Lincolnshire 11+ Test Format 2026: GL Assessment Explained

The Lincolnshire 11+ is one of the most distinctive grammar school entrance exams in England. Unlike many areas where schools set different tests or test in different subjects, all 15 schools in the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools use a single, standardised GL Assessment test — and they test only verbal reasoning and non-verbal and spatial reasoning. There is no maths paper. No comprehension. No creative writing. Just two papers, two Saturday mornings in September, and a single qualifying threshold of 220.

For parents and children encountering these question types for the first time, the format can feel unfamiliar. VR and NVR are not subjects taught on the national curriculum, so many children have little or no exposure to them before starting preparation. This guide explains in precise detail what each paper contains, how scoring and standardisation work, what the 2026 timetable looks like, and how to build the skills and speed children need to score well.

Who Sets the Lincolnshire 11+ Test?

The Lincolnshire Consortium 11+ is set by GL Assessment (formerly Granada Learning Assessment), one of the UK’s leading providers of standardised educational tests. GL Assessment produces 11+ papers for grammar school areas across England, including Kent, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Trafford, Birmingham and many others. Their tests are widely regarded as among the most rigorous and well-standardised in the market.

GL Assessment tests are designed to measure academic potential rather than curriculum attainment. The choice of verbal reasoning and non-verbal and spatial reasoning as the tested subjects reflects this philosophy: a child who is strong in these areas will typically thrive in an academically selective school environment, regardless of how far ahead they are in maths or English relative to their peers. The tests are deliberately designed so that familiarity with the question types — which can be learned and practised — should not be a dominant factor over underlying ability. In practice, however, preparation significantly improves performance, and children who have practised the GL question types extensively consistently outperform those who sit the test cold.

GL Assessment also provides the tests for Caistor Grammar School, though Caistor’s tests are administered independently by the school rather than through the consortium. Caistor uses verbal reasoning tests only, with two papers on 19th and 26th September 2026. For detailed information about Caistor specifically, see our Caistor Grammar School 11+ Guide 2026.

Paper 1: Verbal Reasoning — Full Breakdown

The Verbal Reasoning paper lasts 50 minutes and contains 80 questions. That works out to an average of 37.5 seconds per question — a pace that feels demanding, especially for children who are not used to working under strict time pressure. The paper is structured into approximately 15 sections, each containing 5–6 questions of the same type. A short unmarked practice section at the beginning helps children understand how to record their answers before the scored questions begin.

GL Assessment VR covers five broad categories of question type:

Vocabulary questions test knowledge of word meanings and relationships. Common formats include finding synonyms (words that mean the same as a given word), antonyms (words that mean the opposite), identifying the odd one out from a list of five words that mostly share a category or characteristic, and completing analogies (“Warm is to Hot as Cold is to ___”). These questions reward children who read widely and have a rich and varied vocabulary.

Finding words questions ask children to identify or construct words from given letters. Types include anagrams (rearranging scrambled letters to form a word), jumbled sentences (rearranging word-order to form a coherent sentence), missing words (identifying a word that connects two pairs or fills a gap), and hidden words (finding a smaller word concealed within a sentence by reading across word boundaries).

Building words questions test the ability to add, remove or transfer letters to produce new words. Types include compound words (joining two words to make one), letter transfers (moving a letter from one word to another so both make new words), and missing letters (identifying which letters complete a given word pattern).

Codes and sequences questions require logical reasoning with letters, numbers or symbols that follow a pattern. Children may be given a code where letters in a word are replaced by other letters following a rule, and asked to decode or encode new words. Number sequences and letter sequences ask children to identify the rule governing a series and predict the next term.

Logic questions present verbal or numerical statements and ask children to draw conclusions. Types include statement logic (deciding what must be true given a set of conditions), number logic (identifying which number satisfies a set of conditions), and deduction problems (“If A is taller than B, and B is taller than C, who is shortest?”).

Because the paper contains approximately 15 different section types, children who freeze on one section type and spend too long risk running short of time for the remaining sections. A core exam technique skill — essential for a strong VR score — is learning to apply the “move on” rule: if a question is taking too long, mark a provisional answer and return at the end. This skill needs to be practised, not just understood.

Paper 2: Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning — Full Breakdown

The Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning paper contains 70 questions split into five timed sections of approximately 7 minutes each. Three sections assess non-verbal reasoning (NVR) and two assess spatial reasoning. Children work through each section when told to do so by the invigilator and cannot move on until the invigilator gives the instruction. This creates a very different pace dynamic from the VR paper, where children can theoretically skip and return; in the NVR/Spatial paper, once a section’s time is called, those questions are gone.

