Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Prac2XL — free spelling, adaptive maths, and Vocab 360. Can't find your answer? Get in touch.

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About Prac2XL

Prac2XL is an adaptive learning platform for UK primary school children in Years 2–6. We offer two subjects — Adaptive Maths and Vocab 360 (vocabulary) — plus free school spelling list practice for every account.

Our system generates unlimited, unique practice questions that adapt to your child's ability level in real-time. Think of it as a patient, smart tutor that knows exactly what your child needs to practise, explains things in kid-friendly language, and builds daily discipline through rewards.

Prac2XL currently offers three things:

  • School Spelling Practice + Word Lookup — practise your child's school spelling list with adaptive difficulty, plus look up meanings, synonyms, and antonyms for 9,000+ words. Free with every account.
  • Adaptive Maths (£4.99/month) — interleaved practice across 300+ maths skills, 300+ skills tracked individually, weak areas get 3–4× more practice.
  • Vocab 360 (£4.99/month) — four dimensions of every word: Spelling, Synonyms, Antonyms, and Use in Sentences. 1,350+ curriculum-aligned words.

You can subscribe to one, both (with a 50% discount on the second), or just use free spelling.

Prac2XL covers UK primary school Years 2–6 (ages 6–11), fully aligned with the National Curriculum.

Maths covers Number & Place Value, Addition & Subtraction, Multiplication & Division, Fractions, Decimals & Percentages, Measurement, Geometry, Statistics, and more.

Vocab 360 covers 1,350+ words across Years 2–6, organised by year level with core and extended word pools.

Several research-backed innovations set us apart:

  • Interleaved Maths Practice: Skills mixed strategically for 43–76% better retention (Rohrer & Taylor, 2007)
  • Four-Dimensional Vocabulary: Every word taught through spelling, synonyms, antonyms, and sentence usage — not just flashcards
  • School Spelling Practice: Your child's school spelling list, practised properly, at no cost
  • Progressive Challenge: Questions build from multiple choice to text input as skills develop
  • PracTutor AI: Step-by-step teaching when your child is stuck — in both maths and vocabulary
  • Automatic Weak Area Detection: The system identifies exactly which skills need attention
  • PracPoints Rewards: Children earn points for effort, redeemable for parent-approved rewards

Plus: unlimited unique questions, automatic marking, and clear progress tracking across hundreds of skills.

No — Prac2XL complements school learning. Think of it as extra practice for challenging topics, reinforcement of classwork, preparation for upcoming topics, and a tool to keep skills sharp during holidays.

SATs: Prac2XL covers all maths skills tested in SATs — arithmetic, reasoning, and word problems. Interleaved practice trains children to identify problem types without being told, exactly as SATs require. Vocab 360 covers the vocabulary and spelling skills tested in the SPaG paper.

11+: The verbal reasoning paper tests synonyms, antonyms, and word relationships — skills that take years to build, not months to cram. A child who starts Vocab 360 in Year 2 builds deep knowledge of 1,000+ words by Year 5 — across four dimensions (spelling, meaning, opposites, usage). That's the difference between guessing at a synonym and knowing it instantly. Strong maths foundations from Years 2–4 are equally essential for the numerical reasoning sections.

The key insight: Every 11+ prep company sells practice papers for Year 5. But practice papers only work if your child already knows the words and the maths. Prac2XL builds that foundation from Year 2 — so when Year 5 arrives, your child is ready.
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Free Spelling Practice

Every Prac2XL account includes free school spelling list practice — no subscription required, no card needed. Your child gets:

  • Add your child's weekly school spelling list
  • Adaptive practice at three difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard)
  • Audio pronunciation for every word
  • 9,000+ words pre-loaded with curated misspellings — your school's list is almost certainly covered
  • Parent stats showing which words are mastered and which need work
  • Friday morning email with a spelling report before the test
  • Free word lookup — search any of 9,000+ words for meanings, synonyms, and antonyms at prac2xl.com/learn. No account needed.

Type or paste your child's words — it takes about 30 seconds. You can share the list with other parents in your child's class so everyone benefits without duplicating the work.

We've built around how schools actually work:

  • Monday: New spelling list arrives from school. Add the words to Prac2XL.
  • Tuesday–Thursday: Your child practises 5–10 minutes daily. Questions adapt from multiple choice to error correction to full spelling.
  • Thursday evening: Nudge reminder — "Test tomorrow, one more practice?"
  • Friday morning: Email report showing which words are solid and which need one more look.

Yes! When you add a spelling list, you can share it with other parents at the same school. One parent adds the words, everyone benefits. This is how PracXL spreads naturally through parent groups.

Free spelling practises the specific words your child's school sends home each week — just spelling, at three difficulty levels.

