- What does a letter-sequences question ask you to do?
Find the fixed steps and build the next pair
提示Nothing is random — measure how the letters move, then carry the movement on.
为什么Each 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
提示This is where sequences differ from codes — no circle here, just a straight line of letters.
为什么Letter 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
提示Look at how each one starts — or count how long each is.
为什么Check 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
提示Measure the gap in a complete example — that distance holds all the way down.
为什么The 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
提示Use your alphabet line — how far is it from one to the next?
为什么Then 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
提示Do not assume the letters climb — check which way the gap points.
为什么D 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
提示Put all 26 down on paper before the first question.
为什么Counting 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
提示One match could be luck — the pattern must hold from start to finish.
为什么A 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
提示One step travels along the row; the other stays within a single pair.
为什么The 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
提示Do not hunt for a rule that is not there — one measurement is all you need.
为什么That is the difference from letter sequences, where the opening letters do march in step. Read which type you are in before you start measuring.
- A row does not seem to move by one fixed amount. What else might it be doing?
Taking turns between two different steps
提示Measure every gap along the row, then look at them in pairs.
为什么Some rows move on, then on again by a different amount, and repeat that pattern to the end. Write each gap above the row: a repeating pair of numbers shows itself at once.
- The gap in a sequence sits in the middle rather than at the end. How do you fill it?
Work backwards from what follows it as well as forwards from what comes before
提示A hole has two edges — measure inwards along each of them.
为什么The letters after the gap carry the same rule as the letters before it, so taking the step backwards from the later ones gives you a second, independent check on your answer.
- The opening letters of a word series show no pattern at all. What is the next thing to try?
Count how long each word is
提示If the alphabet gives you nothing, size might.
为什么These rules run on one feature at a time: the letter a word starts with, or the number of letters it holds. When the first fails, the second is usually the answer.
- You have measured the jump inside one pair. What must stay true of all the others?
They travel the same distance and the same way round
提示A rule that flips halfway is two rules, not one.
为什么If one pair seems to jump forwards and another backwards, one of the gaps has been counted wrongly. Recount before you accept two different rules in a single row.
- A step of two places through the alphabet passes over how many letters in between?
One
提示Hop from a stair to the next but one — how many stairs go under your foot?
为什么A step of two lands on the letter after next, leaving a single letter unused in the middle. Getting this right is what stops a whole row drifting by one place.
- Two sequence questions can look identical on the page. What must you check in the wording?
Whether the answer belongs at the end of the row or inside it
提示Find the empty slot first — its position changes how you measure.
为什么A missing item at the end only needs the rule carried on; one in the middle must satisfy the letters on both sides. Knowing which you face decides where you start.
- Why is it worth working out your own answer before you read the choices?
The wrong choices are designed to look plausible
提示Each option was put there by someone hoping you would take it.
为什么They are built from the near misses: the letter one place out, the pair the right way round but the wrong distance. Arrive with your own answer ready and none of them can tempt you.
- In a pair sequence you can follow the ____ letters as a line of their own and the ____ letters as a separate line.
first and second
提示Split every pair down the middle and read each side on its own.
为什么This is the same movement seen another way round: each line steps along by its own fixed amount. Two short lines are easier to measure than one long row, so work one out, then the other, and put your two answers together as a pair.
- Your rule fits the start of the row but fails near the end. What is the likely cause?
A gap counted wrongly, not a second rule hiding in the row
提示Before inventing something new, measure everything again.
为什么Rows in these papers run on one movement, or on one alternating pair of movements. If yours collapses halfway, re-measure every gap before you go looking for anything cleverer.
- In a letter-pairs question, how far apart can the two letters of a pair sit?
Any fixed distance at all, near or far
提示Do not expect neighbours — count the gap and believe what you counted.
为什么Some pairs sit side by side; others stand half an alphabet apart. All that matters is that the same distance repeats, so measure it properly on a complete pair first.
- How can you turn a letter sequence into something easier to measure?
Write each letter’s position number underneath it
提示Sums are easier to trust than counting on your fingers.
为什么Once the letters carry their numbers, a step becomes simple subtraction and an alternating pattern jumps off the page. Turn your answer back into a letter at the end.
- Can the opening letters of a word series move backwards through the alphabet?
Yes, and the step can be more than one place
提示Falling patterns are as common as rising ones — check both directions.
为什么A rising rule is the first thing everyone tries, so papers include falling ones to catch the hurried. If forwards will not fit, measure the same gaps in reverse before moving on.
- A letter-pairs row shows three complete pairs and one unfinished. How many chances do you have to confirm the rule?
Three — every finished pair is a test of it
提示Each whole example gives you one more piece of proof.
为什么Confirm on all of them, not just the nearest. A rule that survives every complete pair is safe; one that matches only the pair beside the gap is still a guess.
- Why is reciting the next letter of the alphabet almost never the answer?
The row sets its own step, and it is rarely a single place
提示Measure what the question shows you rather than chanting from memory.
为什么Saying the alphabet feels like progress, but the row in front of you might be moving three places, or running backwards. Take the measurement first and the letters follow.
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
11★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0011
12★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0012
13★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0013
14★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0014
15★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0015
16★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0016
17★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0017
18★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0018
19★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0019
20★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0020
21★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0021
22★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0022
23★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0023
24★ KS2-VRSN-SEQ-0024