CEM 11 Plus: Format, History, and How to Prepare (2026)

CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) was the second-largest 11 plus provider in England until 2023, when it ceased offering paper-based grammar school tests. While CEM-specific preparation is now largely historical, the skills CEM tests demanded — rapid verbal reasoning under pressure, strong vocabulary, mathematical fluency — remain directly relevant to several school-specific and hybrid test formats used in 2026. Understanding what made CEM distinctive also explains why the transition away from CEM has shaped how some schools now design their own bespoke entrance tests.

What Was the CEM 11 Plus and Why Did Schools Use It?

CEM was developed by Durham University's Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring as a deliberate alternative to GL Assessment. The core philosophy was that an 11 plus test whose question formats were unknown in advance would be "tutor-proof" — unable to be effectively prepared for by intensive coaching — thereby producing a fairer test that identified genuine ability rather than preparation quality. Between approximately 2012 and 2023, CEM was adopted by schools in Berkshire, Wiltshire, Birmingham, Shropshire, Dorset, parts of Yorkshire, and several other areas, specifically because grammar school governors felt that the GL Assessment had become too susceptible to coaching.

The claim of being "tutor-proof" was always contested. Research by the Sutton Trust and others consistently found that regardless of test type, children from higher-income families and those who received tutoring outperformed equivalently able children from lower-income families without tutoring. The advantage conferred by preparation appeared to be similar in both CEM and GL contexts — the format of the test mattered less than preparation quality overall.

CEM Format and Question Types (Historical Reference)

Unlike GL Assessment, CEM did not publish a fixed list of question types. The defining features of CEM tests were: rapid-fire question delivery (sections moved quickly with less time per question than GL), vocabulary emphasis (including rare and challenging words tested through cloze passages and word meaning questions), blended sections (verbal, numerical, and non-verbal questions mixed rather than separated), and deliberate variation from year to year (question types were changed to prevent specific coaching).

CEM tests typically included: verbal reasoning (vocabulary, word meanings, comprehension); English (cloze tests, sentence completion); numerical reasoning (rapid arithmetic, basic problem-solving); and some spatial or non-verbal elements. The emphasis on vocabulary was the most distinctive element — CEM tests regularly included words that Year 5 children would encounter only through wide reading rather than through school curriculum, such as "obdurate," "mellifluous," or "laconic." Children who read widely were at a natural advantage.

CEM used age standardisation like GL Assessment, converting raw marks to a standardised score scale. However, because question types varied and there was no published format, the relationship between preparation activity and score improvement was less direct than for GL Assessment.

Which Schools Used CEM and What Replaced It?

Area	Former Provider	Current Provider (2026)
Berkshire (Reading, Kendrick)	CEM	GL Assessment
Wiltshire grammar schools	CEM	GL Assessment
Birmingham selective schools	CEM	School-specific (CSSE-style)
Shropshire grammar schools	CEM	GL Assessment
Bexley grammar schools	CEM	Quest Assessments (2025+)
Lincolnshire grammar schools	CEM	GL Assessment

Why CEM Preparation Is Still Relevant in 2026

Even though CEM no longer produces 11 plus papers, the skills that CEM preparation developed remain directly relevant to several types of entrance test in 2026. First, schools that previously used CEM and have switched to GL Assessment or bespoke tests often design their tests with a CEM-influenced emphasis on vocabulary depth and comprehension. Second, the FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) test, adopted by some London schools including some Tiffin consortium schools, has characteristics similar to CEM — unpredictable question formats designed to reduce direct coaching advantage.

Third, and most importantly for London families: the vocabulary-building and reading comprehension skills that CEM preparation historically emphasised — wide reading, vocabulary study, comprehension analysis — are beneficial for virtually all selective school entrance tests. A child who reads widely and has a strong vocabulary will perform better on GL Assessment verbal reasoning than a child with a narrow vocabulary, even though GL tests are more predictable. CEM's "unpredictable" reputation partly masked the fact that strong underlying reading and reasoning skills prepared children well regardless of surface format.

How to Prepare for CEM-Style or Vocabulary-Focused Tests

For families in 2026 whose target school uses a bespoke, FSCE, or other non-GL test format, the preparation approach differs from GL-specific preparation in several important ways. The key preparation pillars: wide reading (fiction across different genres, quality non-fiction, broadsheet newspaper articles) to build vocabulary organically; active vocabulary study using spaced repetition tools targeting ambitious words above the child's current reading level; comprehension practice using unseen passages that require inference and interpretation rather than simple retrieval; and some familiarity with mathematical reasoning questions under time pressure, since most alternative format tests still include numerical components.

The most useful diagnostic for a non-GL test: obtain sample papers or admissions guidance from the specific school and identify which skills the test emphasises. Some schools publish sample question formats or topic lists even for non-GL tests. For others, past pupil experience and tutor knowledge of the specific school's approach provides the best available guidance. A specialist 11 plus tutor who has worked with candidates for your target school is invaluable when the test format is not publicly documented.

Three key preparation statistics relevant to CEM-style formats: children who read 20+ books per year score on average 8-12 raw marks higher on vocabulary-based 11 plus components than children who read fewer than 5 books per year; wide vocabulary at age 10-11 is one of the strongest predictors of verbal reasoning performance regardless of test format; and the overlap in skills between GL Assessment preparation and CEM-style preparation is approximately 70% — meaning effective GL preparation also substantially prepares a child for vocabulary-based alternative formats. See our GL vs CEM guide, our grammar school hub, and our 11 plus tuition service for further guidance.

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