Your Guide to 11 Plus Exams in 2026

Grammar school admissions can feel oddly mysterious until you are in the thick of 11+ prep. One area does it one way, another does it differently, and an individual school may add its own twist.

This is a parent-friendly overview of how the 11 plus often works, what can vary and why the details matter.

What the 11 Plus Actually Is

‘11 plus’ and ‘11+’ are umbrella terms. Parents use them to describe selection tests for Year 7 entry.
Many state grammar schools use an 11+ style test. Many independent schools also test children around this age, though they can set their own criteria, and the process can vary widely from one school to the next.

Some fee-paying independent schools also use the word ‘Grammar’ in their name, and plenty of state grammar schools do not, so it can help to check a school’s status rather than relying on the title alone.

Where the 11 Plus Applies

The 11 plus is mainly associated with grammar school entry in England. Scotland and Wales do not use an 11+ style grammar school selection test (for state schools), and Northern Ireland has its own separate system. Independent schools across the UK can still run their own admissions tests, so it is worth separating ‘grammar school 11 plus’ from independent school entry testing.

When the 11 Plus Might Happen in 2026

In many areas, tests are sat in the autumn term of Year 6, usually in September, sometimes in early October.
Some schools may bring parts of the process forward. Reading School is one example where some testing is now expected to take place in July for certain applicants, with others sitting later.

This is why it can help to stop thinking about ‘the 11 plus date’ and start thinking about your shortlist’s timeline.

One Round or Two

Some schools use one round.
Some schools use two rounds, which can push the process later into the year. Tiffin is a good example of a second-stage model, with a later stage that can sit in November.
You might see claims online that schools have to tell parents everything early. In practice, you can still find yourself having to make decisions before you know the outcome.

Registering for the 11 Plus

You usually need to register your child directly with the school or the consortium before the test. Deadlines can be earlier than parents expect, so it can help to note them as soon as they are published.
Registration often involves a form, sometimes called a Supplementary Information Form (SIF). You may be asked for your child’s details, your address, your child’s current school, and your contact details.
If your target schools are in the same consortium, one registration may cover multiple schools. If they are not, you might need to register separately for each school.

Access Arrangements and Adjustments

If your child has recognised needs, it can be worth checking whether the school offers access arrangements and what evidence they require. The process and deadlines can vary, so it can help to look early rather than leaving it until the last minute.

Who Can Sit the 11 Plus

In many areas, any child can be entered for the test, although offers can still depend on admissions rules such as catchment and oversubscription criteria.

The CAF Problem That Parents Rarely Hear About

If you are applying for state schools, you will usually list preferences on your local authority form, often called the CAF.
Here is the part that can feel counterintuitive. You can end up listing a selective school on the CAF before you know whether your child has qualified, especially where there are later stages.
That can feel unsettling, but the equal-preference system is designed so you do not lose out by ranking schools honestly. If your first preference does not work out, your second preference will still be considered. It is not a perfect system, and it can still feel stressful, but it is not the same as ‘gambling’ with your CAF order.

When Results Might Be Shared

Many areas send results in October, often around the period leading up to the 31 October secondary application deadline. What you receive can vary. Some schools provide a score, while others may only confirm whether your child is ‘eligible’ rather than saying they have definitely secured a place. If a school has a second stage later in the year, such as Tiffin in November (this could change), you may still need to submit the CAF before the final outcome is known.

Eligible Does Not Always Mean a Place

Some schools use wording like ‘eligible’ or ‘qualified’. That can mean your child has met a score threshold, yet it does not always guarantee an offer, because offers can still depend on catchment, rankings and oversubscription rules.

Subjects That Might Be Tested

The mix can vary by area and by school. Many 11+ tests draw on one or more of the following.

• English
• Maths
• Verbal reasoning
• Non-verbal or spatial reasoning

Some schools will test creative writing at 11+, others will not.

Where creative writing does appear, it can be a longer task, and it may be marked very differently from multiple-choice papers.
Independent schools can also add extra elements, such as interviews, short written tasks, group activities, or school-specific papers.

How Far the Content Might Go

You may see some exam boards and schools stating that testing is based on Key Stage 2 content, sometimes framed as being up to the end of Year 5. Kent is one example where that wording appears, and Reading School has used similar language.
Even when the content is framed that way, a paper can still feel challenging. The difficulty is not always the topic.

Familiar Topics, Unfamiliar Questions

Even when a school describes the content as Key Stage 2-based, questions can still feel unfamiliar. Maths can sometimes rely on multi-step problem-solving, and English can rely on inference, so children are often tested on application as well as knowledge.

