Advantage, Disadvantage, or Simply Different?
One of the questions I am asked most frequently by parents is whether being bilingual helps or hinders a child during 4+ and 7+ school assessments.
The short answer?
Neither.
What matters far more is not whether a child speaks two languages, but how much English they have acquired and how comfortable they are using it in an assessment environment.
There is a common misconception that bilingual children are somehow "behind" their monolingual peers. Research paints a much more nuanced picture. Studies have found that bilingual children often demonstrate strengths in areas such as attention, executive functioning and cognitive flexibility, skills that are closely linked to learning and problem-solving. (Bilingualism: Language & Cognition)
Where differences can emerge is in English vocabulary. A bilingual child who has spent fewer years exposed to English may know fewer English words than a monolingual peer, particularly if another language is predominantly spoken at home. Research has found that performance on language-based tasks is often influenced by the child's experience with the language being assessed rather than by bilingualism itself.
What does this mean for entrance assessments?
As both a 4+ and 7+ assessor, I have always viewed an assessment as an opportunity to discover what a child can do, not a chance to catch them out.
A skilled assessor can often support a bilingual child through careful rephrasing. For example, asking, "What is this shape?" requires a child to retrieve and say the word rectangle. However, asking, "Can you point to the rectangle?" assesses the same understanding while reducing the language demands of the question.
It is a subtle difference, but it can transform a child's confidence. This is why experienced assessors look beyond a child's immediate response.
This is also why I always advise parents to include every home language spoken on the application form. This information helps schools understand a child's background and ensures assessors can interpret responses appropriately.
The overwhelming majority of schools want children to feel safe, settled and able to demonstrate their abilities. Their aim is not to trick children with unfamiliar vocabulary or unfamiliar situations. Rather, it is to create a nurturing environment in which children can shine.
For bilingual families, that should be reassuring news.
Your child's ability to speak more than one language is not a problem to overcome. It is part of who they are. The key question is not how many languages they speak, but whether the assessment allows them to show what they truly know. And when schools get that right, bilingual children often have every opportunity to flourish.
