Questions parents ask about VocabGecko

Do we still need our tutor or prep platform?

Yes, keep them. VocabGecko does not replace a tutor or an 11+ course. It fills one gap: it turns the words your child gets wrong in practice tests into picture cards and exam-style questions, so those words get practised instead of forgotten.

Is the AI safe for children?

Nothing reaches your child until you have approved it. The AI drafts each definition, example sentences and picture using child-safety rules for ages 8 to 11, and it refuses anything unsuitable. You can edit the text or ask for a new picture before you approve an entry.

How much screen time?

About five minutes a day. A quick practice is a short session on the words due for review, and one short session keeps the daily streak going. Longer practice, which also introduces new words, is optional. There are no speed bonuses, so your child is never rushed.

What happens after the beta?

We have not set a price yet. The beta is free and has no payment step, so you do not need a card to join. We will email beta families about what comes next before anything changes. Until then, there is nothing to pay.

Which exams does it help with?

It helps with the vocabulary in 11+ English and verbal reasoning, including GL-style and CAT4 verbal tests. It practises words, not maths or non-verbal reasoning, so it sits beside a full 11+ course. We cannot promise exam results. Your child's school can tell you which tests it uses.

Is my child's data safe?

Your child's area has no ads and no trackers, the grown-ups area is PIN-locked, and data is not sold or used for advertising. Your child sees their own words and questions and nothing else. Our privacy page lists everything we keep and why.

What is VocabGecko?

VocabGecko is an 11+ vocabulary trainer for children aged 8 to 11. After a practice test, you type in the words your child did not know. VocabGecko makes a picture card and exam-style questions for each word, and your child practises them for about five minutes a day.

How do I add my child's words?

After a practice test, type in the words your child did not know, one per line. Adding the sentence a word came from is optional, and it only helps VocabGecko pick the right meaning. VocabGecko drafts a card for each word, and you check every card before your child sees it.

How old does my child need to be?

VocabGecko is made for children aged 8 to 11, usually in Years 4 to 6, who are preparing for selective entry at 11+. The words, pictures and questions are written for that age group. It is not designed for children outside that range, so younger or older children may not get much from it.

What is on a word card?

Each card has a short plain-English definition, example sentences, synonyms and opposites, and a cartoon picture, all written for ages 8 to 11. You check every card before your child sees it, and you can edit the text or ask for a new picture if you would like something different.

What kinds of questions does my child answer?

Seven kinds: meaning in context, cloze, synonyms, antonyms, analogies, odd one out and spelling. They follow the question styles used in GL-style and CAT4 verbal tests. VocabGecko writes its own exam-style questions about each word, so they are not copied from real papers.

Does it work on an iPad?

Yes. VocabGecko works in the browser on an iPad or a computer, and you can add it to the iPad home screen like an app. Signing in uses an emailed link or a six-digit code, so there is no password to remember. You set up the words, and your child practises on their own.

Can I add more than one child?

Yes. One parent account can hold several child profiles, and each child has their own word list and streak. That suits brothers and sisters who are preparing in different years. You add and approve the words in the PIN-locked grown-ups area.

Does a missed day break the streak?

Not always. VocabGecko gives one streak freeze a week, so one missed day a week does not break the streak. Points and streaks reward turning up and having a go, not speed. There are no speed bonuses, and tapping the same answer again and again cannot farm points.

Is there an 11 plus vocabulary list I can download?

No. VocabGecko does not publish an 11+ word list. It builds your child's list from the words they get wrong in practice tests, because those are the words worth practising. Our 11+ vocabulary guide explains the kinds of words that come up and how children can learn them.

Will VocabGecko improve my child's exam score?

We cannot promise exam results, and no method can. What we can say is that spacing and retrieval practice are among the best-evidenced ways to learn, including in children, and VocabGecko is built on them. Our science page sets out the research with full references.

How does VocabGecko decide when a word comes back?

It uses FSRS, a spaced-repetition scheduler based on published memory research. Each word comes back just before it would be forgotten, after a longer gap every time your child remembers it. In the final six weeks before an exam date you add, every word is reviewed at least every 14 days.

Is VocabGecko linked to any exam board or school?

No. VocabGecko is independent and not affiliated with GL Assessment, CAT4, any exam board or any school. We name exam styles only to describe what your child is practising. VocabGecko works alongside whichever prep platform or tutor you already use, and it makes no promises about exam results.

Want more detail? Read the 11+ vocabulary guide or the science behind VocabGecko.