Why Some Papers Feel ‘Cryptic’

Parents often assume a hard paper must be full of advanced content. Sometimes it is not.
Sometimes it is the question style that is harder.
You can have familiar content, yet the wording is tighter, more inferential and less forgiving. Comprehension is a common place for this, because children are often expected to justify a reading judgement rather than lift a line that looks like the answer.

What Children Might Not Have Covered in State Schools

Non-verbal and spatial reasoning are typically not part of the national curriculum, so many children in state primaries might not have covered those question styles in lessons.
That does not mean a child is behind. It often means the format feels unfamiliar at first, and familiarity can matter more than people expect.

Paper-Based or Computer-Based

For most state grammar schools, tests are still paper-based, often with multiple-choice answer sheets.
Independent schools can be a mixture of paper-based and computer-based assessments, sometimes within the same admissions process.
In some areas, such as Shepway, schools have used a CEM-style test in recent years (this could change).

Multiple-Choice Answer Sheets

Many 11+ papers use a separate answer sheet. Children usually shade boxes rather than write answers in the booklet. That can feel unfamiliar at first, so a bit of practice on answer sheets can help with speed and accuracy.

How Long the Tests Might Be

Many 11+ style tests involve two or three papers. Individual papers often sit somewhere around 45–60 minutes, sometimes with short warm-up sections.
The whole process can add up to around two hours of testing time, sometimes with breaks, sometimes spread across sessions.

How Marking Might Work

For many state grammar schools, papers are often marked by machine when they are multiple choice.
Schools may start with a raw score, which is simply the number of questions answered correctly. After that, scores can be age standardised, which means your child’s result may be adjusted slightly to account for their age in months at the time of the test. You might see this described as a standardised age score.
Some schools might also weight certain sections more heavily than others. It is worth reviewing the admissions information, as two children with the same raw marks across papers may not necessarily receive the same final outcome.
If a school includes creative writing, that part is usually marked by people rather than a scanner, and the criteria can vary by school.

Check Catchment Before You Start Preparing

For many state grammar schools, catchment can matter as much as the score.
Some schools prioritise children who live in a defined area. Some accept out-of-area applicants, yet places can become very limited once catchment allocations are made.
That is why checking catchment early can be critical. If your address puts you well outside the realistic intake area, heavy 11 plus prep might not be the best use of your child’s time or your family’s energy.
There are exceptions, so it can still be worth checking the full admissions rules rather than relying on forum talk.

How the Papers Are Often Structured

Some schools use two papers, others use three. The subjects can be split in different ways, so it can help to check whether your child is sitting separate English and maths papers, or mixed papers that combine subjects.

Can Children Resit the 11 Plus

In many areas, children sit the 11+ only once for Year 7 entry. Some children may sit more than one test if they are applying to different schools that run separate exams. A few schools might allow testing again for later school years, although this varies, so it is worth checking the admissions information for each school.
Parents can also see references to ‘in-year’ entry tests, sometimes called ‘in-year 11 plus’. Places can occasionally come up in later school years, but the test used for in-year entry is often different from the main Year 7 admissions test, so it is worth checking what a school means before assuming it is the same exam.

A Realistic Approach to Preparation

Cramming tends to raise stress without building secure skills.
A steadier approach can look like this.

Reading little and often

• Vocabulary growth through real reading, not lists alone
• Short maths practice that focuses on reasoning, not speed for its own sake
• Timed work once your child feels comfortable with the question styles
• Regular review of mistakes, since that is often where the progress sits

Confidence can wobble for all sorts of reasons, including tiredness, an unfamiliar text type or a paper that is worded in a more demanding way.

Final Thought

Grammar school entry can offer brilliant opportunities, yet the process can be complicated and vary more than most parents expect.
If you do one thing, do this. Read the admissions information for your target schools, then build your plan around what those schools actually do, not what a general guide says they do.

11+ Reading Books

If comprehension and vocabulary are the sticking points, my 11+ Vocabulary Reading Books, The Cadwaladr Chronicles, and The Cadwaladr Quests can support skill-building in context. They include tricky 11 plus vocabulary, and a built-in, contextualised dictionary on every page so children can work out meanings as they read. The stories also include short in-text notes called Knowledge Nuggets, which flag inference moments and explain SPaG and literary devices as they appear.

If you would like help with 11+ creative writing, email me at info@slager.co.uk