GL Assessment 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide: Areas, Subjects and Format

About the GL Assessment 11 Plus (11+) test

GL Assessment is an entrance test provider used by selective grammar schools across England. It has been setting school assessments for decades and is now part of the wider Renaissance Learning group. GL Assessment sets the 11+ for more grammar school areas in England than any other single provider, from Kent and Buckinghamshire to the West Midlands, Lincolnshire and Trafford.

GL Assessment works with each local authority, consortium or school to set its own version of the test, so there is no single national GL paper. Three things change from one GL area to the next, and all three matter when you plan your preparation:

• Whether the test includes both verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, one of the two, or neither
• Whether English and maths are set as standalone subject papers, or folded into combined papers alongside reasoning
• Whether there is any written or creative element alongside the multiple-choice papers

Being told your child’s area or school “uses GL” does not on its own tell you what they will sit. Always check the admissions page for your specific area or school before you buy anything.

Key information for 2027 entry to GL Assessment areas at 11 Plus (11+)

• Test provider: GL Assessment
• Largest GL areas for 2027 entry: the Kent Test, the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test, the West Midlands Grammar Schools Partnership (Birmingham, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Wolverhampton and Walsall), Trafford, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, the Slough Consortium and Redbridge
• GL papers also sit behind several schools’ own tests, including Kendrick School, Newstead Wood School, Bishop Wordsworth’s School, The Henrietta Barnett School (Round 1) and part of The Latymer School‘s test
• Reasoning: varies by area. Most GL areas test both verbal and non-verbal reasoning; a few test only one, and Queen Elizabeth’s School Barnet tests neither
• Format: mostly multiple choice, marked by computer from a separate answer sheet; the Kent Test adds a short written paper alongside its multiple-choice papers
• Exam dates: most GL tests are sat in September 2026, with results following in October 2026
• Free familiarisation material: GL Assessment publishes free downloadable familiarisation papers covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning
• Moving away from GL Assessment for 2028 entry: the seven Gloucestershire grammar schools move to FSCE, and the Dorset Consortium, the Slough Consortium and The Latymer School move to Quest Assessments. 2027 entry is unaffected at all three

Which areas and schools use GL Assessment?

These are the areas and schools currently using GL Assessment for 2027 entry. The subjects and paper structure differ between them, so treat each section as its own test rather than assuming they are all alike.

Kent: the Kent Test

The Kent Test is used by 32 grammar schools across the county, from Dartford and Gravesend to Folkestone and Tunbridge Wells. It is sat across two papers on the same day, covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with a short writing task also included. Registration typically runs through June 2026, with the test in September 2026 and results in October 2026. A handful of Kent schools also offer a Quest Assessments route alongside the Kent Test; our Quest 11 Plus guide covers those in full.

Buckinghamshire: the Secondary Transfer Test

The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) use the Secondary Transfer Test for entry to their nine grammar schools, including both Dr Challoner’s schools, Royal Grammar School High Wycombe and Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School. Two multiple-choice papers are sat on the same day, each around an hour: one combining English and verbal reasoning, the other combining maths and non-verbal reasoning. A qualifying score of 121 is needed. The practice test and the transfer test itself both fall in September 2026, with results following in October 2026.

West Midlands Grammar Schools Partnership

Nineteen grammar schools across Birmingham, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Wolverhampton and Walsall share the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test, including the King Edward VI schools, Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls. A child who sits the test in one part of the partnership can apply to any member school, wherever it is. Two multiple-choice papers are sat, each around 50 to 60 minutes, covering English comprehension, verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal or spatial reasoning. English and verbal reasoning combined carry 50% of the marks, with non-verbal reasoning and maths worth 25% each. Registration runs to late June 2026, with the test in mid-September 2026 and results in mid-October 2026.

Trafford

Seven Trafford grammar schools, including both Altrincham Grammar Schools, Sale Grammar School and St Ambrose College, share the Trafford 11+, set by GL Assessment. Two multiple-choice, computer-marked papers are sat: one covering maths, the other verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. There is no standalone English paper. Instead, the verbal reasoning paper includes a comprehension element, so English skills are still tested, just not as a separate subject.

