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New to the 11+?

All parents and carers are welcome to come along to any of our free Parent/Carer Information Evenings. The online meetings aim to support you with learning more about the test, how the grammar school process works and trips and tricks on how you can help your child. They usually take place roughly every six weeks.

The 11+ test is an exam that some schools require children to take in order to gain admission to the school. Each county has its own version of the 11+ Test and uses different test publishers. As of 2023, Gloucestershire uses exams published by GL. You may see this referred to as “GL Style” or the “GL 11+ Test”. Although some publishers use similar content, it’s important to use practice papers and books that relate to GL exam in Gloucestershire.

 Children are tested in the following areas. Click to find out more about each area.

The exam includes two test papers containing a mixture of questions, one of verbal reasoning and comprehension and the other on non-verbal reasoning and maths. Each paper is approximately 50 minutes long and is divided into sections, each of which is timed. Instructions in the actual test will be given on an audio soundtrack. Some mock test providers don’t use a soundtrack so if you want the most realistic experience, check that the company uses one (we do!).

Questions are presented as multiple choice. Your child will have a question book and answers are written on a separate answer sheet. Answers are noted by clearly marking the corresponding box to the answer your child wants to give. The test papers are marked by a machine so if the answer isn’t clear, your child won’t get a mark for that question.

Most of the knowledge tested is taught in the national curriculum, however some aspects (such as non-verbal and verbal reasoning) may look different to what your child may have seen before.​

What is the 11+ Test
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