The GL Assessment 11 plus

Who uses it

Most grammar school areas in England, for example Kent, Buckinghamshire and Lincolnshire, and the Slough grammar schools from the September 2026 test

Changing

Kent, Slough and the Dorset consortium move to Quest Assessments, and Gloucestershire and Trafford to FSCE, for entry in September 2028

When

September of Year 6, after registering in the summer of Year 5

Subjects

Some or all of English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, chosen by each area

Format

Paper tests, about 45 to 60 minutes each; usually multiple choice on a separate answer sheet

Scores

Standardised for age; each area sets its own pass mark or ranks children

What is GL Assessment?

GL Assessment is a UK company that writes tests for schools. Its 11+ is the most widely used: when Cambridge's CEM stopped supplying grammar school tests in 2023, most of the areas that had used CEM moved to GL.

GL writes a version for each area, so there is no single “GL paper”. The area decides which subjects are tested, how many papers there are, how long they last and how the scores are used. The question types, though, are consistent from one area to the next, which is what makes practice worthwhile.

The four subjects

English

A comprehension passage with questions about what it says, what it implies and what particular words mean, plus separate questions on spelling, punctuation and grammar. A common format shows a passage with a mistake on some lines, and the child picks the part that is wrong.

Maths

Key Stage 2 maths, up to about the end of Year 5 or early Year 6: number and place value, the four operations, fractions, decimals and percentages, ratio, simple algebra, shape, measures and data, often wrapped in word problems.

Verbal reasoning

GL's verbal reasoning uses a familiar set of about 21 question types, such as finding a hidden word, moving a letter from one word to another, completing a letter series, cracking a code and finding the word that links two others. Each type has a method, so learning them one at a time pays off.

Non-verbal reasoning

Shape and pattern puzzles: series, matrices, odd one out, analogies, codes made of shapes, reflections, rotations and cube nets. Some areas test spatial reasoning, such as fitting shapes together, as well.

How areas combine the subjects

Every area makes its own choice. For example:

• Kent tests English, maths and reasoning, plus a writing exercise that is not marked but can be looked at if a decision is reviewed.
• Buckinghamshire combines the subjects into one standardised score, with a qualifying score of 121.
• Other areas test only verbal and non-verbal reasoning, or only English and maths.

Your area's admissions page or familiarisation booklet lists the subjects. Many areas send GL's free familiarisation booklet when you register.

Multiple choice and answer sheets

Most GL papers are multiple choice. In many areas children mark their answers on a separate answer sheet with a pencil, which a machine reads. That is a skill in itself:

• Keep the answer sheet in step with the question booklet. One skipped line shifts every answer after it.
• Make each mark clear, and rub out changes completely.
• Answer every question: there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so a sensible guess is better than a blank.

Some areas use the “standard” format instead, where children write their answers in the booklet. Check which one your area uses.

How to prepare for the GL test

• Learn the verbal and non-verbal question types one at a time, with explanations, before practising them against the clock.
• Keep maths arithmetic sharp: quick, accurate calculation saves time for the harder problems.
• Read widely and talk about new words. Vocabulary matters in the English and verbal reasoning papers.
• In the months before the test, do timed mock papers in your area's format, then go through every mistake.
• Practise with a separate answer sheet if your area uses one.

Other 11+ tests

• GL AssessmentMost of EnglandEnglish, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning on paper.
• Quest AssessmentsGrowing; Kent from 2028Paper multiple-choice tests; Kent, Slough and Dorset switch to it for 2028 entry.
• FSCEAbout ten schoolsMaths, English and, at some schools, the wider curriculum and creative writing.
• CSSEEssexWritten maths and English papers, including a writing task.
• SEAGNorthern IrelandThe transfer test: two papers of English and maths in November.
• ISEB Pre-TestIndependent schoolsAn adaptive on-screen test, sat once a year.
• CEMSome independent schoolsShort timed sections. No longer used by grammar schools.

Read the full 11+ guide for parents