Gloucestershire

The seven schools of the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools consortium, including Pate’s Grammar School, Denmark Road High School and Sir Thomas Rich’s School, currently sit the Gloucestershire 11+, set by GL Assessment. Two multiple-choice papers are used: a Verbal Skills paper combining comprehension, vocabulary and verbal reasoning, and a Mathematical and Non-Verbal Skills paper. As with Trafford, there is no standalone English paper. The seven schools have already announced a move to FSCE from 2028 entry, alongside a change in when the test is sat, but this does not affect 2027 entry, which stays with GL Assessment in its current format.

Lincolnshire

Five Lincolnshire grammar schools, including Boston Grammar School, Skegness Grammar School and Spalding Grammar School, use a GL Assessment-style test covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. The verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning papers are sat about a week apart rather than on the same day. Answers are recorded on a separate machine-marked answer sheet. A combined qualifying score of 220 is needed.

Slough Consortium

Herschel Grammar School, Langley Grammar School, St Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School and Upton Court Grammar School share the Slough Consortium 11+, currently set by GL Assessment. Two multiple-choice papers of around an hour each cover English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with a qualifying score of 111. The consortium has announced a move to Quest Assessments from 2028 entry, but 2027 entry stays with GL Assessment; see our Quest 11 Plus guide for what changes.

Dorset Consortium

Bournemouth School, Bournemouth School for Girls, Parkstone Grammar School and Poole Grammar School share the Dorset Consortium 11+, currently set by GL Assessment. Three multiple-choice papers are sat in one session: maths of 50 minutes, English of 45 minutes and verbal reasoning of 50 minutes, with answers marked on a pre-printed sheet. There is no non-verbal reasoning. The consortium has announced a move to Quest Assessments from 2028 entry, with the first Quest test sat in September 2027, but 2027 entry stays with GL Assessment; see our Quest 11 Plus guide for what changes.

Redbridge

Ilford County High School and Woodford County High School share the Redbridge 11+, two GL Assessment multiple-choice papers sat on the same day: one combining English and verbal reasoning, the other maths and non-verbal reasoning. The qualifying score is 104, with the test typically sat in mid-September 2026 and results following in October 2026.

Own tests that use GL Assessment papers

Several schools outside the area-wide consortiums run their own admissions test built on GL Assessment papers, and each has a different subject mix:

• Kendrick School (Berkshire) – two one-hour multiple-choice papers covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal and spatial reasoning, with all marking and standardisation carried out by GL Assessment
• Newstead Wood School (Bromley) – its own selection test built from two GL Assessment papers, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning with spatial elements. There is no separate English or maths paper
• Bishop Wordsworth’s School (Salisbury, Wiltshire) – GL Assessment papers in verbal skills, maths and non-verbal reasoning, shared with South Wilts Grammar School
• The Henrietta Barnett School (Barnet) – Round 1 is GL Assessment multiple-choice papers in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and English; Round 2, for those who reach it, is written English and maths set by the school
• Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet (“QE Boys”) – two GL Assessment multiple-choice papers, English and maths only, with no verbal or non-verbal reasoning
• The Latymer School (Edmonton) – a GL Assessment multiple-choice paper covering maths and verbal reasoning, alongside a separate English paper set by the school itself. The Latymer School has announced a move to Quest Assessments from 2028 entry, with 2027 entry staying with the current format

Exam format for the GL Assessment 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam

Because GL Assessment builds a different test for each area, the single most important thing to establish is which subjects your child’s test actually covers. This decides which practice material they need, and getting it wrong wastes preparation time.

Which GL Assessment areas include reasoning

• Verbal and non-verbal reasoning: Kent, Buckinghamshire, the West Midlands Grammar Schools Partnership, Trafford, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, the Slough Consortium, Redbridge, Kendrick School, Bishop Wordsworth’s School and The Henrietta Barnett School (Round 1)
• Verbal reasoning only, with no non-verbal reasoning: the Dorset Consortium, and The Latymer School’s GL Assessment paper
• Reasoning only, with no separate English or maths paper: Newstead Wood School
• Neither: Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet

Do not assume your child’s test looks like a neighbouring area’s just because both are described as “GL”. Confirm your own area or school’s subjects before buying any practice material.

