Structure of the 11+

Most children who take the test take it in their final year of primary education. The test is voluntary and only taken by pupils who intend on applying for a place at a grammar school.

The structure of the test varies by county and by the exam board. When examined, English and Mathematics are generally tested on separate papers. Some tests are computer-based and others are written long-hand or marked on OMR multiple choice grids(Wikipedia link).

Schools Using the Eleven Plus Exam

According to Wikipedia, there are 163 remaining grammar schools in various parts of England, and 67 in Northern Ireland. BOFA has a full list of schools that use the 11+.

11+ Subjects

The 4 subjects that are tested are (not all subjects are tested at every school):

• English
• Mathematics
• Verbal Reasoning
• Non-Verbal Reasoning

The tests are designed to judge a pupil’s capability in material that they should already have covered in school by the time they are taking the test.

In English, pupils are tested in their ability to comprehend a piece of text (reading), on their spelling, and their ability to write cohesively (punctuation and grammar). Often, English tests will compromise of a long writing task and other reading and spelling exercises.

In Maths, pupils are tested over a huge range of topics. Depending on where pupils are taking an exam, tests may be multiple choice or not.

Verbal reasoning is believed to be a good way to test a pupil's potential ability rather than just what they can already do, as VR touches on problem-solving and the application of knowledge rather than just what they are classically taught in school.

Non-Verbal reasoning tests are designed to judge a pupil's capability regardless of their general English knowledge. NVR tests logic rather than academic capability and serves to judge how well a child can solve a problem.

Scoring of the 11+

Scoring of the 11+ can vary depending on which part of the country you are from. Most areas use a technique called 'standardised scoring'.

The scoring of the 11+ does vary slightly depending on where you are in the country, and some areas/schools weight some subjects more heavily than others. For example, in Kent, more importance is placed on English and Maths than Verbal Reasoning, but VR still counts towards a pupil's final mark.

A standardised score is created using a normal distribution with a mean 100 and standard deviation of 15. This means the average score of the cohort/year-group is 100; the bottom 2.5% score less than 70; the highest 2.5% score more than 130. The raw pass score, therefore, will vary year to year depending on the ability of the pupils sitting the exam, since the standardised scores are calculated after the exam has been sat the raw pass score will not be known prior to the exam.

11+ Districts

BOFA has compiled a list of all the state grammar schools in the UK, sorted by district.

You’ll find information about individual schools by clicking on the district where your child will be attending school.

How to Prepare your Child for the 11+

The 11+ can be very daunting as it will be the first 'proper' exam that a child has ever taken. Giving your child a well-rounded education is key to their success as the 11+ tests their all-round ability.

All tests rely on the assumption that candidates will have covered all of the material in school beforehand. So theoretically, children shouldn't require much preparation. The English and Mathematics questions are based on the Key Stage 2 National Curriculums therefore children should have covered these topics well before the exam date.

However, most entrance exams include testing on Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, subjects not generally covered in state primary schools. In principle, these subjects are age indiscriminate as they are based on logic and problem-solving. That said, most children would benefit from some familiarisation with both of these subjects prior to the exam and there are easy ways to develop their VR and NVR skills. Pupils are advised to expand their vocabulary by reading books beyond those that they find 'easy' and, encouraging discussion and debate about their interests and the world around them can be helpful. Ensure your child understands synonyms and antonyms and can give multiple examples of each. During the last year prior to the exam, your child should look at the types of questions that might be asked and try and apply what they know to them. There are plenty of resources available to assist children with VR and NVR preparation, including BOFA11+.

Time management skills are important for a child to learn within their education. Children at this age won't be used to formal exam conditions and won't have experienced the pressure to finish a test in a limited amount of time. To help them get used to this, have them do practice papers in timed conditions.

Would you pass the 11+?

Many newspapers like to ask parents if they would pass the eleven plus so we have created a link of the links below, none of them ask for your details and general only take 5-10 minutes. We have included our BOFA demo tests in the list, these have the practice and retest questions to demonstrate the unique learning platform.

• The Telegraph – Are you smarter than a 10-year-old?
• The Guardian – Would you get into a grammar school?
• BOFA 11 plus  – How quickly can you learn how to do 11 plus tests?
• The Daily Mail – Would you pass the 11 Plus exam?
• Liverpool Echo – Can you answer these questions from the 11 Plus exam?

CEM and GL Assessment

CEM and GL Assessment are the two main examining boards for the 11+ for both state school 11+ exams and Independent school 11+ Pre-tests.

CEM is perceived to be the more difficult of the two papers as it is designed to be 'tutor-proof', as they don't produce or endorse any sample material. However, there is so much practice material available for the CEM 11+ that it is impossible for the exam to be tutor-proof, the success of BOFA 11 plus as used by prep schools and tutoring centres demonstrates that pupils who prepare for the exam usually perform well.'

CEM is also said to be based more closely on the National Curriculum for Key Stage 2, which is the curriculum followed by all state primaries.

Verbal Reasoning differs the most widely between the two examining bodies, and a child's success in a CEM VR exam will be reliant on them having a strong vocabulary.

Independent school 11+ Pre-tests

The ISEB Common Pre-Tests are age-standardised tests used to assess pupils' attainment and potential when they are in Year 6 or Year 7, prior to entry to their senior schools. If your son or daughter is offered a place after completing these tests, he or she will normally still be required to sit the Common Entrance examinations in Year 8. The list of schools using the ISEB Pre-test is found below:

View our admissions information for the ISEB schools.

In recent years many more schools are switching to bespoke online assessments as an alternative to the ISEB Pre-Test. We have a list of schools using online assessments below:

View our admissions information for these schools.

How to Find a School’s Admissions Information

We have compiled a list of the 11+ admissions information for every state grammar school in the UK, as we know how tricky it can be to find this. Every school’s website is different, so it can often be tricky to find what you are looking for. When looking for admissions information, keep an eye out for terms such as ‘joining our school’, ‘joining in Year 7’ or ‘admissions’.

You’ll want to look for the date to register for the 11 Plus, the date it is taken and the subjects that are tested.

11+ Forums and Shops

There are a number of places you can find resources and information to help you with the 11+, including Amazon, eBay and directly from publishers such as Bond and CGP. You can often find books in supermarkets, bookshops such as Waterstones and The Works. Here are some links:

• Amazon  – 11 plus books
• Amazon  –  11 plus books by BOFA creator: Andrew Baines
• BOFA  –  11 plus online learning
• Bond  –  11 plus papers
• CGP  –  11 plus papers
• eBay  –  11 plus papers
• Galore Park - Hachette Learning - 11 plus books and papers
• Waterstones  – 11 plus books
• Waterstones  –  11 plus books by BOFA creator: Andrew Baines
• WHSmith  – 11 plus books
• WHSmith  –  11 plus books by BOFA creator: Andrew Baines

You might also want to take a look at these 11 plus forums but be aware that this usually contains more questions than answers. These forums often increase a parent's stress and anxiety rather than reduce them and supply comfort. The forums are below (BOFA does not have a forum and does not encourage their use):

• Eleven Plus Exams Forum
• Netmums
• Mumsnet