11+ Papers

11+ Practice Papers

Past 11+ Papers

11+ Practice Papers

11+ Papers are used by grammar schools as part of their entry procedure. We host a number of free practice papers for 11+ entry, published by Bond, Owl Tutors, GL Assessment, CSSE and CGP.

The purpose of 11+ papers is to gauge your child's intelligence and academic potential. Test providers try hard to craft exams that children cannot prepare for but it's a tricky task. No matter how 11+ papers are structured, good preparation will always be essential.

11+ papers are not easy. Their purpose is to separate higher ability children so don't expect your child to achieve full marks. However, with 11+ practice papers you will see their performance and confidence improve.

11 plus papers are available in English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-Verbal reasoning. Pay close attention to the subjects and 11+ test provider for your target schools. Some grammar schools test certain subjects and others don't so make sure your preparation is correctly targeted.

Several grammar schools require a separate test in creative writing. These are sometimes used to analyse children's grammar, punctuation and spelling (as well as their imagination) but more often than not this test is used as a tie-breaker.

As a further complication, some grammar schools will use two 11+ exam papers whilst others will use three or more. Pay close attention to the number of 11 plus exam papers for your target school.

11+ Paper Test Providers

The 11 plus papers your child will take depends on where you live. Entry to the 11 plus paper will be organised by your local authority,  a group of schools or an individual school.

Most areas use either CEM (University of Durham) or GL Assessment (NFER). Other areas write the 11+ papers themselves or choose not to disclose the source.

The content of these papers can vary significantly. CEM test papers are not comparable to GL Assessment papers. Again, ensure your 11+ preparation is correctly targeted.

The CEM practice papers (or simply CEM papers) we host are published by CGP while the GL-Assessment papers (or simply GL papers) are published by Exam Ninja.

11+ Past Papers

As well as 11 plus practice papers, some grammar schools release 11+ past papers. These are extremely valuable for children attempting to gain entry to those schools.

It's rare for children to have a complete 11 plus past papers from a target school. If these are available, use them extensively. The papers will tell you what test styles, subjects and topics come up. This information makes these 11 plus past papers incredibly valuable to your preparation.

GL Assessment have released several 11 plus past papers in recent time. If your target schools use them, download the GL Assessment sample papers free of charge.

About 11+ Papers

11+ Papers are an IQ test for children that seek to assess your child's potential. Deemed unfair in 1976, 11+ papers were abolished and replaced with the modern comprehensive system.

Many disagreed with this decision and the debate surrounding 11+ test papers continues today.

Several areas in the UK still have grammar schools alongside modern comprehensives. Gaining entry to these grammar schools is ferociously competitive. Using 11+ practice papers is essential.

There are plenty of 11+ past papers, 11 plus mock exams and 11 plus sample papers available to download. By using these 11+ exam papers, your child will feel more confident approaching their 11+ paper.

Do note that CEM 11 plus have been careful to never release any CEM test papers. Whilst precise preparation for this test provider is speculative, it is firmly recommended.

11 plus test papers are enormously valuable for children hoping to enter a grammar school. With so many grammar school test papers free of charge on our website, we urge you to use them. Grammar schools, for all their faults, offer amazing possibilities to children.

Since 2011 we have offered grammar school test papers free of charge to millions. Thank you for your support!   

11 Plus

What is the 11 Plus?

What's the 11 plus you ask? Well first, a brief bit of history...

After World War 2, the Education Act dictated that state education should be free of charge and fall into two forms - grammar schools and secondary moderns. Grammar schools would focus on academic subjects whilst secondary moderns would teach trades.

The 11 plus (also known as 11+ exam or 11plus) was the test to determine whether a child went to a grammar school or a secondary modern.

Children judged to have a higher academic potential would go to a grammar school with the rest going to a secondary modern.

In 1960 there were over 1,200 grammar schools in the UK.

Why did the 11 plus stop?

In the 1950s and 1960s some politicians argued that selective education systems reinforced class division. They also added that middle-class privilege only increased these divisions.

In 1965, the government ordered LEAs to start phasing out grammar schools and replace them with modern comprehensives. Then in 1976, legislation was cast to ban the introduction of any new selective education schools.

However, some areas of England refused, dug in their heels and kept their grammar schools. Today 163 grammar schools remain, run alongside comprehensives.

Wait, so does the 11+ still exists?

Yes...weirdly. The 11 plus is now a collective term for the entrance exams that the remaining grammar schools offer.

Should my child to take the 11 plus?

Most grammar schools were dismantled and transformed into secondary comprehensives for political reasons.

The 11 plus offered thousands of children from impoverished backgrounds a genuine opportunity. There's little doubt that the very nature of selective education did reinforce class privilege. However, for those that got the opportunity, they often went on to greater things.

The atmosphere inside today's grammar schools is without doubt a "social bubble". Try as they may to limit it, plenty of pupils come from privileged backgrounds and benefited from 11+ exam training. 

Catchment areas and Britain's housing market have only reinforced middle-class privilege. This has led to dwindling numbers of children from lower-income backgrounds.

In 1998 the government enacted legislation that strengthened powers to stop new grammar schools from opening. It also allowed for parent ballots on the future of existing grammar schools.

Only one ballot ever took place and the government embarassingly lost it, 67% to 33%. As a result Ripon Grammar remained a grammar school.

But enough negative talk...

Grammar schools offer children a spectacular academic environment. Their facilities, both academic and extra-curricular are almost incomparable to comprehensive schools. Their exam results speak for themselves with the top 40 grammars scoring 100% A*-C at GCSE in 2016.

Frankly, if your child has the opportunity to attend a grammar school, grab it with both hands. You would be mad not to.