Non-Verbal Reasoning sections test the ability to see relationships between abstract shapes and apply them. Common NVR question types in the Lincolnshire GL Assessment include:

Matrices: a grid of shapes with one missing cell, where the child must identify which answer option correctly completes the pattern. Sequences: a series of shapes that follow a progression of changes (rotation, shading, size, number of elements), where the child identifies the next shape. Analogies: two shapes are related in a specific way; the child must identify which option bears the same relationship to a third shape. Codes: shapes are labelled with letter codes representing their features; the child must identify the correct code for a new shape. Odd-one-out: five shapes are given, four of which share a property; the child identifies the one that does not fit.

Spatial Reasoning sections require the ability to mentally manipulate two-dimensional shapes. Types include: identifying which answer shape is embedded within a larger complex figure; paper folding and unfolding (predicting the pattern revealed when a folded-and-punched paper is unfolded); reflections (identifying which image is the correct mirror image of a given shape); rotations (identifying which image shows a given shape rotated by a specified angle); and shape logic (which three-dimensional shape would result from folding a given net).

The 7-minute section limit is strict, and children who are slow to process NVR or spatial questions can run out of time before answering all questions in a section. Practice under timed section conditions — not just timed overall — is critical. Children need to be able to process each question in approximately 30 seconds and move on with confidence when they are not certain of an answer, rather than spending 2 minutes on a single difficult question.

Get Expert 11+ Preparation with Leading Tuition

Our specialist tutors help children prepare for the Lincolnshire GL Assessment with personalised, one-to-one tuition. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot.

Book a Free Consultation

Age Standardisation: How the Scoring System Works

One of the most important and least understood aspects of the GL Assessment is age standardisation. Many parents worry that their summer-born child (born in May, June, July or August) will be at a significant disadvantage relative to older children born earlier in the academic year. Age standardisation is the mechanism that addresses this concern.

After each paper is marked to produce a raw score (simply the number of correct answers), GL Assessment converts that raw score into a Standardised Age Score (SAS) using conversion tables that account for the child’s exact age in years and months at the time of the test. A child who correctly answers 60 out of 80 VR questions and was born in August will receive a higher SAS than a child who also answered 60 correctly but was born in September, because the August-born child is approximately eleven months younger and has therefore performed at a comparatively higher level for their stage of development.

The two standardised scores (one for each paper) are then added together to produce the combined total. Children who reach a combined SAS total of 220 or more meet the qualifying standard for Lincolnshire grammar schools. The maximum possible score on each paper is typically around 130–140 SAS points, though the precise ceiling varies by year and cohort. In practice, children who score above approximately 115 SAS on each paper individually will generally be in a strong position to exceed the 220 combined threshold.

It is worth noting that standardisation does not completely remove all age-related advantage. Research suggests that autumn-born children continue to outperform summer-born children in selective school entry rates even after standardisation. However, the gap is significantly reduced, and well-prepared summer-born children regularly achieve strong SAS scores and grammar school places.

2026 Test Timetable and Registration Deadlines

The 2026 Lincolnshire Consortium 11+ timetable for September 2027 entry is as follows. Note that registration for the consortium test closed on 31st March 2026 — families who missed that deadline cannot enter the consortium test for this cycle.

Date	Milestone
January 2026	Registration for consortium 11+ opens
31 March 2026	Consortium registration closes
5 September 2026	Optional familiarisation session (Bourne Grammar)
11–12 September 2026	Paper 1: Verbal Reasoning
18–19 September 2026	Paper 2: Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning
9 October 2026	Results communicated to families
31 October 2026	CAF deadline (via home local authority)
1 March 2027	National Offer Day

The optional familiarisation session at Bourne Grammar on 5th September 2026 is a valuable opportunity for children to experience the answer sheet format and test environment before the real papers. Some schools arrange their own familiarisation sessions for registered pupils. If your child is anxious about the test environment, attending this session can significantly reduce test-day anxiety.

How Results Are Communicated and What They Mean

Results for the Lincolnshire Consortium 11+ are communicated on 9th October 2026. Families receive notification of whether their child has achieved the qualifying standard of 220, along with the actual combined score. Some schools also communicate individual paper scores.

If your child achieves 220 or more, you proceed to list grammar school preferences on the Common Application Form (CAF) before the 31st October 2026 deadline. You can list any or all of the 15 consortium schools as preferences; there is no limit tied to the score. If your child scores 220 but lower than other qualifying applicants at a particular school, their position on the waiting list or in the offer allocation will depend on the school’s oversubscription criteria — not their specific score above 220.

If your child does not reach 220, they will not be considered for a grammar school place through the consortium. However, Caistor Grammar School has its own separate results day on 13th October 2026, so if your child registered for both tests, they may still receive results from Caistor independently.

