The Free 11+ Guide for Parents
Everything you need to understand the 11+ — written in plain English by the team behind the UK's first AI-powered adaptive 11+ platform. No jargon, no gatekeeping, no email wall.
The 11+ Explained: A Complete Guide for Parents Starting From Zero
What the 11+ actually is, who sits it, what's tested, and the honest truth about how competitive it really is — everything a parent needs before making any decisions.
Read the guideGL vs CEM: Which Exam Board Does Your Area Use — and Why It Matters
The two main 11+ exam boards test different things in different ways. Knowing which one your target school uses should shape everything about your child's preparation.
Read the guideWhen Should My Child Start Preparing? A Year-by-Year Honest Answer
Start too late and you're cramming; start too early and you risk burnout. Here's what preparation should actually look like in Years 3, 4, 5 and the final summer.
Read the guideHow Grammar School Admissions Actually Work: Pass Marks, Standardised Scores and Catchment
Passing the test doesn't always mean getting a place. Standardised scores, oversubscription rules and catchment areas explained in plain English.
Read the guide11+ English Explained: What's Tested and How to Build the Skills That Score
Comprehension carries the most marks and takes the longest to improve. What the English paper tests, and the daily habits that actually raise scores.
Read the guide11+ Maths Explained: The Topics, the Traps and the Time Pressure
11+ maths isn't harder than school maths — it's faster and sneakier. The full topic list, the classic traps, and how to build speed without sacrificing accuracy.
Read the guideVerbal Reasoning Explained: The Question Types Nobody Teaches at School
VR is the subject that shocks unprepared families — because schools don't teach it. The main question types, and why familiarity is worth more marks than intelligence.
Read the guideNon-Verbal Reasoning Explained: How to Get Good at the 'IQ Test' Paper
Shapes, rotations, matrices and codes — NVR looks like an intelligence test, but it rewards trained pattern-spotting. Here's the systematic way to improve.
Read the guide11+ Dates and Deadlines by Area: Registration Windows You Cannot Miss
Every grammar area runs its own timetable — and registration usually closes months before the test. The typical dates for the main 11+ regions, and the deadlines that catch families out.
Read the guideMock Exams: Why They're the Highest-Value Hours of the Whole Journey
Children don't underperform on exam day because they lack knowledge — they underperform because the conditions are alien. Mocks fix that, if you use them properly.
Read the guidePreparing Without a £40/Hour Tutor: A Realistic Family Plan
Thousands of children pass the 11+ every year without private tutoring. What tutors actually provide, and how families replicate every part of it affordably.
Read the guideExam Day: The Final Week, the Night Before, and the Morning Itself
By exam week the preparation is done — the remaining marks are protected by logistics, sleep and psychology. A calm, practical checklist for the last seven days.
Read the guideReading is a great start. A plan is better.
Our free AI evaluation assesses your child across all four 11+ subjects and builds their personalised preparation roadmap — the work of a specialist tutor, delivered by AI. No card needed.
Start the Free Evaluation