Everything you need to know about the 11 Plus — from when to start to which schools use which exam board
Book a Free ConsultationGrammar school preparation in 2026 requires a structured, school-specific plan beginning as early as Year 4. The 11 Plus is not a single national exam — it is a collection of school and region-specific tests set by either GL Assessment or CEM, each targeting different skills in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, mathematics, and English comprehension. This guide covers everything parents need to know: when to start, what the exam actually tests, how competitive individual schools are, and what effective preparation looks like.
Grammar schools are state-funded secondary schools that select all or most of their pupils by academic ability. England has approximately 163 state grammar schools, educating around 167,000 pupils — roughly 5% of the secondary school population. Entry is determined by performance in the 11 Plus examination, typically sat in Year 6 during September or October of the application year.
The selective admissions process works in parallel with the standard state school application. Parents register their child for the 11+ test (usually by June or July), the child sits the exam in September, results are issued in October, and parents submit their Common Application Form (CAF) to their local authority by 31 October 2026. School offers are made on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027. Missing any one of these deadlines can cost a full year.
Some grammar schools operate on a fully selective basis (all pupils admitted by ability test), while others — such as those in parts of Kent — operate on a partially selective basis with a small proportion of places reserved for music, sport, or distance catchment. Most London super-selectives admit purely on test score.
Understanding which exam board your target school uses is the single most important piece of research before buying a single practice paper. The two providers use completely different formats, and mixing up preparation resources is one of the most common and costly mistakes families make.
GL Assessment papers are structured and predictable. Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, mathematics, and English are tested in separate booklets, typically multiple-choice, and past papers closely match future papers. GL is used by most Kent grammar schools, many independent schools, and the CSSE consortium in Essex.
CEM papers are shorter but faster-paced, testing a much wider vocabulary range and integrating subjects within a single timed paper. CEM changes its format periodically, which limits the value of older past papers. CEM is used by Birmingham grammar schools, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, Bucks (GL from 2024), and some London selective schools.
See our detailed breakdown in the CEM vs GL Assessment Complete Parent Guide 2026.
The right start date depends on how competitive the target school is and where the child currently is academically. Here is a practical timeline:
Year 3 (age 7–8): Build strong foundations in maths and English through school and reading. No formal 11+ preparation needed yet. Focus on rapid mental arithmetic, wide reading habits, and times tables to 12×12.
Year 4 (age 8–9): Recommended start for children targeting super-selective London schools (Henrietta Barnett, Tiffin, Wilson's, Sutton consortium). Begin with topic-by-topic maths and verbal reasoning using GL or CEM resources appropriate to the target school. Aim for one or two sessions per week. A good tutor at this stage focuses on depth of understanding, not test-taking speed.
Year 5 (age 9–10): Appropriate start for most county grammar schools. Begin bridging from core skills to timed practice. Introduce non-verbal reasoning and vocabulary building. By the summer of Year 5, children should be doing regular timed sections.
Year 6 (age 10–11, September exam): Intensive preparation phase. Children should be doing full timed mock papers under exam conditions regularly from May onwards. Identify weak areas and target them specifically. Exam technique — question order, time management, checking — becomes critical. The exam itself typically falls in mid-September.
Despite the variation between exam boards, the 11+ consistently draws on four skill areas:
Verbal Reasoning: This tests a child's ability to work with words and language logically — anagrams, synonyms, antonyms, letter and word codes, analogies, and comprehension. Strong reading habits from an early age build this naturally. Our 11+ Verbal Reasoning Complete Parent Guide covers every question type in detail.
Non-Verbal Reasoning: This assesses spatial and pattern-based thinking — identifying shapes that complete a series, finding the odd one out, rotating figures, and folding nets. This is the one section where extensive practice yields the greatest gains for most children, as it is less dependent on innate ability and more on familiarity with the question types. See our Non-Verbal Reasoning guide.
Mathematics: 11+ maths covers the standard KS2 curriculum but demands speed and accuracy well above average classroom level. Topics include fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, algebra, area and perimeter, data handling, and word problems. See the full topic checklist at 11+ Maths Topics: Complete Checklist.
English / Comprehension: Most exam boards test reading comprehension, creative or structured writing, and grammar. For CEM schools this is integrated into the main test; for GL schools it is typically a separate English paper. See our guide on 11+ English Comprehension: Question Types and Mark Schemes.