Common threads

Across the GL Assessment tests covered in this guide:

• Papers are multiple choice, with answers recorded on a separate answer sheet and marked by computer
• Several areas combine subjects into two papers, such as English with verbal reasoning in one and maths with non-verbal reasoning in the other, rather than four standalone subject papers
• Papers typically run 45 to 60 minutes each
• Scores are standardised and age-weighted, so a summer-born child is not judged against the raw marks of older classmates in the same year group
• A short break is usually given between papers sat on the same day

Mathematics, English and reasoning

A rough guide to what each subject covers, where it appears in your child’s test:

• Maths – arithmetic, fractions, decimals and percentages, measurement, geometry, statistics and word problems, drawn from the Key Stage 2 curriculum
• English – reading comprehension, inference and vocabulary, sometimes combined with the verbal reasoning paper rather than set separately
• Verbal reasoning – pattern spotting, codes, analogies and logical deduction using words and letters
• Non-verbal reasoning – pattern spotting, sequences and problem-solving using shapes and pictures, sometimes including spatial reasoning

GL Assessment familiarisation materials

GL Assessment publishes free familiarisation material on its 11+ site, covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English, maths and combined subject papers, downloadable as PDFs for printing at home. GL Assessment also sells its own printed practice paper booklets directly. These are useful for showing your child the exact layout and instruction style they will meet on the day, alongside your wider practice.

Checking your own school’s test provider

Schools and areas change test provider more often than they used to, and there is rarely a big announcement when they do. Bexley and the four Wirral grammar schools have both moved from GL Assessment to Quest Assessments. Reading School, Crossley Heath School, North Halifax Grammar School, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School, Ermysted’s Grammar School and Skipton Girls’ High School have all moved from GL Assessment to FSCE. Gloucestershire and the Slough Consortium have both announced further moves away from GL Assessment from 2028 entry, and school websites are not always quick to update once a change is confirmed.

Always check the current test specification for your own area or school before you plan your preparation. Our FSCE guide and Quest 11 Plus guide cover the two providers that have picked up the largest number of former GL Assessment schools.

GL Assessment 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Make sure you are confident with the KS2 syllabus, as this is what the maths and English questions are based on. You will need to apply what you know to unfamiliar questions.
• Practise verbal and non-verbal reasoning even if you find them tricky at first. Almost nobody has met these question types at school, so a bit of practice makes a big difference!
• Read as much as possible in the run-up to the exam. This builds your vocabulary and helps with both English and verbal reasoning questions.
• Listen to and read all instructions carefully, and check the answer sheet before you begin each section.
• Make sure the number on your answer sheet matches the number of the question you are answering. It is easy to slip a line without noticing!
• Multiple choice does not mean easy. Read every option carefully, as some are designed to look right at first glance.
• Watch the clock and move on if you get stuck on a question. You can come back to it later if there is time left.
• Don’t leave any answers blank! It is always worth a guess if you are unsure, since there is nothing to lose.

How to prepare your child for the GL Assessment 11 Plus (11+) exam

Start with GL Assessment’s own free familiarisation papers, so your child sees the exact instruction style and answer sheet layout they will meet on the day. From there, the most useful preparation is regular timed practice, since almost every GL Assessment test is multiple choice against the clock.

Match the packs to the way your area splits the subjects. All these areas test the same four things: English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. What differs is how the papers are put together:

• Most areas share one shape, and it’s the shape our GL Style A practice tests replicate: Paper 1 is a verbal skills paper combining English comprehension and verbal reasoning, and Paper 2 is a non-verbal skills paper combining non-verbal reasoning and maths. Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Slough and Redbridge all follow it.
• Kent pairs the subjects the other way round: one booklet covers English and maths in separately timed sections, the other covers verbal and non-verbal reasoning. There’s also a 40 minute writing task. It isn’t marked as part of the score, but a local headteacher panel can use it at the headteacher assessment stage, so it’s still worth practising.
• Trafford and the West Midlands mix all four subjects into both papers, in timed sections. The difference between the two: the West Midlands test has a separate English section and a separate verbal reasoning section (together they carry 50 per cent of the marks), while Trafford folds English comprehension into the verbal reasoning section itself.

Two of these areas change provider for 2028 entry: Gloucestershire and Trafford both move to FSCE, with a curriculum-based test sat earlier. If your child is currently in Year 4, check your area’s admissions page before buying, because the test they sit may not be the one described here.

For GL Assessment 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs:

Areas and schools using GL Assessment

• Bishop Wordsworth’s
• Buckinghamshire
• Gloucestershire
• Henrietta Barnett
• Kent
• QE Boys
• Redbridge
• Slough Consortium
• The Latymer School
• West Midlands