Question 1

What is the 11+?

Accepted Answer

The 11+ (you'll also see it written “eleven-plus”) is an entrance test used by grammar schools (and some independent schools) to decide who joins them in Year 7. Children usually sit it at the start of Year 6, and it isn't part of the national curriculum: it's a separate test, run differently from area to area. Not everywhere uses it. In some parts of the country almost every child sits the 11+; in others, only families who choose to apply for a selective school. If you're new to all of this and feeling slightly behind, you aren't. Most parents are new to it, first time around.

Question 2

When do children sit it, and when can preparation begin?

Accepted Answer

In many areas, children register during Year 5 and sit the test near the start of Year 6, often in September. But this varies by school and region (some areas are moving their tests earlier), so always check the admissions page for the schools you're interested in. As for preparation: early is fine, if it's gentle. The skills the 11+ draws on (vocabulary, number fluency, spotting patterns, reading with understanding) grow slowly, through ordinary reading, talking and play. A child in Year 2 doesn't need past papers; they need words, puzzles and confidence. Structured, test-style practice can wait until much nearer the test itself.

Question 3

What is GL Assessment?

Accepted Answer

GL Assessment is one of the main providers of 11+ admissions tests used by grammar schools. A GL-style test may include English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, but the exact mix, format and timing varies by area. Always check the admissions page for your chosen school or local authority. Formats genuinely vary, though. Some areas use other providers, and some schools write their own papers. So before buying anything or planning anything, check your target school's admissions page. It will tell you exactly which test your child would sit and what it includes.

Question 4

What skills does the 11+ actually test?

Accepted Answer

Underneath the formats, the same four families of skill come up again and again: English: reading with understanding, vocabulary, spelling and grammar. Maths: confident number work, broadly in line with what primary schools already teach. Verbal reasoning: logic with words and letters: codes, sequences, relationships between words. Non-verbal and spatial reasoning: patterns, shapes, and picturing how things fold, turn or move. None of these are exotic. They're thinking skills, and they grow best the calm way: little and often, over a long time, with much more encouragement than correction.

Question 5

Do you need a tutor?

Accepted Answer

Honestly: it depends, and it isn't a verdict on your parenting either way. Some families value the structure and reassurance a good tutor brings. Plenty of children prepare well without one, using steady practice at home. Schools and tutors both do their best work when a child feels secure rather than drilled. What matters far more than the route is the climate: short, regular, low-pressure practice beats long, anxious sessions every time. If you have a tutor, calm practice between sessions helps the lessons stick. If you don't, a structured, gentle routine at home is a credible path of its own.

Question 6

Is it ever too early to think about it?

Accepted Answer

It's never too early for the foundations, and it's always too early for pressure. Reading together, puzzles, board games, conversations full of interesting words: that is 11+ preparation, even though nobody calls it that. Years of quiet foundation beat a frantic final-year sprint. What young children don't need is test conditions. If you introduce anything structured before the last year or two, keep it short, playful and optional: minutes, not hours, and always stopping while it's still fun. Early should mean gentle. If it ever stops feeling gentle, it has stopped helping.