Vocab 360 (paid) goes much deeper. It covers 1,350+ curriculum-aligned words across four dimensions: Spelling, Synonyms, Antonyms, and Use in Sentences. Each dimension unlocks progressively. Words are tracked through mastery stages. Weak words get more practice automatically. It's a complete vocabulary curriculum, not just a spelling tool.

Think of free spelling as the weekly test preparation. Vocab 360 is the long-term vocabulary foundation.

No. You need to create a free account (so your child's progress is saved), but no payment information is required. Free spelling practice is genuinely free — not a trial that expires.

Your child keeps full access to spelling list practice for free. Their progress on spelling lists is saved. The only features behind the paywall are Vocab 360 (synonyms, antonyms, words in sentences, word graduation, the full 1,350-word curriculum) and Adaptive Maths.

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Vocab 360

Vocab 360 is our vocabulary product for Years 2–6. It teaches words in four dimensions — not just definitions:

  • Spelling: Can your child write it correctly?
  • Synonyms: Do they know what it means?
  • Antonyms: Do they know its opposite?
  • Use in Sentences: Can they use it naturally in context?

Each dimension unlocks only when the previous one is solid. Your child builds genuine word knowledge, not surface recognition.

Vocab 360 includes 1,350+ words across Years 2–6, aligned to the UK National Curriculum. Words are organised into core (essential curriculum words) and extended (enrichment and 11+ preparation) pools.

The system also includes 38,700+ sentence templates for the Use in Sentences dimension — real-world, age-appropriate scenarios with varied contexts.

Dimensions unlock progressively for each word:

  • Your child starts with Spelling for every new word
  • Once spelling reaches a threshold, Synonyms unlocks
  • Once synonyms are solid, Antonyms unlocks
  • Once all three earlier dimensions are strong, Use in Sentences unlocks

This prevents surface-level learning. Your child can't guess at antonyms for a word they can't spell. Each layer builds on real understanding.

When all four dimensions of a word reach a strong level, that word graduates. Your child builds a growing collection of fully-learned words — a visible achievement they can be proud of. Graduated words are truly known, not just recognised.

Your child starts with core curriculum words for their year. As they master spelling on existing words, new words unlock automatically — every 5 words mastered triggers 5 new words. The system grows with your child. When the core pool is complete, extended words (enrichment and 11+ prep) become available.

Yes — especially so. Children learning English as an Additional Language pick up vocabulary through immersion, which works but leaves invisible gaps. Vocab 360 fills those gaps systematically:

  • Every word taught explicitly with clear definitions
  • Audio pronunciation for every word (British English)
  • Age-appropriate sentence contexts
  • Progressive difficulty — no assumptions about prior knowledge
  • Gaps visible to parents in the dashboard

Start with free spelling practice for school lists, then add Vocab 360 for the full vocabulary curriculum.

Spelling apps (Spelling Shed, Squeebles) focus on spelling only — see the word, spell the word. That's one dimension.

Flashcard apps (Quizlet, Anki) show definitions — see it, swipe, forget it next week. That's surface recognition.

Vocab 360 teaches four dimensions of every word with adaptive difficulty, tracks mastery stages per dimension, brings back words before they fade, uses 38,700+ sentence templates for real context, and includes PracTutor AI to explain nuances when your child is stuck.

Yes! Free school spelling list practice is included with every account — including Vocab 360 subscribers. Your child's school list gets the same adaptive treatment. The difference is that Vocab 360 also gives them the broader 1,350-word curriculum with all four dimensions.

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Adaptive Maths

Your child presses one button. The system reads their performance across every skill they've encountered and builds a unique session in under a second.

Every session is a mix of different skills — this is called interleaved practice, proven to significantly improve long-term retention. Within that mix, weak areas get 3–4 times more questions than strong areas. The system also brings back old skills before they fade.

Why this matters: Most apps let children pick what to practise. They choose what's fun, avoid what's hard. Prac2XL removes that choice — your child never practises the wrong thing.

The platform monitors your child's performance per skill and automatically adjusts question difficulty. Struggling? Questions become easier with more support. Excelling? Difficulty increases. Your child might be on Hard for Addition but Easy for Fractions — in the same session. Each skill adapts independently.

Questions build from recognition to recall:

  • Easy: All multiple choice — building familiarity
  • Medium: Mix of multiple choice and text input
  • Hard: Mostly text input — real understanding tested

As your child moves through mastery stages, the balance shifts automatically. Strong skills get harder questions. Weaker skills get more support.

Learn provides AI-generated explanations, worked examples, step-by-step breakdowns, tips and tricks, and common mistakes — all in kid-friendly language.

Practice is active problem-solving with immediate feedback and hints.

Best approach: Learn first to understand the concept, then Practice to reinforce it.

