What Is the 11 Plus Exam?

What Is the 11 Plus Exam?

The 11 plus is a selective entrance exam taken by children in Year 6, typically at age 10 or 11, to determine whether they qualify for a place at a grammar school or selective independent school. It is one of the most significant academic assessments a primary school child will sit, not because it defines a child's ability, but because the outcome can shape which secondary school they attend from Year 7 onwards. Understanding what the exam actually involves — and how it works in practice — helps families make informed decisions about whether to apply and how to prepare.

Which Schools Use the 11 Plus?

Grammar schools in England are state-funded selective schools that use the 11 plus as their primary admissions test. There are around 163 grammar schools in England, concentrated in specific areas including Kent, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, Trafford, and parts of the West Midlands. In these fully selective areas, the 11 plus is a standard part of the Year 6 experience for many families.

Some partially selective areas, such as certain London boroughs, also have grammar schools operating alongside non-selective comprehensives. Additionally, a number of independent schools use their own entrance assessments at 11 plus level, though these are separate from the state grammar school tests and often have different formats and marking criteria.

It is worth noting that grammar schools do not exist in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland in the same form. The 11 plus as described here applies specifically to England.

What the 11 Plus Tests

While the exact content varies depending on the school and the test provider used, most 11 plus exams assess children across some or all of the following areas:

• Verbal reasoning — the ability to understand and work with words, including analogies, codes, and word patterns
• Non-verbal reasoning — problem-solving using shapes, patterns, and spatial reasoning rather than language
• Mathematics — arithmetic, number problems, and applied maths broadly in line with the Key Stage 2 curriculum
• English — comprehension, vocabulary, and sometimes creative or extended writing

Not every school tests all four areas. Some focus purely on verbal and non-verbal reasoning, while others place greater emphasis on maths and English. This is why it is essential to check the specific requirements of each school your child is applying to, rather than assuming the format is universal.

How the 11 Plus Varies by Region

One of the most confusing aspects of the 11 plus for families new to the process is that there is no single national exam. Two main test providers produce the assessments used by grammar schools across England: GL Assessment and CEM (the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, based at Durham University).

GL Assessment tests tend to have a more predictable structure, with clearly defined question types in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths, and English. Because the format is relatively consistent, children can practise using widely available GL-style papers.

CEM tests are designed to be harder to prepare for in a rote way. They often blend subject areas within a single paper and include a wider range of question styles. The aim is to assess underlying ability rather than reward extensive drilling. CEM tests are used in areas including Birmingham, Wiltshire, and parts of the North West.

Beyond the provider, individual school consortia sometimes set their own papers entirely. The Kent Test, for example, is administered by Kent County Council and has its own distinct format. The Buckinghamshire 11 plus uses GL Assessment but follows a specific local structure. In London, schools such as those in the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) use their own combined English and maths papers.

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This regional variation means that preparation should always be tailored to the specific test your child will sit, not a generic version of the 11 plus.

CEM's 2023 Withdrawal from the 11 Plus

Since this guide was first written, one change has reshaped the regional picture described above: CEM (Durham University's Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) withdrew from providing paper-based 11 plus grammar school tests in 2023, ending roughly a decade of use across areas including Berkshire, Wiltshire, Birmingham, Shropshire, Dorset, and parts of Yorkshire. Schools that previously used CEM have not all moved to the same replacement — most switched to GL Assessment, Bexley's grammar schools adopted Quest Assessments from 2025 entry, and a number of Berkshire and Essex schools moved to a newer provider called FSCE, covered below.

For families whose target school previously used CEM, the practical takeaway is to confirm directly with the school which provider it now uses for 2026 entry rather than assuming a previous year's arrangement still applies, since the transition happened at different times in different areas. Our CEM 11 Plus guide covers which areas moved to which replacement test in full, and why CEM-style vocabulary preparation still helps with several of the newer formats.

What Is the FSCE 11 Plus?

FSCE stands for Future Stories Community Enterprise, a newer 11 plus provider adopted by a small but growing number of English grammar schools for Year 7 entry from 2025 onwards, including Reading School, Kendrick School, Chelmsford County High School for Girls, and King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS) Chelmsford. Unlike GL Assessment, FSCE does not publish past papers and deliberately changes its format each year; unlike both GL and CEM, it removes standalone verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning sections entirely.

In their place, FSCE tests Key Stage 2 maths and English content plus a "Discovery Paper" — an extended piece of creative or reflective writing marked on ideas and communication rather than technical accuracy. The stated aim is to reduce the advantage of intensive verbal/non-verbal reasoning drilling and reward children with strong curriculum knowledge and genuine reading habits instead. Our FSCE 11+ guide covers how to prepare for the Discovery Paper without past papers to practise from.

11+ Test Format by Region in 2026

The table below summarises the broad test format used in the main selective areas for 2026 entry. Arrangements can change year to year, so always confirm the current format directly with your target school.

How Many Children Sit the 11 Plus Each Year?

There are 163 grammar schools in England, educating around 188,000 pupils between them — roughly 5.3% of all state-funded secondary pupils, according to House of Commons Library analysis of Department for Education data. Grammar schools are concentrated unevenly across the country: only 35 local authorities have any grammar schools at all, and around 60% of all English grammars sit within just 11 of those authorities, including Kent, Buckinghamshire, and Lincolnshire.

No single body publishes an exact national total of 11 plus sitters, but Schools Week reporting — cited by campaign group Comprehensive Future and by independent education researcher James Coombs — puts the figure at more than 100,000 pupils sitting some 70-plus different 11 plus exams administered by the 163 selective schools each year, a total that Coombs' analysis of CEM disclosure data suggests has been rising by roughly 6-7% annually. Competition for places varies enormously by area: Buckinghamshire's fully selective system offers places to around 30% of test-takers most years, while the small number of places at the four grammar schools serving Kingston and Sutton has historically produced qualification rates as low as 3%, reflecting the volume of applicants chasing each place at London's most oversubscribed schools.

When and How to Prepare

Most families begin structured 11 plus preparation in Year 4 or early Year 5, giving children roughly 12 to 18 months before the exam. The tests are usually sat in September or October of Year 6, with results and offers typically issued in the following weeks as part of the secondary school admissions process.

Starting early allows time to build skills gradually rather than cramming, which is particularly important for non-verbal reasoning and verbal reasoning — areas that are not formally taught in most primary schools. A child who has never encountered a verbal reasoning question before Year 6 will find the format unfamiliar, regardless of their underlying ability.

Effective preparation usually involves a combination of familiarisation with question types, timed practice under exam conditions, and targeted work on any weaker areas. For maths, this often means consolidating Year 5 and Year 6 curriculum content ahead of schedule. For English, it means building vocabulary and reading comprehension skills over time.

Working with a specialist tutor can make a significant difference, particularly for children who need structured support or whose schools do not cover the relevant content in depth. 11+ tuition with Leading Tuition is designed to match preparation to the specific test format and timeline relevant to each child.

It is also important to keep perspective. The 11 plus is one route into secondary education, not the only one. Children who do not pass still have access to excellent schools, and a child who is pushed into intensive preparation before they are ready may find the experience counterproductive.

When you are ready to start timed practice, our 11+ mock exam strategy guide covers how many mocks to take, when to start, and how to analyse results effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Resources

If you are considering support for your child's 11 plus preparation, you may find these pages helpful: 11+ tuition with Leading Tuition covers how structured tuition works across different test formats and regions. If your child needs to strengthen their maths ahead of the exam, our page on specialist Maths tutoring explains how targeted support can help build confidence and close gaps in the Key Stage 2 curriculum.