11+ Mirror Images
Mirror-image questions test reflection. Picture the mirror line and check that the image is reversed, not just moved.
A mirror image is a reflection: the shape is flipped across a mirror line so that left and right (or top and bottom) swap. It is not the same as a rotation.
Identify where the mirror line is (most 11+ questions use a vertical mirror down the middle). Features nearest the mirror stay nearest; the whole figure is reversed left-to-right.
A quick check: any writing or arrows should appear back-to-front in a true mirror image. If they look normal, it is not a correct reflection.
Worked examples
Q. A shape has a dot on its top-left. Where is the dot in the vertical mirror image?
A vertical mirror swaps left and right, so the dot moves to the top-right.
Q. How does the letter "b" appear in a vertical mirror?
It becomes "d" — the reflection reverses it left-to-right.
Common mistakes
- Treating a reflection like a rotation (moving but not reversing).
- Forgetting which way the mirror line runs.
- Not checking that arrows/letters are reversed.
FAQs
Are most 11+ mirror questions vertical or horizontal?+
Vertical mirrors (left-right flips) are the most common, but practise both, as some papers include horizontal mirror lines.
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