How to prepare for the 11+: a parent's guide

What the 11+ is, and why there is no single version

The 11+ is the entrance test for grammar schools. In England, grammar schools select their pupils by academic ability and set a test to get in. Northern Ireland also has academic selection for entry to post-primary school. If there are no grammar schools within reach of your home, there is no 11+ to think about.

Who sets the test, what it covers and when it happens are decided locally. Two examples from 2026 show how different it can be:

• Kent: one test for the county's grammar schools. It has an English and maths paper, a reasoning paper with verbal and non-verbal sections, and a writing exercise that is not marked but may be used by a headteacher panel.
• Redbridge: a GL Assessment test in two papers, one for English and verbal reasoning and one for maths and non-verbal reasoning.
• Northern Ireland: post-primary schools that use academic selection belong to SEAG and use its Entrance Assessment, two papers based on English (or Irish) and maths from the Northern Ireland curriculum.

GL Assessment, one of the main providers, offers schools tests in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, spatial reasoning, English and maths, and says its English and maths tests cover what is taught up to the end of Year 5 (P6 in Northern Ireland). Other areas and schools make other choices. Before you buy a single practice book, check your local council's website and each school's admissions page.

The dates that matter

In England, registration for the test usually happens in the spring or summer of Year 5, and the test is usually taken in September of Year 6. In 2026, Kent registration ran from 1 June to 1 July with the test on 10 September, and Redbridge registration closed on 15 June with the test on 18 September. In Northern Ireland the SEAG papers are sat in November of the final primary year.

• Registering for the test is separate from applying for a school. In England you must still apply for a secondary place through your council by 31 October and name the grammar schools you want.
• Results usually arrive before that deadline. Kent and Redbridge both sent results in mid-October in 2026.
• Offers for secondary schools in England are sent on 1 March.
• Registration windows can be short (Kent's was one month), so put your area's dates in the calendar at the start of Year 5.

Year 4: build strong foundations

Year 4 is not 11+ preparation in the narrow sense, and it should not feel like it. It is about making sure the basics are secure, because the 11+ tests ordinary school content quickly and accurately. A child who knows times tables instantly has more time to think on the harder questions.

• Times tables to 12 x 12, recalled without counting.
• Mental addition and subtraction of two- and three-digit numbers.
• Reading for pleasure every day, with a mix of fiction and non-fiction.
• Talking about books at dinner: why did the character do that, what might happen next.
• Neat handwriting and full sentences with correct capital letters and full stops.

Year 5: practise the content, a little at a time

This is the main preparation year. Short, regular sessions of 20 to 30 minutes, three or four times a week, do more than long weekend marathons. Keep sessions untimed for now; the goal is understanding.

For maths, focus on:

• Mental arithmetic, including multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1,000.
• Fractions, decimals and percentages, and moving between them: 3/4 = 0.75 = 75%.
• Multi-step word problems. For example: "A pack of 6 pencils costs £1.50. How much do 15 pencils cost?" (£3.75). Ask your child to say each step out loud.
• Ratio, area and perimeter, angles, reading tables and charts, and simple algebra such as finding a missing number.

For English, focus on:

• Reading comprehension: answering in full sentences and finding the evidence in the text.
• Vocabulary: keep a notebook of new words from reading, with a meaning and a sentence of their own.
• Spelling, especially common patterns and tricky words.
• Punctuation and grammar: commas, apostrophes, speech marks and different sentence types.

If your area's test includes verbal or non-verbal reasoning, introduce those question types gently in the summer term so they are not a surprise. Use your test provider's free familiarisation materials first; Kent, for example, publishes a familiarisation paper.

Read widely: the single best preparation

Comprehension passages, vocabulary questions and writing tasks all reward children who read a lot. Wide reading means variety, not difficulty: adventure stories, older classics, poetry, newspapers written for children, and non-fiction about anything your child loves.

• Let your child choose some books freely, and suggest others that stretch them a little.
• Read aloud together, even with confident readers. You can model expression and pause on interesting words.
• Ask one good question per chapter rather than quizzing on every page.

Year 6 summer to September: timed papers, late not early

Timed practice papers are useful, but only once the content is secure. Starting them too early mostly measures what has not been taught yet, which knocks confidence. The summer before the test is usually the right time.

• Start with one paper a week, then two in the final month at most.
• Use papers in the format of your area's test, so the timing and question styles match.
• Mark together and spend more time on the mistakes than on the score.
• Practise skipping a hard question and coming back to it, so one question cannot swallow the time.
• Stop new work in the last few days. Rest and familiar routines matter more.

How to run a good practice session at home

Most 11+ preparation happens at the kitchen table, and how a session feels matters as much as what is covered. A short, friendly session your child is happy to repeat is worth more than a long one that ends in tears.

• Start with something your child can already do, to warm up.
• Work on one topic per session, such as fractions of amounts or apostrophes, not five.
• When your child is stuck, ask "what do you know already?" before explaining anything.
• Let them mark their own work against the answers, then talk through one mistake together.
• Finish on a success, and stop while they still have energy.

Keep it in proportion

The 11+ is a selective test, and it is supposed to stretch children. Kent's own guidance says many children will find the test difficult, so a hard practice paper is not a sign that something is wrong. How your child feels about learning will last much longer than the result of one test in September.

• Talk to your child's primary school about whether the 11+ is a good fit before registering.
• Protect weekends, clubs, sport and time with friends.
• Praise effort and good thinking, not marks.
• Never compare your child's scores with a sibling's or a friend's.
• Talk about the schools you would be happy with either way, so the result is not framed as pass or fail.
• Watch for signs of stress, such as trouble sleeping or stomach aches before practice, and ease off if you see them.

A note on practice tools

Use your provider's familiarisation materials and good-quality papers in the right format. Eurekami's Exam Prep includes 11+ practice for maths and English only. It does not cover verbal or non-verbal reasoning, so if your area tests those, you will need other materials for that part.