There is a formal appeals process available to families who wish to challenge a non-qualifying result. Appeals must be submitted within a specified window after results are issued. Successful appeals — which are relatively rare — are based on evidence of genuine exceptional ability rather than marginal borderline scores. Joining the grammar school’s waiting list after offer day is typically a more productive route if your child scored close to 220.

Exam Day: What Children Should Expect

For most children, sitting the Lincolnshire 11+ will be their first experience of a formal external examination. Understanding what to expect on exam day reduces anxiety and helps children perform to their best. The test takes place at the grammar school where the child registered (which may not be the school they ultimately wish to attend).

Children should bring a pencil (not pen), an eraser and any stationery specified by the school in their registration confirmation. Answer sheets are separate from the question booklets — children circle, shade or mark their selected answer on the answer sheet, and this is the document that is machine-marked. Keeping answer sheet marks neat and clear, and erasing cleanly when changing an answer, prevents marking errors.

The invigilator will read instructions aloud before each section. In the NVR/Spatial paper, children must not open the next section until told to do so. If a child finishes a section early, they can check their answers within that section but must not move ahead. In the VR paper, children work through the paper at their own pace within the 50-minute overall time limit.

Children who require access arrangements — for example, extra time due to a specific learning difficulty or EHCP — must apply to the grammar school before the registration deadline. Documentation from a qualified professional (such as an educational psychologist or GP) will be required. Applications for access arrangements submitted after registration closes may not be considered.

Building Verbal Reasoning Skills for the Lincolnshire 11+

Verbal reasoning preparation is most effective when it begins at least 12 months before the test — ideally in Year 5 — and combines two parallel strands: developing the underlying vocabulary and language skills that inform VR performance, and practising the specific GL Assessment question types to build accuracy and speed.

For vocabulary development, the single most impactful activity is regular reading of a wide variety of texts. Fiction (particularly quality children’s novels, classics and contemporary literature), non-fiction (science, history, biography), quality newspapers adapted for children, and poetry all contribute to the breadth of vocabulary that strong VR scores require. Children who read voraciously at 8–10 typically have a significant natural advantage in VR, and that advantage compounds over time.

For question-type practice, children should work systematically through all GL Assessment VR question types, not just the ones they find easiest. Common weak points include compound words, letter transfer, and logic questions involving deduction under uncertainty. A good preparation resource — whether a commercially published practice book series or a personalised programme with a tutor — should cover all types with progressive difficulty. Once accuracy is established in untimed practice, moving to timed paper conditions (50 minutes for 80 questions) develops the pacing skills that are essential on the actual test day.

Building Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning Skills

Non-verbal and spatial reasoning is often the more surprising element of the Lincolnshire test for families. Many parents assume maths or English will be tested and are caught off guard by NVR. The good news is that NVR and spatial skills are highly learnable — children who initially struggle with matrices or rotations consistently improve significantly with targeted practice, because the question logic can be explicitly taught rather than absorbed passively over time.

NVR preparation should begin by introducing each question type clearly, explaining the rules and patterns that each type tests, and working through examples step by step before attempting timed practice. Matrices are often the type children find hardest initially — they require the ability to hold two dimensions of change (e.g., both shape and shading) in mind simultaneously — but with practice become one of the most reliably solvable types.

Spatial reasoning requires a different approach. Rotation and reflection problems benefit from physical manipulation — using cut-out shapes, physically rotating them, and checking answers builds intuitive confidence that is then faster to replicate mentally in the test. Paper folding problems can be practised with real paper before transitioning to mental visualisation. Many spatial reasoning improvements come from regular short practice rather than long sessions, as spatial processing benefits from incremental familiarity rather than marathon drilling.

The timed section format of the NVR/Spatial paper (7 minutes per section) must be explicitly practised. Children who can answer all 14 questions in a section correctly when given unlimited time but run out of time in the 7-minute window on exam day will underperform their actual ability. Timed section practice, tracked over multiple sessions, helps children calibrate their pace and develop confidence in moving on when uncertain.

How Leading Tuition Can Help

At Leading Tuition, our specialist 11+ tutors work with children preparing for the Lincolnshire GL Assessment across both VR and NVR/spatial papers. All tuition is one-to-one, delivered online, so that we can work with families across Lincolnshire and the wider UK without any geographical restriction.

Our tutors begin with a diagnostic assessment to identify exactly where your child is strong and where they have gaps — by specific question type, not just by subject. We then build a structured programme working through weaker areas first, with progressive difficulty levels and regular timed practice. As the September test approaches, we increase the proportion of full timed paper practice so that children arrive at the exam with both the content knowledge and the exam-day confidence they need.

We are rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot by families whose children have gone on to grammar school places across the UK. To find out more about our Lincolnshire 11+ tuition, contact us via the WhatsApp button below or book a free initial consultation on our website.