Queen Mary’s Grammar School 11+ Preparation 2027

Queen Mary’s Grammar School (QMGS) in Walsall is one of the West Midlands’ most sought-after selective schools, offering 180 places for boys each September. Entry is determined entirely by performance in the GL Assessment 11+ entrance test — two multiple-choice papers covering Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning. For September 2027 entry, the test takes place on 12 September 2026, with results sent by 16 October 2026 and National Offers Day on 1 March 2027.

About Queen Mary’s Grammar School

Founded in 1554, Queen Mary’s Grammar School is one of the oldest continuously operating grammar schools in England — nearly 475 years of academic tradition. The school is located on Sutton Road, Walsall, West Midlands (WS1 2PG), and is part of the Mercian Trust alongside its sister school Queen Mary’s High School.

QMGS was rated Outstanding in every category by Ofsted following its inspection in March 2023. Inspectors praised exceptional teaching, strong pupil attitudes, outstanding personal development opportunities, and highly effective leadership. The school offers a broad curriculum including core academic subjects, humanities, modern languages, and arts, as well as an extensive enrichment programme spanning music, drama, debating, sport, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and Young Enterprise.

QMGS is also a Microsoft Showcase School and holds the Young Carers Award and Green Tree School accreditation — indicators of a school community that values wellbeing and personal growth alongside academic excellence.

As a member of the West Midlands Grammar Schools partnership — a consortium of 19 grammar schools across Birmingham, Shropshire, Walsall, Warwickshire and Wolverhampton — QMGS operates a shared admissions test and data-sharing agreement that allows applicants to be considered by multiple schools with a single test sitting.

The QMGS 11+ Entrance Exam

Admission to Year 7 at Queen Mary’s Grammar School is decided entirely on the basis of the school’s entrance test. There are no interviews, no catchment area boundaries, and no preference given based on primary school attended (except for Pupil Premium-eligible boys attending Walsall state primary schools, who receive a tie-break priority within the Pupil Premium quota).

Registration for the QMGS entrance test is managed through the West Midlands Grammar Schools portal. For September 2027 entry, the portal opened on 5 May 2026 and closed at 4pm on 26 June 2026. Candidates are allocated a test centre based on their home postcode — you cannot choose a different centre. A photograph of your son must be uploaded during registration.

Alongside registering with the school, parents must also submit a Common Application Form (CAF) to their Local Authority listing their preferred schools. The LA application deadline for September 2027 entry is 31 October 2026. If your son does not achieve the minimum qualifying score, he should not be listed on your LA preference form for QMGS.

What the GL Assessment Papers Test

Both QMGS entrance papers are set by GL Assessment and assess three core areas. Understanding exactly what each area demands helps our tutors design the most targeted preparation programme.

Verbal Reasoning tests a child’s ability to understand, analyse and manipulate language. Question types include word relationships, analogies, antonyms and synonyms, letter and number sequences embedded in word patterns, and hidden words. A strong and wide vocabulary, built through extensive reading, is the most important long-term asset for this section.

Non-Verbal Reasoning assesses spatial awareness and pattern-recognition ability using shapes, codes and sequences — without words or numbers. Typical question types include identifying the odd one out in a set, completing matrices, spotting reflections and rotations, and finding hidden shapes within larger figures. This section particularly rewards deliberate practice, as children who have not encountered these question types before can find them unfamiliar under timed conditions.

Numerical Reasoning goes beyond standard KS2 arithmetic. While the core content is taught at primary school, the questions require children to apply mathematical reasoning rapidly — number sequences, ratio, proportion, data interpretation, and problem-solving in unfamiliar contexts. The timed nature of the papers means accuracy and speed both matter.

All answers are recorded on separate multiple-choice answer sheets scanned by computer. The school does not release raw scores or the total number of marks available — only the final standardised score is provided. Because scores are age-weighted, a child born in August is not penalised relative to a September-born peer of almost a year’s advantage.

How Competitive Is Entry?

QMGS is among the most oversubscribed grammar schools in the West Midlands. The school’s published data shows a consistent pattern: while the minimum qualifying score sits at approximately 200, the practical cut-off for a place on National Offers Day is significantly higher.

