If you have 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 is getting a clear picture of what the exam actually involves, so you can make calm, informed decisions rather than reactive ones.
Checked October 2026
Kent County Council's results page gives the 2026 Kent Test grammar school threshold as a total of 345 or more with no single score below 111. For 2027 entry the King Edward VI Foundation gives a qualifying score of 205 and a priority score of 224, and the CSSE schools use English and Mathematics tests.
The 11 plus is a selective entry exam taken in Year 6, with results used to determine entry into Year 7 at grammar schools or selective independent schools. The grammar-school tests for 2027 entry were sat in September 2026: the Kent Test on 10 September for pupils at Kent primary schools (the weekend of 12 and 13 September for others), the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test on 10 September, the King Edward VI Foundation test on 12 September and the CSSE tests on 19 September. Despite what many parents assume, it is not simply a test of what a child has been taught in school: GL Assessment describes its reasoning components as less reliant on curriculum exposure or rehearsed content, while the English and maths papers draw on the curriculum (the CSSE says its tests are based on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum). That is why children who do well in class sometimes find it unexpectedly difficult, and why familiarity with the question types and timing is worth building.
The Kent Test and the King Edward VI Foundation's test cover verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, mathematics and English comprehension. However, not every 11 plus test includes all four: the CSSE tests are in English and mathematics only, each worth 50% of the marks, whereas the King Edward VI Foundation weights its results 50% for English/verbal reasoning, 25% for non-verbal reasoning and 25% for mathematics. 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 draws on the primary curriculum: GL Assessment says its English and maths papers assess areas taught up to the end of Year 5, and the CSSE says its tests are based on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum. 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.
GL Assessment describes itself as the largest provider of 11+ tests to schools in England, but it is not the only one: the CEM website lists Cambridge Select Insight, a computer-based entrance assessment suitable for 11+, and the CSSE schools in Essex and Southend use English and Mathematics tests administered through the CSSE office. Different areas and schools use different providers, and the experience of sitting each one is quite different. GL Assessment tests are paper-based and multiple choice, and GL provides free familiarisation materials, so children can become familiar with the question types. CEM's Cambridge Select Insight, by contrast, is a computer-based assessment whose publisher says it introduces new assessment paradigms to reduce the predictability of assessment content and does not provide commercially available practice materials.
The King Edward VI Foundation's entrance test for the eight Birmingham grammar schools, shared with the other West Midlands grammar schools, is provided by GL Assessment. Others run their own arrangements: the ten CSSE schools in Essex and Southend use one English test and one Mathematics test, and the Buckinghamshire grammar schools work together as TBGS to manage the Secondary Transfer Test. Some schools use bespoke tests: GL Assessment, for example, offers both standard and bespoke tests. 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.
A point that is easy to miss until you are deep into the process: in some areas, children sit one shared test that covers several grammar schools at once. The King Edward VI Foundation's test covers the eight Birmingham grammar schools and is shared with the other West Midlands grammar schools, and the same CSSE test is used by ten selective schools in Essex and Southend. Families applying in more than one area can therefore end up managing several different preparation tracks simultaneously.
Preparing for an 11+ test?
Our tutors begin by identifying the specific test format your child will face, then build a preparation plan around that. Book a free consultation to discuss a plan for your child.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppPreparation typically begins in Year 4 or Year 5. Starting in Year 6 leaves much less time to build the underlying skills, which is why we usually suggest starting earlier. 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. 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.
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Good 11 plus tutoring starts with an honest assessment of where a child is starting from — 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 tests designed to be less predictable, such as CEM's Cambridge Select Insight, we focus more on developing flexible thinking, strong reading comprehension, and the ability to stay calm under time pressure, because resilience matters as much as knowledge.
We also work with children on the experience of sitting the exam itself. The entrance test can be unlike any test a child has sat at primary school: the King Edward VI Foundation's test, for example, is two papers of approximately 60 minutes each, divided into individually timed sections that cannot be revisited. Practising under realistic conditions, including timed sittings in a quiet environment, is an important part of preparation that is easy to overlook.
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Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against Kent County Council's Kent Test results and preparation pages, Buckinghamshire Council, the King Edward VI Foundation, the CSSE and its 2027 entry guide, GL Assessment and CEM.
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, 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.
