QEGS Penrith 11+ guide

Key information for Queen Elizabeth Grammar School

• Address: Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Ullswater Road, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 7EG

• Number of pupils: 1,000+

• Admissions contact: [email protected]

• Number of places in Year 7: 160

• 11+ exam: GL Assessment

• Catchment area: yes

What subjects are on the 11 plus?

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School uses 11 plus papers supplied by GL Assessment. This is one of the main 11 plus providers in England.

All GL Assessment 11 plus papers are multiple-choice. Your child will have separate answer sheets which they will use to mark their answers. These are marked electronically.

The QEGS 11 plus consists of two papers, each around 50 minutes in length. These papers consist of questions in English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.

• English: this consists of a reading comprehension task. Some questions might also assess spelling, punctuation and grammar.

• Maths: questions assess your child’s knowledge and understanding of the concepts on the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum.

• Verbal reasoning: this involves using logic and reasoning to solve problems with written information, like letters, words, symbols and numbers.

• Non-verbal reasoning: this involves using logic and reasoning to solve problems with visual information, like shapes, diagrams and pictures.

Verbal and non-verbal reasoning aren’t taught on the primary school curriculum, so your child might be unfamiliar with these types of questions. Incorporating reasoning questions into your child’s 11 plus prep can help them feel more confident on exam day.

Atom’s top tips for 11 plus preparation

The 11 plus is designed to select the most academically able children in the local area. Here are our top tips to help you and your child feel confident for exam day!

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.

Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.

Read widely

11 plus exams test your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.

Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.

With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers for GL Assessment 11 plus exams. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.

Celebrate progress

Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.

Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.