Word problems help children understand why maths matters, develop reading comprehension alongside maths skills, learn to extract information from context, and prepare for SATs (which are mostly word problems). All scenarios use age-appropriate, relatable, gender-balanced content.

This is interleaved practice in action! Rather than finishing a skill and moving on forever, Prac2XL revisits skills at increasing difficulty. This prevents the "learn and forget" cycle and is proven to significantly improve long-term retention. Addition from September still appears in January — that's a feature, not a bug.

Hints are gentle nudges in the right direction — not full answers. They're ideal when your child is stuck, getting the same type of problem wrong, or needs a strategy reminder. Hints have zero impact on Progression Score — we want children to use them freely and learn!

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PracTutor

PracTutor is an AI tutor built into Prac2XL. When your child gets a question wrong and a hint isn't enough, they can tap one button and PracTutor will:

  • Analyse their specific wrong answer
  • Explain what went wrong and why
  • Teach them how to solve it — step by step
  • Answer follow-up questions in age-appropriate language

PracTutor works in both maths and vocabulary. In maths, it teaches problem-solving strategies. In vocabulary, it explains word meanings, spelling patterns, and usage nuances.

Safe by design. PracTutor can only discuss the subject your child is practising — maths or vocabulary. It cannot access the internet, browse websites, or respond to off-topic questions. If your child asks about anything outside maths or vocabulary, PracTutor will gently redirect them.

All PracTutor conversations are visible in your parent dashboard. You can review every exchange.

No. PracTutor is a learning tool, not a penalty. Using it shows your child is actively trying to understand — exactly the behaviour we want to encourage. Just like hints, PracTutor has no negative impact on Progression Score or mastery stages.

Yes. Every PracTutor conversation is saved and visible in the parent dashboard. You can see exactly what your child asked and how PracTutor responded. This gives you insight into which concepts your child finds most challenging.

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Getting Started

Create your parent account at prac2xl.com/get-started. Add your child's profile (first name and year level) and they can start practising immediately.

Free spelling practice is available straight away — no card required. For Maths or Vocab 360, start a free trial.

Yes! Each child gets their own personalised learning path, progress tracking, and adaptive difficulty levels under a single parent account. The Family plan (£7.99/month per product) covers up to 4 children.

We recommend 10–15 minutes daily rather than long sessions once a week. Research shows "little and often" builds far better long-term retention than marathon sessions.

Quality over quantity — 10 focused questions beat 50 rushed ones. Follow your child's engagement and stop if they're frustrated or tired.

Yes! Prac2XL works on desktops, laptops, tablets (iPad, Android), and smartphones. We recommend screens of 7 inches or larger for the best experience. No app download needed — it works in any modern browser.

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Progress & Mastery Stages

Every skill your child practises — whether maths or vocabulary — is tracked independently through four mastery stages:

🌱 LearnerJust starting — building foundations
📚 ConfidentUnderstands the basics, growing stronger
⭐ AchieverSkill completed — strong understanding
🏆 MasterExceptional, sustained excellence

In Vocab 360, each dimension of each word is tracked separately. Your child might be Achiever at spelling "enormous" but Learner at its antonyms — and that's perfectly normal.

Key point: Each skill (and each vocabulary dimension) is tracked separately. The system adapts each one independently.

🌱 Learner (green) — Building early understanding. More support, simpler hints, more multiple-choice questions. To advance to Confident: Progression Score of 75, or 50 questions with at least 60% accuracy.

📚 Confident (blue) — Understanding the fundamentals and building fluency. Mix of multiple choice and typed answers. This is where most real learning happens. To reach Achiever: Progression Score of 85.

⭐ Achiever (purple) — Skill completed. Solid, consistent understanding. This is the main goal for every skill. To reach Master: Progression Score of 95.

🏆 Master (gold) — Exceptional achievement. Near-perfect accuracy consistently. Master is rare by design — it represents true excellence.

Remember: Achiever is the target. Master is a bonus that happens naturally in your child's strongest areas.

Confident IS success! The majority of skills across all students sit at Confident stage — and that's completely normal and healthy. It means your child understands the skill, is actively improving, and is challenged at the right level.

They probably moved to harder questions — that's progress! When the system detects mastery at one level, it increases the challenge. A temporary dip means your child has levelled up. Accuracy will climb again as they master the new difficulty.

Not at all! 45% means they're actively learning something new. Learning happens in the 30–70% zone — that's where real growth occurs. If they were getting 100% on everything, the questions would be too easy.

Not much at all. We focus on what your child can do now, not mistakes from weeks ago. A rough start is completely normal and won't hold them back once they improve.

No — Achiever means solid, Master means exceptional. What matters is your goal.

Foundations = aim for Confident/Achiever. 11+ and competitive exams = push towards Achiever/Master.

More daily practice time = faster progression. 10 minutes builds foundations. 20–30 minutes builds competitive readiness.