Supporting your child's grammar school preparation?
Leading Tuition's specialist 11+ tutors know every major grammar school's exam format, typical pass marks, and what it takes to reach the required standard. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. Book a free consultation or Message us on WhatsApp.
The 11+ is not uniformly competitive — it is a spectrum from highly accessible county grammars to ferociously competitive London super-selectives. Understanding real competition levels helps families set realistic expectations.
In 2026, Henrietta Barnett School received over 2,800 registered candidates for approximately 93 places — a ratio exceeding 30:1. The Tiffin Schools (Tiffin Girls' and Tiffin School for Boys) together attract over 3,000 applicants for roughly 180 combined places. The Sutton consortium (Nonsuch, Wallington, Wilson's, Sutton Grammar, Greenshaw) processed approximately 4,500 test sittings in the 2026 cycle for around 900 places.
By contrast, Kent grammar schools such as Folkestone School for Girls or Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School admit a significantly higher proportion of applicants — pass rates in some Kent areas approach 25–30% of those tested. Lincoln Christ's Hospital School similarly operates at lower levels of competition than London super-selectives.
The national average 11+ pass rate across all grammar school areas is approximately 20–25%, but this figure conceals enormous variation. See our detailed analysis at 11+ Pass Marks by Region: How High Do You Need to Score?
These two categories require fundamentally different preparation approaches. Treating them the same is a strategic mistake.
London super-selectives operate on an extremely tight score range. At Henrietta Barnett, the difference between a qualifying and non-qualifying score can be a single question across a two-paper test. Preparation at this level demands not just correct answers but speed, consistency, and the ability to perform under pressure. Mock exams under timed conditions, ideally graded with proper standardisation, are essential. Children should be consistently scoring in the top 3–5% of the national age group. See our guide to London Super-Selective Grammar Schools.
County grammars require a strong performance in the top 20–25% of the tested cohort. The preparation emphasis shifts from extreme speed to reliable accuracy across maths and English. Many children preparing for county grammars in Kent or Essex will need 12–18 months of structured preparation, but not at the intensive pace required for London super-selectives.
London consortium schools (Latymer School Edmonton, Henrietta Barnett, and others in the North London group) share a single test paper — see our London Consortium Schools Guide for details on how offers are decided when multiple schools use the same score.
| School | Region | Exam Board | Approx. Places | Typical Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henrietta Barnett School | North London | NLCS Consortium | 93 | ~Top 3% |
| Tiffin Girls' School | Kingston | GL Assessment | ~120 | ~Top 4% |
| Wilson's School | Sutton | Sutton Consortium | ~180 | ~Top 5% |
| Nonsuch High School for Girls | Sutton | Sutton Consortium | ~150 | ~Top 5% |
| Latymer School, Edmonton | Enfield | London Consortium | ~180 | ~Top 5% |
| Wallington High School for Girls | Sutton | Sutton Consortium | ~150 | ~Top 6% |
| Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet | Barnet | GL Assessment | ~210 | ~Top 5% |
| Judd School, Tonbridge | Kent | Kent Test (GL) | ~120 | ~Top 8% |
| Colchester Royal Grammar School | Essex | CSSE | ~120 | ~Top 10% |
| Dame Alice Owen's School | Potters Bar | GL Assessment | ~60 | ~Top 4% |
Effective preparation is not about volume of papers — it is about deliberate practice with intelligent feedback. Here is what the research and our own experience preparing children for selective schools consistently shows:
Structured topic work before timed papers. Many families go straight to practice papers, which reveals weaknesses but does not fix them. Start with topic-by-topic mastery — mental arithmetic speed, vocabulary building, non-verbal reasoning question types — before introducing timed pressure.
Timed mock tests under exam conditions. From around 6 months before the exam, regular full timed mocks are essential. These develop time management, reduce test anxiety, and build stamina. Children should sit mocks in a quiet room, with no interruptions, and under proper time pressure. See our guide to how to practise filling in bubble answer sheets — a frequently overlooked exam technique issue.
Error analysis after every paper. Working through mistakes systematically — not just marking, but understanding why errors occurred — is where the learning happens. A child who sits 30 untimed practice papers and never analyses errors learns less than a child who sits 10 timed papers and reviews every wrong answer carefully.
