Preparing for the 11+
The 11+ and grammar-school entry, explained for parents of a Year 4–6 child — the tests, the timeline, the regions, and an honest view of how much preparation it really takes.
What Is the 11+? A Plain-English Guide for UK Parents
The 11+ is not one exam. It is a family of selective entrance tests that vary by county, by consortium, and sometimes by individual school. This is the map — who sits it, what it tests, and why your area's version may look nothing like the one in the next county.
GL Assessment vs CEM: What CEM's Withdrawal Means for Your 11+ Plans
For years the first question in 11+ preparation was 'is your area GL or CEM?'. CEM has left the market, GL now dominates — and yet CEM still haunts the practice books and forum threads. Here is what changed, why it matters, and what to do with the old advice.
The 11+ Timeline: Year 4 to Offer Day, Working Backwards
The 11+ calendar only makes sense read backwards — from National Offer Day on 1 March, through the October application deadline, to a test in the September of Year 6 and a registration window in Year 5 that closes before many families know it exists. Here is the whole arc, term by term.
11+ Verbal Reasoning: The Question Types, and How They Are Built
Verbal reasoning looks mysterious from the outside — codes, hidden words, letter algebra. In fact the questions come from a small set of well-understood families, each built to a recipe. Knowing the families, and what each one really tests, takes most of the fear out of the paper.
11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning, Explained — and Whether Practice Moves the Needle
Non-verbal reasoning is the 11+ paper parents can least help with and worry about most: shapes, sequences and rotations that were never taught in any lesson. Here is what NVR actually tests, why schools use it, and an honest answer on how far practice can take a child.
11+ Maths: Where It Goes Beyond the Classroom
11+ maths rarely tests content your child has never met. It tests speed, multi-step reading, and problems dressed in unfamiliar clothes. Here is where the exam actually leaves the primary classroom behind — and what practice helps.
11+ English: The Two Halves, and How Each Is Marked
11+ English is really two different examinations — comprehension, which is marked by machine or scheme, and writing, which is judged by a human. They reward different preparation, and most families over-prepare one and neglect the other.
The Kent Test, Explained for Parents
How the Kent Test works: who registers, what the child sits, how the score turns into a grammar school assessment, and why passing is not the same as getting a place. The structure, in plain English, with honest caveats about what changes year to year.
The Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test, in Plain English
Buckinghamshire runs the 11+ differently: children at Bucks primaries are entered automatically, the test feeds thirteen grammar schools, and a single qualifying score opens the door. How the Bucks route works, and what actually needs your attention.
The CSSE Essex 11+, Explained
Essex runs its 11+ through the CSSE consortium, and it is genuinely different: two curriculum-based papers — English and maths — written by the consortium itself, no separate reasoning paper, and schools that rank by score rather than pass or fail. What that means for preparation.
Super-Selective vs Catchment Grammar Schools: Why the Difference Changes Your Whole 11+ Strategy
A qualifying-score grammar and a rank-order super-selective are different games with different rules. Which one your family is playing should decide how you prepare, how hard you push, and what goes on the application form.
How Much Tutoring Does the 11+ Actually Need? An Honest Answer
For some children the honest answer is none. For most, it is less than the industry implies. Here is how to work out which case is yours, what tutoring can and cannot buy, and the signs you are doing too much.
11+ Mock Exams: How Many, When, and How to Read the Result
Mocks are for exposure and information, not prediction. Two to four across the final six months is enough for most children — and the useful part of the result is never the headline score.
When a Child Freezes in Timed Conditions: What Is Happening and What Helps
A child who knows it at home and loses it when the clock starts is not fragile and not incapable. Freezing under timed conditions is common, explicable, and improvable — here is what is happening and what actually helps.
11+ Appeals: What Actually Works — and What the Odds Really Are
Most 11+ appeals fail, and any page that implies otherwise is not being straight with you. Here is how the process really works, what the minority of successful cases have in common, and the routes families forget — including the one where not appealing is the kinder choice.