Every card in Letter sequences
The whole deck, in order — so you can read it through before your child ever sees it.
- What does a letter-sequences question ask you to do?
Find the fixed steps and build the next pair
HintNothing is random — measure how the letters move, then carry the movement on.
WhyEach pair of letters moves by two constant steps at once — one between the pairs and one inside each pair. Work both out from the pairs you are shown.
- In a letter sequence, what happens when a step would go past Z?
Nothing — a sequence never wraps past Z back to A
HintThis is where sequences differ from codes — no circle here, just a straight line of letters.
WhyLetter CODES wrap round (after Z comes A); letter sequences do not. If your rule forces a letter past Z, the rule is wrong — try a different step.
- In a word series, which two features can follow the fixed rule?
The first letters or the word lengths
HintLook at how each one starts — or count how long each is.
WhyCheck the opening letters for a constant alphabet step; if that fails, check whether each word grows or shrinks by the same amount. One rule runs the whole series.
- In a letter-pairs question, what links the two letters of every pair?
A fixed jump through the alphabet, the same for every pair
HintMeasure the gap in a complete example — that distance holds all the way down.
WhyThe step can run forwards or backwards. Work it out from the finished pairs, then complete the unfinished one.
- How do you find the step in a letter sequence?
Count the gap between two letters you are given
HintUse your alphabet line — how far is it from one to the next?
WhyThen check the same gap against the next pair too: a rule that only fits once is a guess, not a rule.
- Which directions can a sequence step move through the alphabet?
Forwards or backwards
HintDo not assume the letters climb — check which way the gap points.
WhyD then B could be a step of two back. If a forward rule will not fit, try the reverse before giving up.
- What is the most reliable way to measure letter jumps?
Write the alphabet out and count along it
HintPut all 26 down on paper before the first question.
WhyCounting on fingers slips; a written line does not. Mark the letters you use so you can see the pattern taking shape.
- Before choosing your answer to a series question, what should you check?
That your rule fits every pair shown, not just the first
HintOne match could be luck — the pattern must hold from start to finish.
WhyA step that works for the opening letters can still fail later on. Test the rule across everything you can see before you commit.
- A pair sequence moves by two steps at once: an ____ step between the pairs and an ____ step inside each pair.
outer and inner
HintOne step travels along the row; the other stays within a single pair.
WhyThe two steps are separate rules. Find each on its own — muddling them together is the commonest slip in pair sequences.
- In letter pairs, do the pairs’ first letters follow a pattern of their own?
No — only the jump inside each pair is fixed
HintDo not hunt for a rule that is not there — one measurement is all you need.
WhyThat is the difference from letter sequences, where the opening letters do march in step. Read which type you are in before you start measuring.
1★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0001
2★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0002
3★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0003
4★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0004
5★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0005
6★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0006
7★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0007
8★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0008
9★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0009
10★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0010
Keep what you learn
Here, nothing is saved. In your child’s own sky every card is scheduled — it comes back just before they’d forget it — and the professor who wrote it is one tap away.