The 11+ Exam for grammar school entry in September 2025. A guide for parents.

This article provides a guide for parents of current Year 5 children who want to prepare their children for the 11+ Exam in September 2024 so that they can enter their child into Year 7 at a grammar school in September 2025.

Timeline for the 11+ Exam

Ideally, you will have decided which grammar schools you are considering. It is a good idea to visit each school with your child to get a better feel and see if it is the right environment for them.

• April 2024: Most grammar schools will open their registration in April or May and set a deadline around June or July for parents to register their child for the 11+ exam. There is some variability, so please check these dates with your individual schools. Buckinghamshire automatically enters all primary children for the 11+ exam and operates an opt-out system for parents who must actively choose to withdraw their child from the process.
• September 2024: For most grammar schools, the 11+ exam will occur during the first two weeks of September 2024. There is some variability with some schools holding 11+ exams in October, so please check the date with your individual schools.
• October 2024: For most grammar schools, 11+ results will be posted in mid-October 2024.
• March 2025: School allocations are confirmed on 01 March 2025.
• September 2025: New intake begins in Year 7 at each of the 164 grammar schools.

What is a Grammar School?

Grammar schools are selective state-funded secondary schools that strongly focus on academic achievement. These schools select their pupils for Year 7 using an academic examination called the 11+ or 11 plus. A few grammar schools also have an intake into Year 8 or Year 9 and test pupils with an equivalent 12+ or 13+ Exam. Grammar schools do not charge fees, and competition for places is generally very high.

There are over 3000 state-funded secondary schools in the UK, of which 164 are state-funded grammar schools, with approximately 167,000 pupils. Grammar schools can be co-educational or single-sex, although most single-sex grammar schools now accept both boys and girls in the sixth form.

164 grammar schools are located in 36 English local authorities. There are a further 69 grammar schools in Northern Ireland, but none in Wales or Scotland. You do not always need to live in an area with state grammar schools for your child to gain a place at one. A few grammar schools recruit outside their catchment, while others offer boarding facilities. Most grammar schools, however, prefer those living within their catchment areas.

Not all selective grammar schools have 'grammar' in their name, e.g. Dr Challoner's High School. Also, many schools with 'grammar' in their name are actually fee-paying independent schools, e.g. Bradford Grammar School. Independent Schools select their pupils using their own bespoke Year 7 School Entrance Exam (sometimes called the 11+), which occurs in January of Year 6 and is similar to the 11+ grammar school exam.

Why is it called a Grammar School?

The earliest schools connected to monasteries were called scolae grammaticales. These schools were initially established to teach Latin grammar, the language of academia, thus the name's origins.

Why go to a Grammar School?

As grammar school pupils are all academically selected and of similar high abilities, teachers can arguably stretch and challenge their pupils further, making more effective progress in lessons than in a comprehensive, mixed-ability school. Grammar schools are some of the highest-performing schools listed in the national league tables. According to the Sutton Trust Report (2008), grammar school pupils make more significant progress throughout Key Stages 3 and 4 and achieve better GCSEs and A-Levels than pupils from other school types.

Another perceived advantage of attending a grammar school is social mobility. Grammar schools have a track record of producing students who have very successful careers and develop extensive networks of influential friends. A recent study by the University of Bath, Bristol, and the Institute of Education at the University of London concluded that pupils who attend a grammar school earn more than those who attend comprehensive schools.

What is the 11+ Exam?

The 11+ Exam (or "11-plus") is a selective entrance exam generally taken at the beginning of Year 6, generally in September.

The content varies between different areas of the country. Still, it will generally be based on some or all of the following types of questions: English, maths, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning. It may involve sitting two or even three eleven plus examinations. Sometimes the tests will be of a different kind, e.g. non-verbal reasoning and a verbal reasoning test; in other cases, the tests will be the same, e.g. two verbal reasoning tests.

There are two main exam boards for the 11+ Exam:

• GL Assessment (previously known as NFER) administer the 11+ exams for most grammar schools in Berkshire, Bexley, Birmingham, Buckinghamshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Kent, Shropshire, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wirral, Wolverhampton. The GL 11+ exam covers English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning (spatial awareness). Each school can choose any combination of these to best fit their selection criteria.
• CEM, developed by the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring at Durham University, administer the 11+ exams for Cumbria, Dorset, Lancashire, Medway, Northern Ireland and Wiltshire. The CEM 11+ exam covers verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning. (The verbal reasoning exam includes many of the skills tested in the GL English exam; the numerical reasoning exam includes many of the skills tested in the GL maths exam.)
• Schools in Devon, Essex, Hertfordshire, Trafford and Yorkshire use a mixture of GL and CEM.

In both GL and CEM exams, there is a strong emphasis on core skills in English and maths, including spelling, punctuation, grammar, comprehension, and vocabulary, including arithmetic skills, problem-solving, and data manipulation. Non-verbal reasoning assesses spatial awareness, pattern-spotting and logical skills.

When should we start revising for the 11+ exam?

The best time to start preparing your child for the 11+ exam depends entirely on their current attainment levels and experience. As the 11+ exam approaches, your son or daughter may only need a few weeks or months of preparation, focusing on practising exam papers and developing exam technique and confidence.You can find a range of free 11+ practice papers and solutions here.

Most children benefit from several months of support, often regular weekly tuition, building rigour and polish across core skills, being fully stretched and challenged academically, and then shaping their performance towards the exam's demands. Any support or tuition focused on preparing for the 11+ exam also brings a significant and broader benefit to your child in terms of their general schoolwork and confidence.

Do we need a tutor for the 11+ exam?

Some parents will choose to prepare their child using resources available, such as the series of Bond 11+ books or GL and CEM past papers; other parents will choose to send their child to 11+ group tuition with classes outside of school hours; other parents may choose to enlist the services of a professional tutor or teacher, who specialises in preparing children for the 11+ exam.

Teachers To Your Home provides specialist 11+ Examination tutors with considerable experience preparing children for grammar school entry. All of our 11+ tutors are qualified and experienced teachers, a significant number working within the Primary, Prep, and Grammar School Sectors, and with thorough knowledge and experience of the 11+ process.

Most parents request 11+ tuition from Years 4 or 5. Initially, our 11+ tutors will assess the child's current levels, ensuring a rich and rigorous foundation across all core skills. Then, they will prepare children for the demands of the exam itself, building confidence and exam technique.

Our tutors can help in many ways, from an initial assessment of your child's readiness for the 11+ to long-term tutoring to short-term focus revision. All our tutors are experienced and qualified teachers with in-depth knowledge of the 11+ exam and how to effectively engage your child in preparing for it.

You can find an 11+ tutor in your area here.

You can find free 11+ past papers and solutions here.

What to do if your child does not pass the 11+?

Parents can submit an appeal to challenge the decision if your child doesn't do as well as you expected. You can also consider applying again for a later selection at 12+ or 13+.

Above all, 11+ tuition should be a positive and enjoyable experience for both the child and the teacher. It is about each child achieving their personal best, whatever that may be. With many years of experience teaching children one-to-one, we know that children often make remarkable progress in only a few weeks. Ability, self-belief, confidence, enjoyment … all begin to take root and grow.