How Does the 11+ Work? A Guide for Parents Who Are New to This

The 11+ is the name commonly given to entrance tests used to select children for grammar schools, which are state secondary schools that admit pupils based primarily on academic ability rather than catchment area alone. It is not a single, national exam; rather, it's a general term covering a variety of tests set by different providers and used by different local authorities and individual grammar schools across England, all sat at a similar age.

Grammar schools exist in specific parts of England rather than everywhere. Areas with grammar schools include, among others, Kent, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Medway, parts of Essex, Trafford and Wirral in Greater Manchester and Merseyside, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Torbay, parts of Berkshire including Slough, and several London boroughs including Barnet, Redbridge and Kingston, alongside a small number of grammar schools in Birmingham. Most of England moved to a fully non-selective, comprehensive secondary system decades ago, so whether the 11+ is relevant to your family depends heavily on where you live.

The two main test providers historically associated with the 11+ are GL Assessment and CEM, the latter originally developed at Durham University's Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring. Durham wound down its involvement in this area, and the CEM-style testing approach has since been taken over and continued by other organisations, so you may still see 'CEM-style' used to describe a particular test format and approach even though the original CEM body no longer runs it directly. Different areas use different providers, and some grammar school groups use bespoke tests written specifically for them, so it's important to find out which format applies in your area rather than assuming a single national standard.

The 11+ typically tests some combination of four subjects: mathematics, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Not every test uses all four; the specific combination depends on the area and provider. Maths and English broadly relate to what children learn in primary school, if applied in less familiar formats, while verbal and non-verbal reasoning test logical and pattern-based thinking that isn't a specific National Curriculum subject at all.

Children sit the 11+ in Year 6, the final year of primary school, when they are aged 10 turning 11. Testing generally takes place in the autumn term, so around September or October, for entry to secondary school the following September, when the child starts Year 7. This timing is broadly consistent across England's selective areas, though the precise date varies from year to year and from area to area, so families should always check the current year's specific date from their local authority or target school rather than relying on a date from a previous year.

Whether a child sits the 11+ is a choice for the family to make, not something automatically decided by where they live, except in fully selective areas where essentially all local children who want a state secondary place go through the process by default because there's no non-selective alternative nearby. In areas with a mix of grammar and comprehensive schools, families weigh up whether pursuing the selective route suits their child, alongside considering the comprehensive schools available to them.

Some children who don't live in a selective area still sit an 11+-style test if they're applying to a grammar school in a neighbouring authority that accepts out-of-area applications, though this often comes with different priority rules and, in some cases, more competition for a smaller number of available places.

It's worth knowing that some children who sit the 11+ and don't pass, or who pass but don't get offered a place at their preferred school due to demand, still receive an excellent secondary education at a good comprehensive school. The 11+ decides access to one type of school, not a child's overall educational prospects.

Registering to sit the 11+ is generally a separate process from the main secondary school application that all families in England complete, and it typically needs to happen earlier, often in the spring or summer term of Year 5, sometimes even earlier for some areas. This is one of the most commonly missed steps for families new to the process, since it's easy to assume the standard secondary application form covers everything; it doesn't, in areas with the 11+.

Exactly who administers registration varies by area. In some places, the local authority handles registration for the local grammar schools as a single process; in others, a consortium of grammar schools runs registration jointly; and in some cases, individual schools handle their own registration separately. Because of this variation, the safest approach is to check directly with your local authority's admissions pages and any grammar schools you're considering, right at the start of Year 5, rather than assuming a single national process applies.

Once registered, children sit the test (or tests, if applying to more than one grammar school group with separate processes) in the autumn of Year 6. Results are then used, alongside the standard secondary school preference process, where families rank the schools they'd like their child to attend on the common application form submitted to their home local authority, usually due by the end of October in Year 6.

Offers for all secondary school places, selective and non-selective, are generally sent out on National Offer Day in March of Year 6, giving families a single day on which they learn which school their child has been offered, based on their preferences, the 11+ result where relevant, and each school's specific admissions criteria such as distance or sibling priority.

It's easy to lump all '11+ exams' together, but the state grammar school 11+ and independent (private) school entrance exams work quite differently, and it's worth understanding the distinction if you're weighing up both routes. The grammar school 11+ is generally a single test, or a small number of tests from one provider, with offers based primarily on the test score combined with distance-based or sibling-based tie-breaking criteria, administered through a process connected to the local authority system.

Independent school entrance is typically broader. Many independent schools use the ISEB Common Pre-Test, an adaptive online test covering similar subject areas, but this is usually just one part of the process, alongside an interview and a report or reference from the child's current school. Because independent schools are privately run and set their own admissions policies entirely, each school's process, timeline and registration requirements can differ significantly from the next, unlike the more standardised (though still locally variable) state grammar school process.

Another key difference is cost and access. State grammar schools are free to attend, like any other state school, with admission based on the 11+ and other published criteria rather than fees. Independent schools charge fees, sometimes with means-tested bursaries or scholarships available, and their entrance process is entirely separate from any local authority system.

Some families consider both routes in parallel, particularly in areas where a good local grammar school exists alongside a well-regarded independent school. Because the timelines, registration processes and test formats differ, this requires careful planning to avoid missing a deadline for either route.

Once you understand which route applies to your family, whether that's a grammar school 11+, an independent school's own process, or possibly both, the next question is how to prepare well without unnecessary stress. Steady, well-paced preparation over an extended period, ideally starting in Year 4 or early Year 5, tends to produce calmer, better-prepared children than intensive last-minute cramming, regardless of which type of test they're ultimately sitting.

A sensible starting point for any family new to this is finding out exactly where a child currently stands. Skylark 11+ offers a free diagnostic assessment that shows you your child's actual strengths and gaps across maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, rather than leaving you guessing based on school reports alone. From there, adaptive practice questions adjust to your child's level as they improve, a personalised study plan paces preparation sensibly across the time available, whether that's a full year or, for families starting later, an 8-week emergency plan, and full mock exams under timed conditions build genuine confidence for exam day. Downloadable worksheet PDFs round out the resources, all for £199 a year.

Whatever preparation route you choose, the most important thing for a family new to the 11+ is simply understanding the process clearly and early: which test applies in your area, when registration opens, when the test is sat, and when offers come out. Getting the logistics right removes one whole layer of stress, leaving more energy for calm, steady preparation with your child.