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Pricing & Plans

Prac2XL offers three tiers:

  • Free: School spelling list practice — no card required, no expiry
  • Maths or Vocab 360: £4.99/month per child (Individual) or £7.99/month for up to 4 children (Family)
  • Both subjects: £7.49/month per child — 50% off the second subject

The free tier includes:

  • Add and practise your child's school spelling list
  • 9,000+ words pre-loaded with audio and curated misspellings
  • Free word lookup — meanings, synonyms, and antonyms for 9,000+ words (prac2xl.com/learn)
  • Adaptive difficulty (Easy → Medium → Hard)
  • Parent stats — see which words are mastered
  • Friday morning spelling report email
  • Share lists with other parents in the class
  • PracPoints earned from spelling practice

The free tier does NOT include: Vocab 360 (synonyms, antonyms, words in sentences), Adaptive Maths, PracTutor, or the full parent dashboard.

The Individual plan (£4.99/month) covers one child with full access to the chosen subject. The Family plan (£7.99/month) covers up to 4 children, each with their own profile, progress tracking, and adaptive difficulty. Both include PracTutor, full parent dashboard, and PracPoints.

Yes! When you subscribe to both, the second subject is 50% off. So instead of £4.99 + £4.99 = £9.98, you pay £7.49/month per child. The same discount applies to Family plans.

Yes. No contracts, no exit fees. Cancel anytime from your account settings. Your child keeps access until the end of the current billing period, and free spelling practice continues regardless.

Yes! PracPoints earned in maths and vocabulary go into one shared balance. Daily streaks count for any subject — practise maths or vocabulary (or both) to keep the streak alive. One rewards shop, one streak counter, one dashboard.

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The Science Behind Prac2XL

Instead of doing 50 addition problems in a row (blocked practice), Prac2XL mixes skills: addition → subtraction → fractions → multiplication. This is called interleaved practice.

Research shows this improves long-term retention by 43–76% compared to blocked practice. It works because it forces your child to actively identify which skill to use — just like in real exams where problems are mixed together.

It feels harder during practice. That slight challenge is productive — researchers call it "desirable difficulty." The cognitive effort strengthens memory.

Yes — extensively:

  • Rohrer & Taylor (2007), University of South Florida — students scored 43% higher on maths tests using interleaved practice
  • Pan (2015), UCLA — showed 76% better retention on delayed assessments
  • Bjork (1994) — established the concept of "desirable difficulties" in learning

Interleaved practice has been validated by 40+ years of cognitive science research.

Yes! Every Vocab 360 session mixes different words and different dimensions together — spelling "enormous", then an antonym for "happy", then a sentence for "bright", then a synonym for "ancient." Your child never does 10 spelling questions in a row for the same word. The brain switches between words and between skills, just like interleaved maths.

The difference is that Vocab 360 also has a progressive dimension unlock per word. Your child can't attempt synonyms for a word until they can spell it. Can't attempt antonyms until they understand its meaning. This is a gating system that ensures depth — but within any session, the practice itself is fully interleaved.

So Vocab 360 combines two research-backed approaches: interleaving (mixing words and dimensions for better retention) and progressive mastery (building depth before breadth on each word).

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Privacy & Technical

Absolutely. We're fully GDPR compliant. No data is sold or shared with third parties. We use secure encryption, collect only minimal data, and you can request full data deletion at any time.

We do NOT collect payment information directly (handled by Stripe), full names or addresses, photos, browsing history, or any sensitive personal information.

Prac2XL works on desktops, laptops, tablets (iPad, Android), and smartphones. We recommend a screen of 7 inches or larger and a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge). No downloads needed — fully web-based.

Email us at support@prac2xl.com. Average response time is 24 hours (usually faster).

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Tips for Success

  • Start small — 10 minutes daily beats 1 hour weekly
  • Stay positive — praise effort, not just correct answers
  • Check progress weekly — show interest in their learning
  • Use Learn first (maths) — understand before practising
  • Celebrate milestones — completed skills, graduated words, streak records
  • Don't hover — let them struggle productively
  • Be patient — mastery takes time, and that's okay
  • Make it routine — same time, same place daily

This is completely normal! Remind them that mistakes are how we learn. Point out that getting harder questions means they're improving. Celebrate effort, not just correct answers. Use PracTutor to understand concepts, and take breaks if frustration builds.

The system is designed to build confidence through progressive difficulty. A temporary struggle usually means they've levelled up!

Typical timeline with consistent daily practice:

  • 1 week: Spelling list scores improve (free tier)
  • 2 weeks: Noticeable confidence boost
  • 1 month: Improved accuracy on practised skills
  • 2–3 months: Better performance at school
  • 6 months: Significant, measurable improvement

Consistency matters more than intensity.

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