Are you considering applying to a grammar school? We've collated answers to common questions about the 11 plus and grammar school admissions. 

The 11 plus is an academic test which children take to apply for a place at a grammar school. The exam is designed to identify children who are working at the top ability range in their year group (normally the top 25%). 

The content of the 11 plus exam varies between schools and local counties. Most grammar schools assess children's skills in English and maths as these are the core subjects studied in Key Stage 2. Some 11 plus exams include questions in verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, which are not taught on the national curriculum. 


Your child will take the 11 plus exam in the autumn term in Year 6. It usually takes place on a Saturday in September, although dates will vary between schools and local areas. 

Your child will usually take the 11 plus exam at the school you’re applying for, or one of the other schools in the consortium. In some areas (such as Buckinghamshire), your child will take the exam at their own primary school. 

No – the 11 plus exam is completely free. Some schools hold familiarisation sessions (mock exams) which may incur a small cost, but these are optional.

The length of the exam will vary depending on the number of papers set. It’s rare for an individual paper to last longer than one hour, and most 11 plus exams will be completed within two hours. If your child’s target school sets more than one paper, they will provide a short break between papers so that children have time for refreshments and toilet breaks. 

Yes – like many public exams, 11 plus tests are normally created and marked by a small number of exam boards – although it's not unusual for schools to produce their own written tests or second-stage assessments. GL Assessment is the main supplier of 11 plus exams for grammar schools and provides test papers in English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) is a new 11 plus exam provider and supplies tests in English, maths and creative writing. CEM (Centre of Evaluation and Monitoring) previously supplied 11 plus exams. However, in 2022 they announced that their exams would no longer be paper-based and that they would only supply online tests. Many grammar schools have therefore moved away from CEM and formed agreements with other providers. 

A second stage assessment, or Stage 2 exam, is a second 11 plus exam set by some grammar schools. Children who do well in the main exam will be shortlisted for the next stage. They will then usually take English and maths papers set by the school. 

Multiple-choice questions are the most common types of questions in 11 plus exams. English and maths papers provided by GL Assessment are all multiple-choice. However, some papers may require free responses – particularly creative writing tests and papers created internally by school staff (often as a second-stage assessment).  

Most 11 plus papers – particularly those created by GL Assessment – will be marked by computer. Your child will note their answers on a separate answer sheet which is scanned and marked electronically. Papers with free-form answers will often be marked in person. If your child has to complete a written exercise as part of the exam, this might only be marked in certain circumstances – such as if your child has achieved a high enough score on the multiple-choice papers, or if the written exercise needs to be used in borderline cases. 

Your child’s raw marks in the paper will be added together to create a total score. In most cases, this score will then be age-standardised to ensure that children born later in the school year aren’t disadvantaged. This is a statistical process that takes into account your child’s raw mark and their age at the time of the exam in years and months. Your child’s standardised score will then be placed in rank order with other children’s scores from the same cohort. 

The pass mark will vary depending on the school your child is applying for, or whether the school is a member of a consortium. Some schools and consortiums will have specific pass marks (children taking the Kent Test, for example, usually need to have standardised scores higher than 109 in each of their tests to be eligible for a place), and we recommend that your child works towards a standardised score of 110 and above when preparing for the exam. However, plenty of schools will not set their pass mark until the exams have been completed, while some schools will just select the highest-ranked children until all of the Year 7 places have been filled.

No – the 11 plus exam may only be taken once for each school or consortium. 

We recommend that children start preparing for the 11 plus at the end of Year 4 or the beginning of Year 5. A lot of content is covered in the exam – particularly if your child’s target school assesses verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning, which are not taught on the national curriculum. Using a little-and-often approach to revision will help your child establish a routine and avoid becoming demotivated. 

There are no officially-published 11 plus past papers as these are usually intellectual property and have copyright regulations. However, some schools may publish familiarisation (sample) papers on their website, and with an Atom Nucleus subscription, you can access 11 plus practice papers for every grammar school and consortium in the country. 

Take the stress out of the 11 plus with your tailored preparation programme. Get access to over 90,000 practice questions, practice papers for every grammar school, and personalised support every step of the way.

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A consortium is a group of grammar schools who all use the same 11 plus test and follow the same registration and testing timetable. If your child is applying to multiple grammar schools within the same consortium, they will only need to take the 11 plus once. However, if your child is applying for a grammar school outside of a consortium, they will have to take the exam for that specific school.


No – the 11 plus is not compulsory. In some areas, such as Buckinghamshire, your child will automatically be registered for the 11 plus if they attend a primary school in the county. However, you can opt-out if you do not wish your child to take the exam or apply for a grammar school place.


In most counties, you will need to register your child to take the 11 plus – usually via an online form on your target school’s website. Check the website for each school you’re applying for, as the process and registration dates can vary. Note that this process is just for registering your child to take the exam, as you will need to apply for a school place separately. 


The grammar school will write to you, or send you an email, with the outcome of your child’s results in mid-October – about a month after they have taken the exam. In most cases, you will not receive a breakdown of your child’s marks; the school will just inform you whether your child meets the eligible standard. You can then use this information to apply for a school place.


No. Passing the 11 plus demonstrates to the school that your child is suitable for a grammar school education (i.e. ‘eligible’), but places will be allocated depending on other criteria. This will be outlined in your target school’s admissions policy. 


Secondary school places in England are applied for through your local authority (local council). If you’re applying to any state secondary school, you will need to complete a common application form (CAF), listing your school preferences in order. This form will need to be submitted on your home local authority website by 31st October when your child is in Year 6. 

