If you have recently started looking into the 11 plus, you may already be feeling a little overwhelmed. The information online is contradictory, the timelines feel impossibly tight, and it is not always clear where to begin. That anxiety is completely understandable — the 11 plus is one of the first genuinely high-stakes moments in a child's education, and the process is far less transparent than most parents expect. You are not behind, and you are not alone. The most important thing right now is getting a clear picture of what the exam actually involves, so you can make calm, informed decisions rather than reactive ones.
The 11 plus is a selective entry exam taken in Year 6, typically sitting in September or October, with results used to determine entry into Year 7 at grammar schools or selective independent schools. Despite what many parents assume, it is not a straightforward test of what a child has been taught in school. It is designed to assess reasoning ability and academic potential, which is why children who are doing well in class sometimes find it unexpectedly difficult — and why targeted preparation makes a genuine difference.
The four areas most commonly tested are verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, mathematics, and English comprehension. However, not every 11 plus test includes all four. Some schools test only two or three of these areas, and the weighting given to each subject varies considerably. This is why it is so important to know exactly what your target school is testing before you begin preparing.
Verbal reasoning involves identifying patterns in language — things like completing word sequences, identifying synonyms and antonyms, and working out codes. Non-verbal reasoning uses shapes and diagrams to test logical thinking without relying on language. Mathematics at 11 plus level goes beyond the standard Year 6 curriculum, often including topics children have not yet encountered in school. English comprehension tests close reading, inference, and vocabulary in ways that reward careful, analytical readers.
This is where many parents are caught off guard. The 11 plus is not a single, uniform exam. The format, content, and difficulty vary significantly depending on the area, the consortium of schools, and sometimes the individual school itself. There is no single governing body setting one paper for the whole country.
There are two main test providers used across England: GL Assessment and CEM, which stands for the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring. Different areas and schools use different providers, and the experience of sitting each one is quite different. GL Assessment papers tend to follow a more predictable format, which means children can become familiar with the question types through structured practice. CEM papers, by contrast, are deliberately designed to be harder to prepare for using standard practice papers — they are faster-paced, mix subjects within a single paper, and use unfamiliar question styles to reduce the advantage of rote preparation.
Some areas, such as parts of Kent, Buckinghamshire, and Lincolnshire, use GL Assessment. Others, including Birmingham and parts of the North West, use CEM. Some independent schools set their own bespoke papers entirely. The only reliable way to know what your child will face is to check the admissions page of each target school directly. Do not assume that what a friend's child sat in a different county will be the same as what your child will sit.
One thing many parents do not realise until they are deep into the process: in some areas, children sit a consortium paper that covers multiple grammar schools at once, while in others, each school sets its own exam on a different date. This means some families are managing several different preparation tracks simultaneously.
Preparation typically begins in Year 4 or Year 5. Starting in Year 6 is generally too late for the most competitive schools, particularly those using CEM papers or setting their own exams. This does not mean drilling practice papers from the age of eight — it means building the underlying skills steadily over time, so that by the time formal preparation begins in earnest, a child has the vocabulary, reasoning habits, and mathematical fluency to engage with exam-level material confidently.
Our 11+ specialists work with children from Year 4 onwards, building the reasoning, maths, and English skills that selective school entrance tests reward. Families we work with have seen a 95% offer rate across grammar and independent school entry, and we're rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. If you'd like to discuss a preparation plan for your child, book a free consultation here.
Effective early preparation includes:
Formal practice papers have their place, but they work best once the underlying skills are in place. A child who sits paper after paper without addressing gaps in understanding will plateau quickly and may begin to find the process demoralising.
Good 11 plus tutoring starts with an honest assessment of where a child currently is — not just which topics they find difficult, but how they approach problems, how they respond to time pressure, and what their confidence levels are like. A tutor who simply hands over practice papers and marks them is not providing tutoring; they are providing supervised practice, which is a different thing entirely.
At Leading Tuition, our tutors begin by identifying the specific test format your child will face, then build a preparation plan around that. For GL Assessment areas, we focus on building fluency with the question types and improving speed and accuracy. For CEM areas, we focus more on developing flexible thinking, strong reading comprehension, and the ability to stay calm under time pressure — because the paper is designed to feel unfamiliar, and resilience matters as much as knowledge.
