11Plus Exam

The 11+ examination is used in state-funded grammar schools or required as an entrance examination for selective private schools in UK. This exam is taken at the end of Year 5 or in start of Year 6 of the primary school which is used to assess the academic capability of the pupils for their next level of education. 

From years of experience, we have realized that the best preparation for exams cannot be accomplished in a short period of time. Therefore we advice the valuable parents to start preparing their child in year 4 so that the student may be well prepared for the examinations. 

The content of 11+ exams varies along different areas of the country but following four major areas are focused in the examination:

· Mathematics 

· English 

· Verbal Reasoning 

· Non-Verbal Reasoning / Spatial Awareness 

English and Maths tests usually follow the National Curriculum whereas the verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests are not school based subjects and are not taught as part of the school curriculum. Therefore the students need an additional support and practice to get prepared for exam question types. 

There are two different exam formats for 11+

· Standard format – where children write their answers on the test paper

· Multiple-choice format – where answers are marked in a separate answer booklet.

11+ Exam Boards

· GL Assessment – previously known as NFER, GL Assessment develops and administers 11+ exams in the majority of grammar schools in the UK.

· CEM – developed by the Centre for Evaluation & Monitoring at Durham University.

Although, GL and CEM are the main boards for 11+ exams covering broadly the same topics with slight differences between the way GL and CEM 11+ exam works. The difference will have an impact on how you support child to pass 11+ exam. 

Regions Covered by GL & CEM?

· CEM regions: Wiltshire,  Wolverhampton & Wrekin, Gloucestershire, Berkshire, Bexley, Birmingham, Walsall, Warwickshire. 

· GL regions: Bromley, Dorset, Kent, Lancashire & Cumbria, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Medway, Northern Ireland

· GL and CEM regions: Devon, Essex, Hertfordshire, Trafford, Wirral, Yorkshire

Subjects Covered

· GL: Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning / Spatial Awareness 

· CEM: Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning (“Verbal Reasoning” constitute many of the skills tested in the GL English exam, including comprehension. ‘‘Numerical Reasoning’’ involves the core Maths skills needed for the GL exam).

Skills to be Tested?

· GL: vocabulary, logic, Maths and spelling

· CEM: English, comprehension, vocabulary, spelling and Maths. CEM verbal reasoning is very different to GL and success depends on students having a collection of vocabulary.