- The subjects
- Maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. A few tests add a piece of writing or questions from the wider primary curriculum
- The syllabus
- There is no official 11+ syllabus. Maths and English draw on the Key Stage 2 curriculum; verbal and non-verbal reasoning are not taught at school
- The level
- Mostly what is taught by the end of Year 5, as the test is in September of Year 6, with harder questions than school tests
- Which subjects
- Each area or school chooses its own mix: see the table below
Is there an 11 plus syllabus?
No. Test providers do not publish a full syllabus. The maths and English papers are written around the national curriculum for Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6), which every state primary school in England teaches, so the topics will be familiar to your child. The verbal and non-verbal reasoning papers test thinking skills that are not part of any school subject.
What makes the 11+ harder than school work is less the topics than the questions: they combine several ideas, are worded to make children think, and have to be answered quickly. A child who is comfortable with the work in class still needs to practise the question types and the pace.
What level is expected?
- Content up to the end of Year 5, mostly. The test is in September of Year 6, so most Year 6 work has not been taught yet. FSCE says outright that it tests nothing beyond Year 5. In other tests, some questions, often the hardest, use Year 6 topics such as ratio, simple algebra or adding fractions with different denominators.
- Fast, secure basics. Times tables, mental arithmetic, spelling and a wide vocabulary are used in almost every paper. Children who have to stop and work out 7 × 8 lose time for the problems.
- Reasoning under time. Many papers give well under a minute a question. Speed comes from knowing the question types, not from rushing.
- Ahead of SATs. The Year 6 SATs in May come after the 11+, and the 11+ asks more of children than SATs do. Doing well in class is a good sign, but it is not the same as being ready for the test.
The four subjects
- MathsKey Stage 2 maths, in harder, multi-step problems.
- EnglishComprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, grammar and sometimes writing.
- Verbal reasoningWord, letter and number puzzles. Not taught in school.
- Non-verbal reasoningShape and pattern puzzles. Not taught in school.
Which subjects each test includes
Tests written for a whole area, such as GL and Quest, are set to whatever mix of subjects that area chooses. Look your school up in our list of grammar schools to find its test, then check its admissions page for this year's papers.
| Test | Maths | English | Verbal reasoning | Non-verbal reasoning | Also |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GL Assessment | Area chooses | Area chooses | Area chooses | Area chooses | Kent adds a writing task, kept in case a decision is reviewed |
| Quest | Area chooses | Area chooses | Area chooses | Area chooses | Check with the school |
| FSCE | Yes | Yes | No | No | Creative writing; at some schools, any primary subject up to Year 5. Changes every year |
| CSSE (Essex) | Yes, written answers | Yes | No | No | A piece of writing in the English paper |
| SEAG (Northern Ireland) | Yes | Yes | No | No | Irish-medium version available |
| ISEB Pre-Test | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Schools often add their own tests and an interview |
| CEM | Numerical reasoning | Comprehension and vocabulary | Within the English sections | Yes | Short sections, each with its own time limit |
Some grammar schools and many independent schools set their own papers instead, which often include a piece of writing. The school's admissions page is the only reliable guide to those.
What Key Stage 2 covers
Key Stage 2 is Years 3 to 6, ages 7 to 11. The national curriculum sets out what children learn in each year for maths, and in two-year bands (Years 3 and 4, then Years 5 and 6) for English, with spelling, grammar and punctuation listed year by year. The subject pages set out what is taught when, and how the 11+ uses it:
Children also learn science, history, geography, computing, art, music, design and technology, PE and a language at Key Stage 2. Most 11+ tests do not include these subjects, but a few FSCE schools ask questions from them: see the FSCE page.
A sensible order to prepare in
- Year 4: times tables to 12 × 12 (children sit a national times-tables check in June of Year 4), mental arithmetic, reading widely and talking about new words.
- Year 5, autumn and spring: find out which test and subjects your schools use. Fill any gaps in Year 3 to 5 maths and grammar, and learn the reasoning question types one at a time.
- Year 5, summer: mixed practice and the first timed papers. Look ahead at the Year 6 maths topics that tests sometimes use.
- Summer holiday before Year 6: timed mock papers in your test's format, going through every mistake.
Calm, everyday practice for the 11 plus
11++ has fresh questions with worked explanations, timed mock papers and over 330 revision notes for Years 4 to 6. £2.99 once, no subscription, no adverts.