Yes, it changes preparation significantly. GL Assessment tests are paper-based multiple choice tests and GL provides free familiarisation materials, so children can build familiarity with the question types. CEM's Cambridge Select Insight is a digital assessment with numerical, verbal and non-verbal sections, and CEM says it introduces new assessment paradigms to reduce the predictability of assessment content. Where a test is designed to be less predictable, the emphasis in preparation shifts towards developing flexible thinking, strong comprehension, and composure under pressure, rather than pattern recognition alone.
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.
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.
For the Kent Test sat in September 2026, children needed a total score of 345 or more to be given a grammar school assessment, with no single score lower than 111. Test scores range from 69 to 141, and the highest possible total score is 423. The total combines three standardised scores, one each for English, maths and reasoning, and Kent County Council publishes the threshold on its Kent Test results page, so check that page for the year your child is sitting.
Buckinghamshire Council's grammar schools page, which lists the Secondary Transfer Test dates for 2027 entry, says children who achieve a score of at least 121 in the test are considered qualified for a Buckinghamshire grammar school. Check each grammar school's own admissions policy for how places are allocated.
No, and the figures work differently in each area. For 2027 entry, the King Edward VI Foundation publishes a qualifying score of 205 for all of the Birmingham grammar schools and a higher priority score of 224 for the King Edward VI grammar schools. The CSSE's guide for 2027 entry says offers are not made to any child with a total standardised score under 303, and that the actual cut-off scores are only known after national offer day in March. The CSSE adds that there is no guarantee of a place based on historical information, so the previous years' cut-off scores on its guidance sheet are only a guide.
CEM's own website lists Cambridge Select Insight, a digital entrance assessment that it describes as suitable for 11+, 13+, late transfer and fair banding, and designed for selective independent schools, partially selective state schools, grammar schools and schools with fair banding admissions. Which provider a school or council uses can change between admissions cycles: Kent County Council, for example, has appointed Quest Assessments as the Kent Test provider from 2027, and the King Edward VI Foundation says its Birmingham entrance test is provided by GL Assessment. Check each target school's own admissions page for the provider and format used for the relevant admissions cycle.
Two children can answer the same number of questions correctly and still receive different standardised scores, because scores are adjusted for age: the King Edward VI Foundation says its section scores are standardised so that younger children are not disadvantaged compared with children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older. Kent County Council describes standardisation as a statistical process that compares your child's performance with the average performance of other children in each test, with a slight adjustment for each child's age. This age-standardisation step is what makes summer-born children's results comparable to those of their September-born classmates.
There is no single scale. Kent Test scores range from 69 to 141 with a highest possible total of 423, the King Edward VI Foundation's qualifying score for 2027 entry is 205, and the CSSE's minimum total standardised score for 2027 entry is 303. A score therefore only means something against the threshold published for that test and entry year.
In the early months of preparation, a few short sessions each week is a sustainable starting point. As the exam approaches, this can rise to more frequent sessions, including full timed mock papers. Consistency matters more than volume: regular, focused sessions are usually more effective than a single long session once a week, and it helps to ease off just before the exam.
Leading Tuition's specialist 11+ tutors identify exactly which test format and provider your target school uses 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. Book a free consultation to discuss a plan for your child.
The paragraphs above set out the broad differences between GL Assessment and CEM. The table below puts the practical distinctions side by side, using what GL Assessment and CEM each say on their own websites. Which provider a school or council uses can change between admissions cycles: Kent County Council, for example, has appointed Quest Assessments as the Kent Test provider from 2027. See our full CEM 11+ format and history guide for more detail.