So how do I enter them for an 11 plus exam?

Getting your child into a grammar school is not a simple task.

Every grammar school continues to offer an 11 plus paper to determine their intake.

Some local authorities automatically enter children for these tests while they're still in primary school. Others require you to apply. Some grammar schools band together as a consortium and offer a grouped test to whomever applies. Also, some grammar schools offer 11 plus exams to parents and children that only apply directly to them. Sadly, it was probably all a lot easier prior to 1965...

To confuse matters, the 11 plus exams that each of the above scenarios offer can be from different test providers. CEM and GL Assessment are the two main test providers but there are others.

Lastly, to confuse you even more, two grammar schools could have the same test provider but not the same subjects! For example, some use Non-Verbal reasoning tests whilst others only use English and Maths.

Confusing eh?!

Even that doesn't put off the hundreds of thousands of parents that apply every year. Many schools report over 12 children applying for every single place.

Thankfully, we have a helpful 11 plus entry table to help you with your 11+ exam process.

How can I enter my child for an 11 plus exam?

First of all, look at our 11 plus entry table. Check the "Admissions" column.

11+ Exam Boards by Area

Applying for the 11+

All 11+ areas have a responsibility to be fair with their entries but they do have very strict deadlines. Get informed and be organised.

Contact the admissions provider for the school (or schools) you would like to apply for. This could be the LEA, the school or a body that acts on behalf of the consortium of schools.

Politely request detailed information about:

• When 11+ exam will take place.
• Where 11+ exam will take place.
• What topics are in their 11+ exam.
• What format the test(s) will take (multiple choice or standard answer).

It's also very important to ask whether there are any other admissions criteria such as a maximum distance from the school.

Don't feel nervous contacting them, you won't be the only person asking.

Get organised and plan it. It's not much work and it could well be the best thing you ever do for your child's education.

There doesn't seem to be a grammar school near me.

Sorry, you're going to need a time machine. Blame the politicians that made those decisions back in 1965.

How do I prepare my child for their 11+ exam?

By now you should know:

• The target grammar school(s).
• The test provider (CEM, GL Assessment etc).
• The subjects that will be tested (Maths, English etc).
• The format of the tests (Cloze, Multiple Choice etc).

Some parents appoint personal tutors for their children to help improve their performance. This can be very confidence boosting and test providers do their best to limit the "exam coaching" effect that it has.

Personal tutors are expensive though and by no means are they essential to passing the 11+ exam. Indeed many pupils obtain places in grammar schools by only practising past 11 plus papers or 11+ practice papers.

11+ Verbal reasoning and 11+ Non-verbal reasoning are both unique tests. They are often used because they gauge aptitude and don't require any previous experience. Having said that, the distinct nature of the tests means a child will benefit from preparation.

The 11 plus is the same as everything else in life: There's no substitute for experience.

11+ Maths and 11+ English tests will seem more familiar to your child. 11+ Maths tests will be of a problem solving nature and get harder as children progress through the paper.

11+ English assessments typically contain a comprehension test or a writing assessment. Often they contain both. They may also have a Cloze test. Again, practice makes perfect.

Most important of all is that your child prepares for the tests that they will be facing. If it's a CEM test in Maths then ensure they're working from examples that clearly state that!

With enough practice, your child can walk into the actual exam feeling far more confident and much more likely to pass.

Is all this too much to read and take in? Ok - here's the most important take-away - Don't delay, start preparing today.

CEM? What's the CEM Test?

CEM is a provider of 11+ exams for several grammar schools including Bexley, Birmingham and Wolverhampton. CEM stands for Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring and it's part of the University of Durham. There are several other providers including GL Assessment.

What's different about the CEM Test?

If only everyone knew! CEM have never openly provided their past 11+ papers so it's hard to say.

CEM has grown in popularity over the past 5-10 years because their tests are seen as harder to "coach" for. The feedback from grammar schools supports this. It's unclear whether their tests are appreciably different to anyone else's or if it's simply because they don't release past 11+ papers.

From what we can gather, the CEM 11+ is often two 11+ exams. Each is time limited to 45 minutes and both include English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning.

The English sections of the test include reading comprehension exercises, cloze tests and Verbal reasoning questions.

Non-verbal reasoning questions are well known from other providers of 11 plus exams. These are the questions that often include rotating patterns or shapes.

Numerical reasoning questions test mental arithmetic, pattern recognition and problem solving. Calculators are not allowed.

Both tests are designed such that children are time pressured. Many children don't finish all the questions before the end of the test.

Some areas will allocate a different weighting of marks towards different subject areas. For example, Birmingham awards half of the marks to Verbal Reasoning. Warwickshire meanwhile awards marks equally among all three.

In some areas pupils may take practice 11+ CEM test papers. These will take place before the real CEM 11+ exam (normally in June or July) and the marks will not be formally taken into consideration. They are a practice exercise that's marked internally and whose marks are not recorded externally from the school.

Got any past CEM 11+ Papers?

No.

Past CEM 11 Plus papers are not distributed after their respective assessment day. CEM insist that "by restricting the amount of available preparation material to only what primary schools provide (familiarisation with the format and structure of the tests) it makes the test fairer for all".

However, we do have a number of free 11+ papers for you to download.

How can I prepare my child for the CEM 11 Plus?

CEM say that they devise their tests such that they "reduce any disadvantage between children who are tutored for tests and those who are not." In other words, CEM feel that you can't coach for CEM.

You might not be able to coach, but you can certainly help.

Verbal and Non-verbal Reasoning questions are often unfamiliar to children. Hence prior practice, if only as a familiarisation exercise, is highly recommended. The important point being that prior practice does not lead to pupils attempting to guess their answers.