What is the 11 Plus?

The 11 Plus (also called the 11+ or Eleven Plus) is an examination taken by some school pupils in their last year of primary school to get into a grammar school of their choice. In reality most children will only be 10 years old when they take the test – the term “11 Plus” refers to the fact that the test selects for schools with an entry point for children aged 11 or over.

There are now 164 Grammar Schools remaining in England. The 11 plus test was officially discontinued in Northern Ireland in 2008, although many of the “ex-Grammar Schools” are continuing to use testing to select children by ability, a move that has created considerable political controversy.

The qualification rate for the 11 plus test varies considerably around the country. Some schools attract several thousand applicants for as few as 180 places – the four grammar schools in Kingston and Sutton are an example of such over-subscription, with a pass rate of perhaps 3 percent. In areas where the grammar system has been retained in full the pass rate is considerably higher – in Buckinghamshire it is around 30 percent each year.

There can be up to four different “disciplines” used for the 11 Plus tests – Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, Maths and English. The combination of test papers varies considerably around the country.

The content of the 11+ exam varies between different areas of the country but generally it will focus on a combination of the following four subjects:

• English.
• Maths.
• Verbal reasoning.
• Non-verbal reasoning/spatial awareness.

Although the English and maths tests tend to follow the National Curriculum, the verbal and non-verbal reasoning/spatial awareness tests are not school-based subjects and will not be taught as part of the curriculum in state schools. Therefore your child is likely to need additional support and practice to familiarise themselves with verbal and non-verbal reasoning/spatial awareness exam question types.

There are two different formats for 11+ exam papers:

• 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 papers are timed and usually last between 45-60 minutes. Children should practise with timed 11+ mock test papers, as well as working through non-timed practice, so they can see what they are able to do within a given time frame.

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

• GL Assessment – previously known as NFER, GL Assessment develop and administer 11+ exams in the majority of grammar schools in the UK.
• CEM – developed by the Centre for Evaluation & Monitoring at Durham University, the CEM 11+ exam was created in response to fears from some grammar schools that the existing 11+ exam system had become too predictable. The CEM exam was designed to address concerns over question spotting and ‘teaching to the test’.

There are always more pupils applying for grammar schools than there are places available, (sometimes as many as 10 pupils for every one place) and so competition can be fierce. It is therefore vital to find out how the 11+ exam is structured where you live and to prepare your child adequately.