We also work with children on the experience of sitting the exam itself. The 11 plus is unlike any test a child will have sat at primary school — it is longer, faster, and more pressured. Practising under realistic conditions, including timed sittings in a quiet environment, is an important part of preparation that is easy to overlook.
When should we start preparing for the 11 plus?
For most families, beginning structured preparation in Year 5 gives a good balance between thoroughness and avoiding burnout. If your target schools are highly competitive or use CEM papers, starting towards the end of Year 4 is sensible. The goal is not to spend years drilling practice papers, but to build strong foundations in reasoning, reading, and mathematics so that formal exam preparation in the final year feels manageable rather than frantic.
What is the difference between CEM and GL Assessment, and does it change how we prepare?
Yes, it changes preparation significantly. GL Assessment papers follow a more consistent format, so children can build familiarity with question types through structured practice. CEM papers are intentionally varied and fast-paced, mixing subjects within a single timed section and using question styles that are harder to rehearse. For CEM, the emphasis in preparation shifts towards developing flexible thinking, strong comprehension, and composure under pressure, rather than pattern recognition alone.
What happens if my child does not meet the threshold?
Not meeting the threshold for a grammar school does not close doors. Many children who sit the 11 plus go on to thrive at excellent non-selective secondary schools, and some families use the result to reconsider whether a highly pressured selective environment is the right fit. It is also worth knowing that some grammar schools have waiting lists, and that appeals processes exist in certain areas. A good tutor will help you think through options realistically, not just focus on one outcome.
My child panics in timed tests — can they still prepare effectively?
Yes, and this is more common than parents realise. Timed test anxiety is a specific challenge that responds well to gradual, structured exposure. The approach is to begin with untimed or generously timed practice, build confidence and accuracy first, and then introduce time pressure incrementally. A tutor who understands this will not simply put a stopwatch on from day one. With the right support, many children who struggle with timed conditions early in preparation develop genuine composure by the time the real exam arrives.
The paragraphs above set out the broad differences between GL Assessment and CEM. The table below puts the practical distinctions side by side, and includes one important update parents should know: CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) withdrew from producing paper-based grammar school 11+ papers in 2023. Where "CEM" is still mentioned for current-cycle entry, it usually refers to a school's own bespoke or hybrid test that has inherited CEM's vocabulary-heavy, less predictable style, rather than an actual CEM paper. See our full CEM 11+ format and history guide for more detail.
| Aspect | GL Assessment | CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) |
|---|---|---|
| Status for current-cycle entry | Still the dominant 11+ test provider across England | Withdrew from paper-based grammar school testing in 2023; some former-CEM schools now use hybrid or bespoke formats that echo its style |
| Question format | Fixed, published set of around 21 question types, largely unchanged year to year | Deliberately unpublished and varied from year to year, with no fixed list of formats |
| Subjects tested | Four separate papers — Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English, Mathematics — though not every school sets all four | Blended sections mixing verbal, numerical and non-verbal material within the same timed section |
| Typical section timing | Sections generally 45-60 minutes each, with comparatively more time per question | Rapid-fire delivery with comparatively less time allowed per question |
| Vocabulary demand | Age-appropriate KS2 vocabulary | Historically well above Year 5/6 curriculum level (e.g. "obdurate", "laconic") |
| How preparation responds | Responds well to structured drilling of the known question types | Rewarded wide reading and vocabulary breadth over pattern drilling |
| Scoring transparency | Publishes standardised scores, sometimes broken down by paper | Never published its exact standardisation method; results were sometimes given only as a percentile or a pass/fail decision |
| Areas historically associated | Kent, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire (now), Northern Ireland | Berkshire, Wiltshire, Birmingham, Shropshire, Dorset (all since moved to GL Assessment or a bespoke test) |
The 11+ does not have one single national "pass mark" — it has as many conventions as there are administering authorities, and not every board publishes an exact number. Some areas set a published qualifying score that every child either does or does not reach; others simply rank every candidate by score and offer places from the top down until they run out. The table below covers seven of the largest 11+ regions and consortia in England, with a note on which approach each one uses. For a fuller region-by-region breakdown, see our 11+ pass marks by region guide.
