Free. No login. Rules from the official 2027 English sample.
Sutton SET English: practise the answer rules
The SET English paper mixes four kinds of multiple-choice question, and a wrong number of choices can score zero. Practise all four on two short original texts, then see every answer explained. Free, no login.
The full paper's suggested timings
- 5 minA · Spelling
- 25 minB · Text 1
- 10 minC · Text 2
- 10 minD · Compare both texts
Advisory, not locked. This practice set is shorter than a full paper.
Section A · Spelling
One answerWhich of these is the correct spelling?
One answerWhich of these is the correct spelling?
Section B · Text 1
Text 1 · Gull Point
Mara had kept the lamp at Gull Point for eleven winters, and she had never once let it go dark. On the night of the storm, the wind tore a shutter from its hinges and rain hammered the glass like thrown gravel. She climbed the ninety steps twice an hour, her lantern swinging, her knees aching. Somewhere below, a fishing boat was feeling its way home.
At midnight the flame stuttered. Mara's hands, stiff with cold, fumbled the wick until it caught again. She did not cheer. She simply sat down on the top step, pressed her palm against the warm brass, and listened to the sea argue with the rocks.
One answerWhy does Mara climb the ninety steps twice an hour? Pick the most accurate answer.
Exactly twoSelect the TWO words that best describe Mara in the second paragraph.
Select all that are correctWhich of these make Mara's work harder that night? Select all that are correct.
NOT questionLook at the first paragraph. Which of these is NOT correct? Select one answer.
Section C · Text 2
Text 2 · Keepers of the light
For hundreds of years, a lighthouse needed a keeper every night of the year. Keepers trimmed wicks, polished the great glass lenses and wound the clockwork that turned the light. The work could be lonely. Some lighthouses stood on bare rocks miles from shore, and bad weather could keep the supply boat away for weeks.
Today the lights around England and Wales work without a keeper living beside them. They are watched from a control centre, and engineers visit to check and mend them.
One answerAccording to Text 2, why could a keeper's work be lonely?
Section D · Compare both texts
Select all that are correctWhich of these are true in BOTH texts? Select all that are correct.
Exactly twoSelect the TWO statements that show how the texts are different.
Questions parents ask
What is in the Sutton SET English paper?
The 2027 entry sample describes four sections: spelling, questions on Text 1, questions on Text 2, and a comparison of both texts. The suggested times add up to 50 minutes, and children can move between sections.
How are 'select TWO' questions marked?
Only both correct answers score. One correct answer scores nothing, and choosing more than two scores nothing.
How are 'select all that are correct' questions marked?
There are 2, 3 or 4 correct answers, never all five. The schools say a child does not need every right answer to score, but choosing all five scores zero. They do not share the rest of the formula.
Are these real SET questions?
No. The texts and questions are our own originals written to the published rules. The official sample and answer sheet are linked below and are free from the school.