as local notifications at times you choose, and there's a Holiday Mode that pauses reminders and protects the streak while you're away. Everything can be turned off in one tap.
How do mock tests work?
Real-format, timed tests of 20–50 questions in any subject. Taco's help is always off during mocks, so scores are honest. You get per-subject best and average scores, a full per-question report for every attempt, and a readiness trend once there's enough evidence.
Does Taco have a hint for every question?
Yes — every single one. Every active question carries two hints, a worked example on a different problem, and the key skill being tested, so a child who taps "Give me a clue" is never met with an empty screen. It's enforced automatically: if a question were ever added without coaching, our build would fail. See how the hints work →
Won't Taco just tell my child the answer?
No. Hints point at the method, never the solution, and every hint is checked automatically against its question's correct answer before release — anything that gives the game away is rejected. Taco is also completely silent during timed mock tests, and answering without opening him earns bonus XP. If you'd still rather limit him, Parent Mode offers one clue only or no help at all per child.
How does XP work — can my child game it?
No. Answering a question earns 1 XP for effort, but right answers earn 6–13× more (scaled by difficulty, plus a no-hints bonus). Beating a question they got wrong earlier pays the full bonus — that's learning — while re-answering ones they already got right pays nothing. Mocks scale with length and accuracy. The full table is in the parent guide.
Can my child personalise the app?
They can pick one of six colour themes for their screens, and earn XP to unlock new looks for Taco — Thinker, Scholar, Champion and Superstar. Each child's choices are their own. There's nothing to buy inside the child's app; everything is earned with practice.
Plans & billing
How much does it cost?
Start with a 7-day free trial, then £16.99 a month, cancellable in the App Store at any time. If you are preparing for next year rather than this one, the Exam Year Pass is £99.99 as a single payment covering 12 months — it does not auto-renew, so there is nothing to cancel. Family covers every child in the house: £149.99 once, or £24.99 a month. See pricing for what's included.
What happens when the Exam Year Pass runs out?
It stops, and that's it — no charge, no renewal, no email chasing you. You'll see a note in the app if you want to buy another year, and your child's progress stays exactly where it is on the device whether you do or not. (The free trial applies to the monthly plan: if you don't cancel within the 7 days, the monthly subscription begins and Apple sends the standard reminders.)
We have two children with an iPad each — does one purchase cover both?
Yes, with the Family plan. It's enabled for Apple Family Sharing, so one purchase unlocks the app on each child's own iPad, under their own Apple ID, for up to six people in your Apple family group. On the second iPad, install the app and tap Restore purchases if it doesn't unlock straight away. (If both iPads are signed into the same Apple ID, any plan works — Family Sharing is only needed when children have their own.)
One thing to know: because we don't upload anything, each child's progress lives on their own iPad. Parent Mode on one device shows that device's child, so you'd check each child on their iPad. A single household view across devices is the next thing we're building — it will sync through your own iCloud, so we still never see it.
What's the difference between the single-child plans and Family?
Both include everything the app can do. Family covers every child in the house rather than one — each gets their own profile, with separate plans, progress, mistakes, rewards, colour themes and streaks, and one-tap switching in Parent Mode. There's no per-child fee however many you add.
How do I cancel, and can I get a refund?
Subscriptions are managed entirely by the App Store: cancel any time in Settings → your Apple ID → Subscriptions, and you keep access until the end of the paid period. Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Parents & privacy
How much can I control as a parent?
A lot — it's your app. You set the help level Taco offers (all help, one clue only, or none), daily question targets, assignments with their own rules, reminders, real-world rewards and mock scheduling. The parent guide walks through every screen.
Where does my child's data go?
Nowhere. Profiles, progress, mistakes and rewards live only on your device — no accounts, no ads, no tracking, no data sold, ever. Payment is handled by the App Store, so we never see payment details either. Full details in the privacy policy.
When can I download it?
Right now — 11+ Test Coach is live on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. The download is free, so you can explore the app before choosing a pass.
11+ Test Coach