| Region / Consortium | Test Provider | How the Threshold Works | Reference Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | GL Assessment (Kent Test / PESE) | Published combined raw-mark pass mark, recalculated every year | 2025 entry: 332 out of 423, with no individual paper score below 106 |
| Buckinghamshire | Locally-set Secondary Transfer Test | Single published qualifying score; every child reaching it is equally "grammar-able" — places are then allocated by each school's own oversubscription criteria, not by score order | Approx. 121 standardised score |
| Essex (incl. Southend) | GL Assessment (Essex); locally-set CSSE test (Southend) | Consortium qualifying score, then candidates ranked within catchment and priority groups | Approx. 111-115+ typical range |
| Birmingham & the West Midlands (King Edward VI schools) | Locally-set CSSE-style test | No fixed published pass mark — places go to the highest-ranked scorers each year until places are filled | Effective cut-off has exceeded 200+ combined in recent, highly oversubscribed cycles |
| Trafford & Greater Manchester | GL Assessment (Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium) | No fixed pass mark published; candidates ranked and places offered top-down, historically around the top 25% of the cohort | Approx. 324-334 standardised score range at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys in recent cycles (324-333 for Pupil Premium applicants) |
| Berkshire (Slough Consortium) | GL Assessment | Consortium-wide qualifying score, then catchment and other oversubscription criteria applied | Approx. 111-118+ typical range |
| Lincolnshire | GL Assessment (formerly CEM) | Local authority sets a selective threshold each year from cohort performance; not published as one single fixed number | Historically around the top 25% of the cohort |
Treat every figure above as a reference point, not a guarantee. Thresholds move up or down each year depending on how that year's cohort performed, and the only reliable source for the current admissions cycle is the school or local authority's own published guidance.
One of the least explained parts of the 11+ is exactly how a raw exam mark becomes the standardised score written on a results letter. Standardised scores for GL Assessment tests are set to a mean of 100 with a standard deviation of 15, on a scale that typically runs from 70 to 140 — but the calculation behind that number is rarely shown to parents. The worked example below sets it out in full; see our standardised scores explained guide for the full method.
| Child A (born 5 September) | Child B (born 3 August, same school year) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age at a September sitting | 10 years 1 month | 9 years 2 months — nearly a full year younger |
| Raw score on an 80-question paper | 62 correct | 62 correct |
| Average raw score for that exact age group | 60 | 50 |
| Raw score vs age-group average | +2 marks above average | +12 marks above average |
| Approx. resulting standardised score | ~103 | ~119 |
Both children answered exactly the same number of questions correctly, yet Child B's standardised score is around 16 points higher — because Child B's mark is compared only against other children who were 9 years 2 months old on the day of the test, a group whose average performance is naturally lower than that of 10-year-1-month-olds. This is why a school's qualifying score is always a standardised figure and never a raw mark: it is the only way to compare a September-born child fairly against an August-born child who has had up to eleven fewer months in the classroom.
Families often ask for a single answer to "when should we start", but the honest answer depends on how many years there are before the exam. The table below sets out a realistic month-by-month path from Year 4 through to exam day in Year 6, building on the guidance above.
| When | Focus | What This Looks Like in Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Year 4 (ages 8-9) | Foundations, no formal 11+ content yet | Wide daily reading, mental arithmetic and times tables until automatic, general vocabulary growth through conversation and books |
| Year 5, autumn term | Light exposure to reasoning | Low-pressure verbal and non-verbal reasoning puzzles and logic games; continued reading and vocabulary work |
| Year 5, spring term | Begin structured practice | Systematic work through GL Assessment's core question types (or vocabulary/comprehension-heavy work for a bespoke/former-CEM school); untimed at this stage |
| Year 5, summer term | Confirm the target format | Verify directly with each target school or authority which test provider and format they use for the relevant admissions cycle; keep building maths topics ahead of the school curriculum (fractions, ratio, algebra) |
| Year 6, month 1 (approx. 6 months before sitting) | Diagnostic assessment | Full diagnostic test under relaxed, untimed conditions to identify remaining gaps |
| Year 6, months 2-3 | Core skills and reasoning intensive | Consolidate maths topics; systematic verbal and non-verbal reasoning practice; begin light time awareness |
| Year 6, month 4 | Timed practice and stamina | Full timed sections, building up to complete 45-60 minute papers in one sitting |
| Year 6, month 5 | Mock exams | At least three full timed mock exams under realistic conditions, followed by targeted review of the two or three weakest areas |
| Year 6, month 6 (exam month, typically September) | Final preparation and exam technique | Taper intensive practice in the final fortnight; prioritise sleep, calm and confidence over new content; sit the exam |
This is a guide, not a rigid script. A child targeting a highly competitive super-selective school, or one who needs longer to build reasoning skills from scratch, may benefit from starting the Year 5 stages earlier, while a family starting later can compress the Year 6 stages into a focused six-month programme.
