What the maths paper tests, topic breakdown, scoring and how to prepare your child
Book a Free ConsultationThe GL Assessment numerical reasoning paper is the component of the 11+ that most parents find hardest to explain to their children. It is not simply a maths test in the way a school test is — it assesses problem-solving and mathematical reasoning using Key Stage 2 content delivered entirely as multiple-choice questions under strict time pressure. GL Assessment provides the 11+ tests used by over 80% of grammar schools in England, and understanding exactly how the numerical reasoning paper works is the first step to an effective preparation plan. This guide covers what the paper tests, which topics carry the most marks, how scoring works, and the preparation approach that our specialist tutors find most effective for children preparing for 2026 and 2027 entry.
The GL Assessment 11+ maths paper is formally titled the Mathematics paper, but parents and tutors commonly refer to it as the numerical reasoning component because it goes significantly beyond basic calculation. The paper is designed to identify children in approximately the top 25% of their year group in mathematical reasoning ability. This means the questions are not simply testing whether children can apply a formula they have memorised — they are testing whether children can identify which approach to use in an unfamiliar context, often involving several steps before arriving at the answer.
The paper contains 50 questions completed in 50 minutes — approximately one question per minute — and all answers are multiple choice. Children must select from four or five options, which removes the possibility of showing working for partial credit but also means that skilled elimination can help when the exact answer is uncertain. The content follows the KS2 national curriculum, but GL papers routinely include Year 6 content that children may not yet have covered at school, particularly in areas such as algebra and probability. For this reason, preparation specifically for the 11+ maths paper — rather than relying only on school maths — is important for virtually all children targeting grammar school places.
GL Assessment papers are also drawn from a large question bank, meaning the exact mix of questions varies between schools and regions. Some consortia weight certain topics more heavily, and some areas use GL papers combined with additional local test content. Our specialist tutors recommend parents check the specific guidance from their target schools or local admissions authority for any regional variations.
The GL Assessment 11+ maths paper tests six topic domains. Number, Measurement, Statistics, Algebra, Geometry, and Probability. Of these, Number is by far the most heavily weighted — there are typically five times more Number questions on the paper than any other single topic type. This makes the Number domain the single most important preparation focus for any child sitting a GL 11+.
| Topic Domain | Key Sub-Topics | Typical Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Fractions (all operations), percentages, decimals, prime numbers, HCF, LCM, ratio, place value | Highest — approx. 5x any other domain |
| Measurement | Money and change, time (12/24hr), metric conversions, perimeter, area, distance/speed/time, volume of cuboids | Medium |
| Statistics | Mean, median, mode, range, pie charts, bar/column graphs, line graphs, coordinates, simple ratio | Medium |
| Algebra | Number patterns, sequences, simple equations, function machines, missing number problems | Lower |
| Geometry | Angle calculations, reflection, rotation, symmetry, nets of 3D shapes, properties of polygons | Lower |
| Probability | Simple probability, likelihood vocabulary, basic probability calculations | Lowest |
Within the Number domain, the sub-topics that appear most consistently across GL papers are fractions (simplifying, comparing, adding and subtracting), percentages (finding percentages of amounts, percentage increase and decrease), and ratio. These three areas frequently appear as multi-step word problems — children must first identify what the question is asking, then select and apply the right operation, then check the answer makes sense in context. This is meaningfully different from a straightforward calculation exercise, which is why preparation cannot rely on school maths lessons alone.
The Statistics domain — covering averages, charts, and data reading — is the second most commonly tested area in most GL papers. Children are asked to read information from bar charts, pie charts, and tables, then answer questions requiring interpretation rather than just extraction. For example, a question might present a pie chart showing monthly rainfall data and ask which month received 25% more rain than a named month — requiring the child to read the chart, perform a percentage calculation, and match against the given options.
The standard GL Assessment 11+ maths paper has 50 questions to be completed in 50 minutes. Children record their answers on a separate multiple-choice answer sheet, filling in circles or boxes — the exact format varies by region but is always pre-specified in familiarisation materials. Because answer sheets are machine-marked, children must be precise about which answer they select and, if they change their mind, must fully erase their original answer before marking a new one.
The 50-minute time limit means children have an average of 60 seconds per question. In practice, experienced children manage their time by working quickly through questions they find straightforward, skipping questions they are unsure about, and returning to skipped questions if time allows. Many children find that Number questions take them less time than Statistics or Geometry questions involving diagram reading, which shifts the practical strategy: build Number fluency to create a time buffer for the other domains.
