For Lavender parents choosing weekday or weekend primary English exam preparation, than and then are useful words for checking comparison against sequence. Than appears in comparisons such as ‘taller than’; then can indicate what happens next.
A pupil may treat the spelling as a sound-based choice, but the sentence’s meaning should guide it. A focused lesson asks what relationship the word expresses.
Bring recent marked work and choose a slot with room for explanation. The aim is an independent choice in an unfamiliar context.
Find your next decision
Identify the relationship · An invented example: height and action · Repair without changing the relationship · When weekday language repair may fit · When weekend language repair may fit · What three-pax practice should test · Confirm diagnosis and practical arrangements · Review the relationship on new work
Identify the relationship
Ask whether the sentence compares two things or moves from one event to another.
Use clear initial examples. Than and then have broader constructions, but these familiar patterns establish a useful starting distinction.
Do not decide from the sound alone. Reread the complete sentence.
An invented example: height and action
Compare these invented sentences: ‘The blue tower was taller than the red tower’ and ‘Mara checked the base, then added another block.’
Than connects the height comparison. Then places the adding after the checking.
The comparison does not supply exact heights. The sequence does not, by itself, explain why Mara added the block.
Repair without changing the relationship
If a draft says ‘taller then the red tower’, the intended comparison needs than.
If it says ‘Mara checked the base, than added another block’, the intended sequence needs then.
Ask the child to explain the relationship after the correction. Accurate spelling should preserve what the sentence means.
When weekday language repair may fit
A weekday lesson can connect a recent error with the relationship the pupil intended.
Check attention for comparing meanings. A rushed correction may replace a letter without securing the distinction.
Keep follow-up short: one unfamiliar comparison and one action sequence, each with an explanation.
When weekend language repair may fit
A weekend lesson may offer time to compare the expressions carefully without adding many unrelated word pairs.
Use the interval to secure meaning rather than memorise fixed fragments.
Return to fresh work during the week. Can the pupil identify comparison or sequence without an adult naming it first?
What three-pax practice should test
In a three-pax lesson, each pupil can explain the sentence before choosing the spelling.
The tutor can compare choices based on the relationship with guesses based on pronunciation.
Finish with separate unfamiliar examples. Every child should justify the next choice independently.
Confirm diagnosis and practical arrangements
Ask whether the difficulty is spelling association or uncertainty about how the ideas connect.
Confirm course suitability, group arrangements, venue and timing directly. This article supplies no Lavender classroom confirmation, fee or available lesson slot.
Check examination-year guidance with the school and the official SEAB website. The invented sentences are teaching examples, not official questions.
Review the relationship on new work
Ask the child to explain what the chosen expression connects in a fresh sentence.
Look for fewer automatic spelling guesses and more accurate explanations. These are concrete improvements without guaranteeing a score.
Choose the day that leaves attention for focused correction and a manageable later attempt. Independent use is the practical check.
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