| Aspect | GL Assessment | CEM (Cambridge Select Insight) |
|---|---|---|
| What each provider says about itself | Describes itself as the largest provider of 11+ tests to schools in England | Offers Cambridge Select Insight, a digital assessment suitable for 11+, 13+, late transfer and fair banding |
| Question format | Paper-based multiple choice questions, in standard or bespoke tests | Computer-based, and says it introduces new assessment paradigms to reduce the predictability of assessment content |
| Subjects tested | Verbal, non-verbal and spatial reasoning, English and maths, depending on the test | Numerical, verbal and non-verbal ability sections |
| Test duration | From 30 minutes upwards, depending on the test | Average duration 60 minutes |
| Familiarisation materials | Free familiarisation materials provided by GL Assessment | Standardised familiarisation materials for all candidates; no commercially available practice materials provided |
| Approach to preparation | Designed to be less influenced by intensive or repeated preparation | Designed so that children can show their academic potential without the need for excessive preparation |
| Accessibility | Guidelines developed with RNIB for schools working with children who have vision impairment | 25% extra time versions for candidates with special educational needs |
| Where it is used | The King Edward VI Foundation's entrance test for the eight Birmingham grammar schools | Designed for selective independent schools, partially selective state schools, grammar schools and schools with fair banding admissions |
The 11+ does not have one single national pass mark: each administering body, such as Kent County Council, Buckinghamshire Council, the King Edward VI Foundation or the CSSE, publishes its own figures on its own scale. Some areas publish a qualifying score that every child either does or does not reach, and some also publish a higher priority score. The table below covers seven 11+ regions and consortia in England: figures are given where they come from the area's own published guidance, and for the others you should check the guidance from the school or council. 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 | Kent Test (Quest Assessments appointed as provider from 2027) | Total of three standardised scores (English, maths and reasoning), with a minimum for each single score | 2026 Kent Test: 345 or more in total (maximum 423), with no single score below 111 |
| Buckinghamshire | Secondary Transfer Test (managed by the county's grammar schools together as TBGS) | Single qualifying score stated on Buckinghamshire Council's grammar schools page; see each grammar school's admissions policy for how places are allocated | At least 121 (council page that lists 2027 entry dates) |
| Essex (incl. Southend) | CSSE English and Mathematics tests (ten CSSE schools in Essex and Southend) | Minimum total standardised score for offers; cut-off scores are only known after national offer day in March | 303 (2027 entry) |
| Birmingham & the West Midlands (King Edward VI schools) | GL Assessment (arranged by the King Edward VI Foundation for the eight Birmingham grammar schools) | Qualifying score for all Birmingham grammar schools, plus a higher priority score for the King Edward VI grammar schools | 2027 entry: qualifying score 205 for all Birmingham grammar schools; priority score 224 for the King Edward VI grammar schools |
| Trafford & Greater Manchester | See the grammar schools' own admissions guidance | See each school's admissions policy for how places are offered | See each school's admissions policy for the current figure |
| Berkshire (Slough Consortium) | See the schools' own admissions guidance | See each school's admissions policy for how places are offered | See each school's admissions policy for the current figure |
| Lincolnshire | See the council's and each school's own published guidance | See the council's and each school's own published guidance | See the council's and each school's own published guidance for the current figure |
Treat every figure above as a reference point, not a guarantee. Thresholds can differ from one year to the next, and the only reliable source for the admissions cycle your child is entering is the school or local authority's own published guidance.
It helps to understand how a raw exam mark becomes the standardised score written on a results letter. Kent County Council describes standardisation as comparing a child's performance with the average performance of other children in each test, with a slight adjustment for age, and the King Edward VI Foundation says it standardises each section score to take account of age. The worked example below shows the principle in words; 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 | Among the oldest in the year group | Among the youngest in the year group — nearly a full year younger |
| Raw score on the same paper | Same number correct | Same number correct |
| Position against the average before any age adjustment | Same | Same |
| Allowance for age in standardisation | Smaller allowance | Larger allowance |
| Resulting standardised score | Lower of the two | Higher of the two |
In this illustration, both children answered exactly the same number of questions correctly, yet Child B's standardised score is higher, because standardisation allows for Child B being almost a year younger than Child A. This is why the figures published by Kent County Council, the King Edward VI Foundation and the CSSE are standardised scores rather than raw marks: Kent County Council and the King Edward VI Foundation both say their scores are adjusted for age, so younger children are not at a disadvantage, and the CSSE says it analyses results by date of birth to determine whether a statistical age-adjustment is required.
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 path from Year 4 through to the sitting, which for the grammar-school tests above was September at the start of 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 the question types of the target test, using the free familiarisation materials that providers such as GL Assessment offer; untimed at this stage |
| Year 5, end of spring term (before the final six months begin) | 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 closing any gaps in primary maths |
| Final six months, month 1 (approx. 6 months before the sitting) | Diagnostic assessment | Full diagnostic test under relaxed, untimed conditions to identify remaining gaps |
| Final six months, months 2-3 | Core skills and reasoning intensive | Consolidate maths topics; systematic verbal and non-verbal reasoning practice; begin light time awareness |
| Final six months, month 4 | Timed practice and stamina | Full timed sections, building up to complete papers of about 60 minutes in one sitting |
| Final six months, 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 |
| Final six months, month 6 (sitting month; for the grammar-school tests above, September at the start of Year 6) | 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 concentrate on the final six months' stages as a focused programme.
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