11 plus & common entrance exams Tuition

A selective entrance exam for secondary schools, used by grammar schools and independent schools to identify academic ability and potential. Children usually take it at the start of Year 6.

The 11+ exam is no longer a compulsory test, however it continues to be used in those areas with grammar schools, and by selective independent schools, to identify academic ability and potential.

The 11+ exam is no longer a compulsory test, however it continues to be used in those areas with grammar schools, and by selective independent schools, to identify academic ability and potential.

A set of examinations taken by boys and girls for entrance to senior independent schools at 11+ or 13+. These exams are administered by ISEB (Independent Schools Examinations Board).

The 11+ exam is highly regionalised: the subjects covered and how your child will be tested will depend on where you live.

If we look at the Kent and Gloucestershire 11+ exam processes, you can see just how much the exam can vary from one Local Authority to another:

Kent has the largest number of grammar schools of any LA in England with 35 fully selective grammar schools and 4 partially selective grammar schools. As a result, parents who want their child to apply for grammar school must register their child for the Kent Test. The test comprises of 3 separate assessments and the exam board is GL Assessment:

• First test: 1-hour multiple choice paper split into two sections, maths and English. Each section has a 5-minute practice exercise.
• Second test: 1 hour paper split into two sections, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning/spatial awareness.
• Third test: 40-minute writing test, including 10 minutes of planning time. Only marked when looking at borderline candidates or appeals.

By contrast, in Gloucestershire there are only 7 grammar schools remaining and the exam follows a different format and is administered by the CEM (Durham University) exam board:

• Two 50-minute multiple choice tests, testing Verbal ability (verbal reasoning and comprehension), Numerical reasoning (the CEM term for Maths) and Non-verbal reasoning.

As these examples show, there can be significant differences between the exams depending on where your child is taking the 11+. This makes it extremely important to check with your LA and local grammar schools so that you know exactly what subjects and skills your child will be tested on as part of their 11+ exam.

Checklist – to find out how the 11+ exam is structured in your area, check the following details with your chosen school:

• When the 11+ test is?
• Which subjects are tested?
• What format the exams take?
• Who provides the exam?

GL and CEM are the two main exam boards for the 11+ and although they cover broadly the same topics – English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning/spatial awareness – there are very real differences to the way the GL and CEM 11+ exams work, which will have an impact on how you support your child.

To help you prepare your child for the 11+, we’ve summarised the key differences between GL and CEM.

• CEM regions: Berkshire, Bexley, Birmingham, Gloucestershire, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Wolverhampton & Wrekin.
• Devon, Essex, Hertfordshire, Trafford, Wirral, Yorkshire

• GL regions: Bromley, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Kent, Lancashire & Cumbria, Lincolnshire, Medway, Northern Ireland.
• Devon, Essex, Hertfordshire, Trafford, Wirral, Yorkshire

• GL:English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning/spatial awareness (schools can choose any combination of these to best suit their selection policy)
• CEM:Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning (‘verbal reasoning’ encompasses many of the skills tested in the GL English exam, including comprehension. ‘Numerical reasoning’ involves the core maths skills needed for the GL exam.)

Your child will require strong skills in the following areas:

• GL:vocabulary, logic, maths and spelling
• CEM:English, comprehension, vocabulary, spelling and maths. CEM verbal reasoning is very different to GL and success is dependent on children having a wide-ranging vocabulary.

The CEM 11+ exam is favoured by some regions and schools as it is seen as more ‘tutorproof’ than GL. CEM places much emphasis on:

• not producing or endorsing any published practice papers
• basing the test more closely on the National Curriculum, which is followed by all state school children
• a perceived increase in difficulty

We know how daunting the 11+ can be, with many parents unsure how to start preparing their child for the 11+ exam. To help you get started, we’ve put attached a Getting Started guide to the 11+ for parents by Bond covering everything you need to know – from when to start preparing to how to create a revision schedule. We recommend you read this guide now.

The 11+ exam is about testing your child’s natural aptitude and the importance of a wellrounded education cannot be stressed enough. Reading widely, building vocabulary and developing mathematical skills are all keyways of helping to prepare your child for the 11+. With that in mind, here are some key pieces of advice that will help your child prepare for their specific 11+ exam.

• Find out exactly what exams your child will be taking – this can change from school to school, not just region to region. Also bear in mind that schools may change the examiner they use, so do keep checking. Look not just at the exam board, but subject, format, length of test and any additional tests set by that school (such as creative writing).
• If your child is sitting a GL Assessment-examined test, use plenty of past and practice papers to familiarise your child with the question types in each subject. (Plenty of exam prep using practice papers is also important for CEM, but the question types that appear in the real CEM 11+ exam are much more unpredictable.)
• If your child is sitting a CEM-examined test, work hard on developing a deep and rich vocabulary:
• Use a vocabulary book to record new words and their meanings to ensure that your child really understands the new words they are meeting and can use them in context.
• Read widely with your child and use ‘grown up’ words in ordinary conversation, explaining their meaning as you go.
• Practise synonyms and antonyms, for example, encourage your child to use more sophisticated words to describe something, or complete crosswords together.
• For both tests, but especially the CEM-examined tests, time management skills are of great importance:
• Make sure your child does plenty of timed practice and is accustomed to managing their time carefully.
• Use practice test papers to set mock tests under exam conditions to help them get used to formal exam conditions – getting used to working in test conditions will help your child feel less intimidated by the real exam.