GL Assessment also offers an online adaptive version of their tests, used by some independent schools. In the adaptive version, question difficulty adjusts based on the child's responses. However, the large majority of grammar school 11+ tests use the paper-based, non-adaptive format described above, where all children receive the same questions. Check with your specific schools to confirm which format they use.
Preparing for the 11+ Numerical Reasoning Paper?
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Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppGiven that Number questions account for roughly five times as many marks as any other domain, fractions and percentages are the clearest priority for preparation. Within fractions, the most mark-productive sub-skills to develop are: converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages; comparing and ordering fractions with different denominators; and solving word problems that require fraction multiplication or division. A child who can fluently handle these operations across varied word-problem contexts is well placed to secure most of the Number marks on the paper.
Ratio and proportion is the Number sub-topic that most children find hardest, and it is also heavily tested. Ratio questions on GL papers frequently involve sharing quantities in a given ratio, finding missing values in a proportion, and scaling recipes or quantities up and down. Children who cannot reliably handle ratio lose marks across multiple questions; targeted ratio practice pays disproportionate dividends in the final score.
Highest Common Factor (HCF) and Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) questions are a reliable feature of GL papers and often trip up children who have not encountered them in school — particularly in Year 4 and Year 5 children sitting mock tests early in preparation. These are straightforward topics once learned but require deliberate teaching rather than hoping they arise naturally in school maths. Our specialist tutors always cover HCF and LCM explicitly in the early weeks of an 11+ preparation programme.
In the Statistics domain, the most productive practice is reading and interpreting pie charts alongside calculating simple averages (mean, median, mode, range). These appear together frequently — a GL question may present a data table, ask children to calculate the mean, and then ask what percentage of a total a given value represents. Combining statistical reading with percentage calculation in the same question is a hallmark of GL difficulty at the upper range.
The raw mark from the GL Assessment 11+ maths paper (the number of correct answers out of 50) is converted into a Standardised Age Score (SAS). Age standardisation means that a child who is younger than their classmates when they sit the test is not disadvantaged — the conversion tables adjust for the child's precise age in years and months at the time of sitting. A child who sits the test aged 10 years and 3 months and gets 38 questions correct will receive a higher SAS than a child aged 10 years and 10 months with the same raw score.
The SAS scale is designed so that the average score across all children taking the test is 100, with a standard deviation of approximately 15 points. A score of 120 on the SAS scale corresponds to approximately the 91st percentile — meaning the child scored higher than around 91% of all test takers. Grammar school 11+ admissions typically look for SAS scores in the 111–130 range depending on the competitiveness of the school and region. Highly selective schools in Greater London — such as those in the Sutton grammar consortium or the Barnet consortium — typically see qualifying scores at the higher end of this range.
For the overall 11+ result, the SAS from the maths paper is combined with SAS scores from other papers (verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and sometimes English). Schools and consortia weight these differently — some weight all four papers equally, others give greater weight to verbal reasoning or maths. Parents should check the weighting formula published by each admissions authority to understand how the maths score contributes to the composite result.
Unlike some exams, there is no penalty for incorrect answers on GL Assessment papers — so children should always attempt every question rather than leaving answers blank. If time is running short, educated guessing from two remaining plausible options is always preferable to leaving a blank.
Parents preparing children for a full GL 11+ suite — which typically includes all four papers — often ask how the four components relate to each other and whether preparation for one helps with the others. The answer is that the skill sets are genuinely distinct, and each paper requires its own preparation track.
Verbal reasoning tests a child's ability to spot patterns, analogies, and relationships within language — skills closely linked to vocabulary range and the ability to think flexibly with words. Strong readers who enjoy English and word games often find verbal reasoning comes more naturally, but the question types (there are 21 distinct verbal reasoning question types in the GL test) require deliberate familiarisation regardless of natural ability. Our complete guide to 11+ verbal reasoning covers all 21 question types and the preparation approach in detail.
Non-verbal reasoning tests logical thinking using diagrams, shapes, and visual patterns — with no language or mathematical content. It assesses spatial reasoning and the ability to identify and continue visual rules. Some children find NVR highly intuitive; others find the question types unfamiliar until they have practised them systematically. Our 11+ non-verbal reasoning guide covers the full range of question types across all four timed sections of the GL paper.
Numerical reasoning is distinct from both: it uses the child's mathematical knowledge from the KS2 curriculum, but applies it in a reasoning and problem-solving context rather than testing procedural recall. A child who is good at school maths may still struggle with GL numerical reasoning if they have not encountered multi-step word problems under time pressure. For families who are deciding how to structure preparation across all four paper types, our CEM vs GL Assessment guide explains how the two main exam providers differ in approach and what this means for preparation strategy.
