11 plus parents guide

Welcome to our 11 plus exam guide for parents.

11 Plus Exam Guide for parents

Whats the 11 plus pass mark?

Where is my local grammar school?

So, when is the 11 plus results day?

 

So you have any 11+ issues or 11 plus queries ?

Ask ROB, our resident specialist 11+ expert , your questions by emailing passedpapers@gmail.com

Rob WilliamsAn Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Rob Williams is a Chartered Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working and designing tests. Rob has worked for all three of the main school entrance test publishers: GL Assessment; ISEB,

Hodder Education and CEM Select.

Recommended private School entrance test practice

CEM / ISEB 11+ entry past papers and MATHS 11+ and ENGLISH 11+ test prep

What is the 11 plus exam?

The 11+ examination is one of the most important moments in a student’s academic life studying, specifically in UK-based universities. There are many websites out there, such as 11plusHelp.co.uk, that are centred around assisting students with different explanations and queries related to 11 Plus CEM Exam.
It is said to provide a number of practice tests and mock papers that are time bound and will assist students in preparing for real-time exams. There are some flashcards that the students can review as well.

There are some long and short time-bound tests, and the papers are designed to be similar to the school entrance exams such as CSSE or the GL assessment that the independent schools prefer. Several papers are specifically intended to suit the needs of the grammar school entrance examinations.

Topics such as comprehension, verbal reasoning, numeracy, non-verbal reasoning, etc., can all be found on the website. Students can visit the website to enhance their skills beforehand, even if they are not sitting for the 11+ entrance examinations.

The GL assessment exam:

  • Requires rigorous practice and demands the availability of test papers so the child can prepare well and bring good marks.
  • Varies from region to region, and one can opt for different combinations of subjects for the entry-level 11+ exams.
  • Length of GL test papers also varies.
  • Most common GL exam boards are Kent, Lincolnshire, Wiltshire, Northern Ireland, Plymouth, Buckinghamshire, Kent, etc. Some schools in this area use the GL format.

What is the GL Transfer exam?

The key GL transfer exam features are:

  • A number of multiple-choice questions.
  • Different timings for each section.
  • Once a question has elapsed, the children will not get another opportunity to revisit another section.
  • GL Transfer exam answers are marked on a separate answer sheet.

Who are GL?

  • Granada Learning have a reputation for high quality and rigorous checking.
  • GL use computer-based technology to check the paper to ensure accuracy and save time.
  • The marking criteria are alphanumeric, such as A, B1, B2, etc.

What is in the GL exam?

There are different papers on the exam, as follows:

  • First paper is the 11+ English paper which includes spelling questions, punctuation, comprehension and grammar.
  • The verbal reasoning also comes with different timed sections and consists of 50% of the marks.
  • Second paper is the 11+ math paper, non-verbal reasoning paper, and spatial reasoning. This paper usually has timed sections and forms 50% of the marks.
  • The paper’s score is calculated by combining the English Standardized score and combining it with the math score.
  • So, if an applicant scores 120 in English and 100 in math, they will receive 220 as a total combined score, which is how they will be rated in the exam. The competition in these exams is quite tough, so everyone should aim to get as many marks as possible.

Who are the different 11+ Exam Boards?

The 11+ exam boards produce the 11 plus examinations for each 11 plus region across the UK.

There is also much information about the exam boards and region-specific questions. The exam format does not stay the same and changes every year. There may be multiple-choice questions and the standard open-answer pattern in the current year. The CEM usually considers different sections, a combination of different subjects and comes with a time constraint.

The 11+ exam preparation requires a lot of practice, and there are plenty available on the official website alongside the past independent papers that will give an idea about the question patterns that have been followed.

What are the 11 plus topics?

  • Different subjects are covered, including non-verbal reasoning alongside mathematics for the 11+ level.
  • 11 plus students will get questions about verbal reasoning and complicated English questions, including grammar, sentence construction, paragraph, etc.

what is the CEM 11 plus?

The CEM 11 plus tests are:

  • Assessing verbal ability skills. Hence a child needs to have strong skills in English, reading, vocabulary, etc.
  • The CEM papers are usually mixed and have multiple exam combinations containing verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning questions.
  • CEM exam can follow a standard format, multiple choice, or a mix of both. The pattern usually depends on the school and the region from which the child appears.
  • The paper also contains short mathematics questions with a longer problem-solving timeline and logical puzzles.
  • Timings are allocated to each section, and the children will need to carefully manage the time they will be spending on each section as the time is limited in the exams. The exams that are being offered are usually tutor-proof, and they do not publish any kind of CEM papers that have not been designed to provide a fair exam routine. There is a reduced predictability of the 11+ content. The regions under the exam category are Devon, Berkshire, Wirral, Warwickshire, Walsall, Shropshire, Buckinghamshire, Birmingham, etc.

Non-verbal reasoning 11 plus question types

Many practice papers are specifically for non-verbal reasoning tests, verbal reasoning, GL assessments, etc. It will ensure that a student is well versed, and the chances of getting selected for their dream school also increase.

The 11+ online test website is extremely effective for someone who wants to upskill themselves for an exam. Some schools follow their style of examination, which comes with the basic principles of mathematics, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English, etc. The 11+ GL assessment, 11+ CSSE, and CEM test papers can all be found on the official website.

On the other hand, any student can easily avail 11 Plus Online Tests at their convenience and can be assessed immediately post giving the 11+ Test and results are displayed. Also, quick analysis and proper explanation to each question can be known

Tell me more about the CEM 11 plus

  • The CEM test usually consists of two papers, each further divided into different time sections. The paper focuses on a different skill or area of academic knowledge. The checking is done with the help of an audio CD further designed to segregate the test into different time sections.
  • It will also ensure proper invigilation for the applicants and pressure the students to take the tests seriously. The CEM papers consist of one exam that combines English and verbal reasoning and another paper that includes maths and non-verbal reasoning.
  • The 11+ CEM mock paper 4 is yet another distinct section of the 11+ examinations, consisting of the 11+ mock paper 4 and the virtual mock paper of two parts, papers 4A and 4B. The exam duration is 110 minutes, among which each of the papers is provided a time to completion of 55 minutes.

Who are CEM?

CEM is a research group based at the School for Education and the University of Durham, which takes these exams for 11+ classes on behalf of local schools and authorities. Products such as PIPS or the performance indicators in primary schools for taking an adaptive computer assessment are of diagnostic matter.

The question paper is further grouped into sections, for example, moving from short math to different non-verbal questions and worded problems. The exam format is either traditional or multiple-choice questions. There is a weightage provided for each subject that is not known before the exam, and due to the nature of the paper, that is usually mixed. The paper consists of short math questions and long-solving exercises followed by logic puzzles.

There are different questions allocated for each question, and the applicant will need to carefully manage the time that is spent on each of the questions. It is also identified that the CEM exam board is utilised in Bexley, Walshall, Warwickshire, Medway, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Birmingham, Wirral, Wolverhampton and Shropshire. It is important to develop a deep and rich vocabulary in children and encourage them to utilise more sophisticated words for describing any topic or subject matter.

11 plus reasoning test practice