For September 2025 grammar school entry, Kent's combined qualifying score was 332 out of a maximum possible 423, with the additional condition that no individual paper score could fall below 106. This composite figure covers all three papers sat under the Kent Test (also known as the Kent Selection Test or PESE), and it is recalculated each year based on that year's cohort, so a score that qualified in 2025 will not automatically be the figure required in a different year.
Buckinghamshire's Secondary Transfer Test sets a single qualifying standardised score, most recently around 121. Any child reaching 121 or above is classified as "grammar-able" and becomes eligible to apply for a Buckinghamshire grammar school place — scoring 122 makes no practical difference against scoring 140, because eligibility, not ranking, is what the number determines. Places are then allocated using each school's own oversubscription criteria, typically distance from the school or sibling links, not by score order.
No, and this is one of the most misunderstood parts of the 11+. Schools such as those in the Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium in Greater Manchester and the King Edward VI grammar schools in Birmingham do not publish a fixed pass mark at all. Instead, every child who sits the test is ranked by score, and places are offered from the highest scorer downwards until that year's places are filled — commonly around the top 25% of the cohort in Trafford's case. The effective cut-off therefore moves up or down each year depending on how the whole cohort performed, which is why last year's published figure is only ever a guide.
No. CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring), formerly part of Durham University and now part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, withdrew from paper-based grammar school 11+ testing in 2023. The large majority of areas that previously used CEM — including Berkshire, Wiltshire, Shropshire and Lincolnshire — have since moved to GL Assessment or a locally designed replacement test. Where "CEM-style" is mentioned in relation to a 2026 entry test, it usually refers to a bespoke or hybrid format that has inherited CEM's emphasis on vocabulary and unpredictable question types, not an actual CEM paper.
Two children can sit the exact same paper, both answer 62 out of 80 questions correctly, and still receive very different standardised scores, because the raw mark is compared only against children of the same age in months. If the average raw score for a 10-year-1-month-old is 60 and the average for a 9-year-2-month-old is 50 on the same paper, the older child (2 marks above their age-group average) might receive a standardised score of around 103, while the younger child (12 marks above their own age-group average) might receive around 119 — even though both scored 62 raw marks. This age-standardisation step is what makes summer-born children's results comparable to those of their September-born classmates.
Standardised scores for GL Assessment tests are set to a mean of 100 with a standard deviation of 15, on a scale that normally runs from 70 to 140. A score of 100 is exactly average for a child's age group. Around 68% of children score between 85 and 115. A score of 121 or above places a child in approximately the top 10% of their age group nationally, and a score of 130 or above places them in approximately the top 5%. Fewer than 1% of children reach the maximum possible score of 140.
In the early months of preparation, three to four sessions of 30 to 45 minutes per week is a sustainable and effective starting point. As the exam approaches — typically in the four to five months before the sitting — this can rise to five or six sessions per week, including at least one full timed mock paper. Consistency matters far more than volume: a child who studies for 30 focused minutes daily will typically outperform one doing a single three-hour session once a week, and study should stop entirely on the day immediately before the exam.
Leading Tuition's specialist 11+ tutors identify exactly which test format and provider your target school uses — GL Assessment, a locally-set test, or a bespoke former-CEM-style paper — and build a preparation plan around that specific format rather than generic practice materials. We track progress against the standardised score your target school actually needs, run realistic timed mock exams, and provide detailed session-by-session feedback. Families we work with have achieved a 95%+ offer rate across grammar and independent school entry, and we're rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. Book a free consultation to discuss a plan for your child.
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