The most effective preparation approach for GL 11+ numerical reasoning runs in two distinct phases: a knowledge-building phase followed by a practice-paper phase. Skipping the knowledge-building phase and jumping straight into practice papers is the most common preparation mistake — it can discourage children, reveal gaps with no clear remediation path, and embed incorrect approaches that are hard to undo later.
In the knowledge-building phase (typically Year 4 or Year 5), the focus is on systematically covering the topic areas tested by GL, with particular depth on the Number domain. This means ensuring the child is fluent with fraction operations, can confidently convert between fractions, decimals, and percentages, understands ratio and proportion, and can calculate HCF and LCM. A useful milestone is the ability to answer all questions correctly from a KS2 revision book on Number topics without time pressure — this signals that the knowledge foundation is in place.
The practice-paper phase (typically Year 5 onwards, with peak intensity in the 6–12 weeks before the test) moves to timed practice with GL-style question formats. GL Assessment publish official familiarisation materials free of charge at their website, and official GL practice paper books are available for purchase. These are the most authentic preparation materials available and should form the backbone of timed practice. Alongside the official materials, our specialist tutors recommend using timed drills focused on the highest-frequency topic areas — particularly fraction, percentage, and ratio word problems — rather than working through complete 50-question papers at every session.
One technique our tutors use with good effect is teaching children to annotate word problems quickly before calculating: underline the question being asked, circle the key numbers, and identify the operation needed before writing anything down. This reduces errors caused by misreading multi-step questions under time pressure — a common source of avoidable lost marks in GL numerical reasoning.
For children already in Year 5 or early Year 6, a more compressed but still structured approach is entirely possible. Our specialist tutors design personalised programmes that identify existing topic gaps through a diagnostic assessment, prioritise the highest-mark topics for immediate work, and build timed paper practice progressively. For 11+ tuition that covers both numerical reasoning and the full GL suite, see our 11+ tuition page.
GL Assessment is the leading provider of 11+ exams, used by over 80% of grammar schools in England. The numerical reasoning component is a standalone maths paper of 50 multiple-choice questions in 50 minutes. The paper tests problem-solving and mathematical reasoning across Key Stage 2 curriculum content, including some Year 6 topics your child may not yet have covered at school. It is distinct from verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, and requires its own focused preparation approach.
The standard GL Assessment 11+ maths paper has 50 questions to answer in 50 minutes — roughly one question per minute. All questions are multiple choice. The paper covers six topic areas: Number, Measurement, Statistics, Algebra, Geometry, and Probability. Number questions appear far more frequently than any other category — there are typically five times more Number questions than any other topic type. This weighting means fractions, percentages, decimals, and ratio questions are the single highest-return area to practise.
The Number category dominates the GL 11+ maths paper, appearing roughly five times more than any other topic area. Within Number, the most commonly tested content includes fractions, percentages, decimals, prime numbers, highest common factor (HCF), lowest common multiple (LCM), and ratio — many appearing as multi-step word problems rather than standalone calculations. Statistics topics — averages, pie charts, bar graphs, and coordinates — are the next most common category. Building fluency across Number topics first gives children the highest return on preparation time.
GL Assessment 11+ maths is scored using a Standardised Age Score (SAS), which adjusts for your child's precise age at the time of sitting. A SAS of 120 or above on the maths component is generally considered competitive for grammar school entry, though qualifying scores vary by school and region. Some highly oversubscribed schools require composite SAS scores above 121 or 122 across all papers, while less competitive areas have lower thresholds. Always check the admissions criteria for each school your child is applying to, as individual qualifying marks are set by each admissions authority.
Most specialists recommend beginning structured 11+ numerical reasoning preparation from Year 4 or Year 5 — no later than 12 to 18 months before the test, which typically takes place in September or October of Year 6. Early preparation should build secure KS2 curriculum foundations first, rather than jumping straight into practice papers. Once core knowledge is solid — typically from Year 5 onwards — timed GL-style practice builds the speed and confidence needed for the actual test. Leaving preparation to the summer before Year 6 is possible but leaves little time for remediation if topic gaps are found.
Leading Tuition provides specialist 11+ numerical reasoning tuition with tutors experienced in the GL Assessment maths format and topics. Our specialist tutors work with children individually, identifying gaps in KS2 knowledge and building the multi-step problem-solving approach that GL numerical reasoning demands. We focus on fractions, percentages, ratios, and data interpretation — the highest-frequency categories — while developing comfort with the multiple-choice format under timed conditions. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. Book a free consultation at leadingtuition.co.uk/consultation or message us on WhatsApp.
Leading Tuition provides specialist 11+ numerical reasoning tuition across all GL Assessment topics. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot.
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