These figures confirm that the effective score needed to secure a place is around 223–225 — at least 23–25 points above the minimum qualifying threshold. The Pupil Premium allocation adds an important nuance: up to 54 places (30% of the 180 intake) are reserved for children eligible for Pupil Premium, with Walsall state primary school pupils receiving priority within that group. This means competition for the remaining approximately 126 non-PP places is particularly intense, with many more qualified applicants than available spaces.

The data-sharing arrangement within the West Midlands Grammar Schools partnership means that children who sit the test and consent to sharing their result can simultaneously be considered by grammar schools in Birmingham, Shropshire, Wolverhampton and Warwickshire — provided they tick the relevant box when registering. This single test can therefore open doors to multiple schools, making thorough preparation especially valuable.

Our Recommended Preparation Timeline

With an effective cut-off score approximately 25 points above the minimum qualifying mark, QMGS rewards sustained, structured preparation over at least 12 to 18 months. Below is the timeline our specialist tutors recommend for families targeting September 2027 entry — the entrance test falls on 12 September 2026.

Year 4 (autumn and spring): Build the foundations. Focus on broad reading to develop vocabulary and comprehension speed, consolidate KS2 maths with particular attention to number work, fractions and data handling, and introduce the concept of 11+ preparation through vocabulary games and puzzle books. There is no need for intense drilling at this stage — the goal is to develop strong core skills organically.

Year 4 (summer) to Year 5 (autumn): Introduce structured 11+ practice. Begin working through GL Assessment-style VR, NVR and Numerical Reasoning question types systematically, ideally with a specialist tutor who can identify specific gaps early. The focus at this stage is on understanding question types and developing strategies, rather than timed performance.

Year 5 (spring and summer): Increase pace and introduce timed sessions. Begin working through full timed practice papers. Track scores across multiple sittings to identify recurring weak areas. At this stage children should be encountering every major question type and developing consistent technique. Our tutors use mock-paper analysis to prioritise revision focus in the months ahead.

Year 6 (September to July 2026): Intensive preparation. This is the critical year for children targeting 2027 entry. Regular timed full-paper practice, performance review, targeted drilling in weaker areas, and increasing exam stamina are all key. We recommend at least two full mock-paper sittings per month from January onwards, rising to weekly in the final eight weeks before the September test date.

August 2026: Final-weeks consolidation. Avoid introducing new material. Focus on accuracy under timed conditions, reviewing technique for question types your son still finds difficult, and maintaining confidence. Brief, focused sessions are more effective than marathon revision at this stage. Ensure your son knows the format of the test day — two papers, each roughly 50 minutes, with a short break between them.

For families who began preparation later than Year 4, our tutors can design accelerated programmes that prioritise the highest-impact areas. Contact us for a bespoke assessment and plan.

How Leading Tuition Can Help

At Leading Tuition, our specialist tutors have extensive experience preparing boys for the QMGS 11+ entrance test and for the wider West Midlands Grammar Schools consortium. We understand that achieving a score of 225 or above requires more than simply working through a revision book — it demands deliberate, data-driven preparation that identifies your son’s specific gaps and systematically closes them.

All sessions are delivered online, making expert tuition accessible to families in Walsall, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield and across the wider West Midlands — no commute required. Each pupil receives a personalised learning plan built around their current performance profile, learning style and target school’s requirements.

Our approach includes: diagnostic assessment at the start of the programme to benchmark performance; targeted topic work for VR, NVR and Numerical Reasoning; regular timed mock papers using GL Assessment-format questions; performance tracking across sittings to measure progress; and parent updates after each tutor review so families stay informed throughout the process.

We also support families whose sons are applying across the West Midlands Grammar Schools partnership — the data-sharing arrangement means a child may simultaneously be targeting QMGS, Queen Mary’s High School, Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School or other consortium schools with the same test result. Our tutors help families understand the strategic dimensions of this, including how to structure Local Authority preference forms once results arrive in October.

Explore our 11+ preparation hub for a full overview of our selective school support, or read our guides on Altrincham Grammar School for Boys and King Edward VI Birmingham. For families also considering independent schools, our free consultation covers all secondary options.

Frequently Asked Questions