Every grammar school has different admission criteria. However, priority is usually given to children who are or have previously been in public care (called ‘Looked After Children’ or ‘Previously Looked After Children’), children who are eligible for the pupil premium (i.e. Free School Meals), and children who have an established association with the school (such as a sibling who is a current student, or a parent who works for the school). Many schools also prioritise places for children who live within a certain catchment area, or a set distance from the school. 


A supplementary information form (SIF) is a form that you may need to complete in addition to registering your child for the 11 plus exam. This form may be used by the school if your child is likely to be prioritised for a place based on particular criteria. For example, if your child is likely to be prioritised for a place based on eligibility for pupil premium, you will need to complete a supplementary information form to indicate this and attach any relevant evidence. 


The national offer day for state secondary schools in England is 1st March. On this date, you will be informed which school your child has been allocated a place at. 


Yes – you have a legal right to challenge the school’s decision through an appeal. The appeal success rate will vary depending on the school and county, but on average, around 20% of parents who appeal their child’s place are successful. 


First, you will need to accept the school you have been allocated to ensure your child has a place at a secondary school in September, regardless of the outcome of the appeal. You can then check the appeals process for your preferred school; you will usually need to submit a form with attached evidence outlining why your child should be offered a place, and you may subsequently be invited to an appeal hearing. The panel’s decision will be final. 


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11 plus

Year 5

With September nearing and the [11 Plus](https://atomlearning.co.uk/11-plus) exams around the corner, we're here to help get your child exam ready. If your child is sitting the exams in a month's time or you are thinking about how to prepare for next year’s exams, read our answers to these common questions to find out some key information! For a more in-depth view check out our [complete guide to the 11 plus.](https://atomlearning.co.uk/blog/11-plus-guide)

### When will my child sit the 11 Plus?

Your child will sit their exam when they are in Year 6, so they will be between 11 and 12 years old. Most of the exams take place in the first two weeks of September but this is not always the case, so it is best to double-check the dates with each individual school.

### Is it compulsory?

No, it is not compulsory. Your child will have been automatically registered if they attend a local authority primary school in a county or metropolitan borough that has a grammar school. This does not mean they have to sit the exams.

### Does it cost anything?

No, the 11 plus is completely free.

### When should my child start to prepare?

There is no perfect time to start as this will be different for each child! Some children start preparing [during Year 4 and others start a bit later in Year 5.](https://atomlearning.co.uk/blog/best-time-to-start-11-plus-prep) It is a good idea to assess your child’s strengths and weaknesses to see how much time they will need to prepare. 

### Does my child need tutoring?

Your child may of course be able to pass the 11 Plus exam without any tutoring but, as tutoring is very prevalent for the 11 Plus, they could be placed at a disadvantage as a result. It is highly recommended that children who plan to sit them receive some form of tutoring. However, this does not necessarily have to be the traditional in-person form of tutoring. 

On-demand tutoring, online tutoring and online learning platforms are other options that are widely available. Head to Atom Nucleus for an adaptive online home learning platform that will help your child prepare for their 11 Plus exams.

### What is the average price of 11 Plus tuition?

The price for independent tuition ranges from £20 to £80 per hour depending on the tutor’s experience, while online tuition is cheaper, averaging around £15 per hour.

Atom Nucleus ranges from £19.99 per month for a Basic plan to £59.99 per month for a Premium plan. Purchase a yearly plan for a 20% discount. [Check out all the available pricing options here](https://atomlearning.co.uk/pricing).

### What are the benefits of online learning with Atom Nucleus?

Atom Nucleus provides a personalised learning journey that will adapt your child’s learning more effectively than a private tutor. It is also more accessible for parents as it is cheaper than in-person tutoring and on-demand. Once you have signed up, your child has access to all the resources on the platform, which they can use whenever they want, and you can track their progress through progress reports. 

### Are there different examining bodies?

Yes, there are two different exam boards, [CEM](https://www.cem.org/) and [GL Assessment](https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/), each with its own examination formats. GL Assessment covers English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Each subject is split into its own paper. CEM covers Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning, but the number of papers tends to vary year on year.

### How long does the exam take?

The papers normally last between 40-60 minutes.

### How does the scoring work?

The scores for the 11 Plus are Standardised Age Scores, this means they take into consideration: 

The age of the child
The difficulty of the paper
The differences between test papers

Your child is placed on a scale and they are ranked in accordance with children of the same age in the country. The national average is around 100 and a high score ranges from 110-140.

### What score does my child need to be accepted into a Grammar School?

This depends on the school. Some schools base their entrance on a fixed standardised threshold, e.g. accept all candidates with scores over 110 in all their papers. Other schools simply accept as many top students as they can.

### Can you retake the 11 Plus?

No, your child cannot retake them. However, if your child is applying to schools that do not belong to a consortium then they may have to sit several exams.

### What is an 11 Plus consortium?

Some schools are part of a consortium, meaning that your child will need to pass a certain set of exams to apply to a group of schools and the most selective schools may have several rounds of exams. Consortiums have been established to ensure the process is fair and accessible to children from all schools and backgrounds.

### Where can I find past papers?

There are no officially published past papers but there are many companies that provide mock papers for free or for a fee. Atom Nucleus provides all its members with unlimited [11 plus mock tests](https://atomlearning.co.uk/blog/mock-tests-and-the-11-plus).

### How do you receive 11 Plus results?

Exam results may be delivered by post, email or via an online portal.

### We can help

If you’re looking for more ways to prepare your child for the 11 Plus exams, start your 5-day free trial of [Nucleus](https://atomlearning.co.uk/) for success in the classroom, entrance exams and beyond.

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Are you struggling to get to grips with the 11 plus? Atom Learning answers some of the most common 11 Plus questions.

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