The 11+ Explained: A Complete Guide for Parents Starting From Zero

What is the 11+?

The 11+ (eleven plus) is an entrance exam used by grammar schools — selective state schools — to decide which children are offered a place in Year 7. Your child sits it at the very start of Year 6 (usually September), and results arrive in October, just before secondary school applications close.

Despite the name, most children are 10 years old when they sit it. There are only 163 grammar schools left in England, concentrated in areas like Kent, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Birmingham, Trafford and several London boroughs — so whether the 11+ is even relevant to your family depends largely on where you live.

What subjects does it test?

Most 11+ exams test up to four subjects:

• •English — reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary
• •Maths — the Key Stage 2 curriculum, often stretched slightly beyond what schools teach by September of Year 6
• •Verbal Reasoning (VR) — word puzzles, codes, logic and vocabulary problems that aren't taught at school
• •Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) — visual puzzles using shapes, sequences, rotations and patterns

How competitive is it, honestly?

Over 100,000 children sit the 11+ every year, competing for roughly 25,000 Year 7 grammar places — about one place for every four children who sit. In the most oversubscribed areas it can be tougher still.

Here's the part nobody says out loud: places overwhelmingly go to children whose families can afford private tutoring at £40–60 an hour. Children from low-income families win fewer than 3 in every 100 places (Sutton Trust) — not because they're less able, but because structured preparation has historically only been available to families who can pay for it. The single biggest factor you control is not your child's ability — it's whether they get consistent, well-structured preparation.

Does my child need to be a genius?

No. The 11+ is designed so that a well-prepared child of good ability can pass. What it punishes is unfamiliarity: children who have never seen a verbal reasoning code question or sat a timed paper will underperform their true ability on the day.

The children who succeed share three things: they started early enough (Year 4 or 5), they practised consistently (little and often beats weekend cramming), and they sat realistic timed mock exams before the real thing.

What does preparation actually involve?

A sensible preparation journey looks like this: build core maths and English skills (Years 3–5), introduce verbal and non-verbal reasoning question types (Year 4–5), practise under time pressure (Year 5), and sit full mock exams in the months before the real test (spring and summer of Year 5).

How you deliver that is the real family decision: a private tutor (£40–60/hour, quality varies enormously), a tuition centre (£150–210+/month), parent-led preparation with books (cheap but demanding on your time and knowledge), or an adaptive learning platform that plans and adjusts the journey automatically. Whichever route you choose, consistency matters more than intensity — 20 focused minutes most days beats a two-hour Saturday battle every time.