One-to-one tuition for targeted support. A good tutor identifies the specific weaknesses holding a child back and designs sessions around fixing them. At Leading Tuition, our 11+ specialists use the first session to establish a baseline across all tested areas and build a preparation plan from there. Our 2025 cohort achieved a 95% success rate.
Passing the 11+ does not guarantee a place at a grammar school if you live outside its designated or priority area. Many grammar schools use distance-from-school tiebreakers or have formal designated areas that give priority to residents within a specific postcode zone.
Henrietta Barnett School has one of the tightest designated areas in London — priority is given to pupils in specific Barnet postcode zones, and living outside the area significantly reduces the chance of an offer even with a qualifying score. See our dedicated Henrietta Barnett Designated Area Guide for full zone maps.
The Kingston grammars (Tiffin Boys' and Girls') draw from across London but give priority to pupils living in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and Richmond. Sutton consortium schools apply distance criteria after score qualification.
Our comprehensive Grammar School Catchment Areas in London: 2026 Guide covers every major London grammar school's designated area rules.
We have written detailed guides for every major grammar and selective school. Each guide covers the specific exam format used, typical pass marks, designated area rules, what the school looks for, and how to target preparation effectively:
The 11 Plus is a selective entrance examination taken by Year 6 pupils (aged 10–11) to compete for places at state grammar schools and some independent schools. It is not a national exam — it is set by individual schools or exam boards (GL Assessment or CEM) and is only relevant in areas with surviving grammar schools: Kent, Lincolnshire, Buckinghamshire, parts of Birmingham and Trafford, Berkshire, Essex, and selective London boroughs including Kingston, Sutton, and Barnet. Approximately 163 state grammar schools remain in England. Roughly 93,000 pupils sit 11+ tests each year, competing for approximately 19,000 places.
Competition varies dramatically by school. At super-selective London schools such as Henrietta Barnett and Tiffin Girls', the ratio can exceed 10 applicants per place. Kent's grammar schools are less pressured — some accept around 30–40% of those tested. In 2026, Henrietta Barnett School received over 2,800 applications for approximately 90 places, a ratio of more than 31:1. Sutton grammar schools collectively attract over 4,500 applicants for roughly 900 places. Understanding the specific level of competition at your target school is essential to calibrating how much preparation is realistic and necessary.
Most tutors recommend starting structured preparation in Year 4 (age 8–9) for highly competitive London super-selectives such as Henrietta Barnett, Tiffin, or the Sutton grammars. For county grammar schools, starting in Year 5 (age 9–10) is usually sufficient. Children aiming for very selective schools benefit from 18–24 months of consistent weekly tuition, building core maths and English skills before moving to timed practice papers. A Year 6 September start — just two months before most exams — is too late for a child who needs foundational work, though revision-focused preparation for a well-prepared child can still be effective at that stage.
GL Assessment and CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, based at Durham University) are the two main 11+ exam providers. GL Assessment papers are typically longer, more predictable in format, and have been used for decades — past papers are widely available. CEM papers are shorter but faster-paced, use a wider vocabulary range, and change format more frequently, making direct past-paper practice harder. GL schools include most Kent grammars and many independent schools. CEM is used by Birmingham, parts of Essex, Wiltshire, and some London schools. See our full CEM vs GL Assessment guide for a school-by-school comparison.
Many children who do not achieve a qualifying score still go on to excellent schools and fulfilling careers. Most areas have strong comprehensive and academy options. Some children choose to appeal if they narrowly missed the threshold, resit at a different school in a later cycle, or explore the 13+ independent school route. Some Kent grammar schools admit pupils at Year 9 via a separate 13+ process. See 11 vs 13 — which route is right? A child's worth is not defined by a single exam, and families who approach the result calmly usually support their child more effectively through whatever route follows.
Leading Tuition has specialist tutors who prepare children for both GL Assessment and CEM 11+ exams, with particular expertise in London super-selectives including Henrietta Barnett, Tiffin, Wilson's, and the Sutton consortium. We offer one-to-one tuition online and in-person, structured around each child's specific target school and timeline. Our 2025 cohort achieved a 95% success rate across grammar and independent school 11+ entries. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. Book a free initial consultation to discuss your child's preparation at leadingtuition.co.uk/consultation or message us on WhatsApp at wa.me/447360278449.
Leading Tuition specialises in 11+ preparation for GL Assessment and CEM schools across London, Kent, Essex, and beyond. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsApp