Do independent schools use the 11 Plus? Entry routes explained

Yes, some independent schools use entrance assessments described as the “11 Plus” for entry around age 11. They do not all use one examination, and a state grammar-school result is not a universal independent-school qualification. Check the process for each school and entry point before choosing preparation materials.

The main routes you may encounter

The term “11 Plus” describes an entry stage more readily than a single test specification. A school’s own process may use an external provider alongside interviews or other tasks. There is no reliable universal proportion of schools using each route that a parent needs to memorise.

ISEB Common Pre-Tests

The ISEB family guide describes four online adaptive multiple-choice assessments: English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Results can be shared with schools requiring them within the relevant testing session. A school may use them for Year 7 admission or as part of a process leading to later Year 9 entry.

The current guide covers the 2026–27 testing session. It also tells families to check the senior school’s own deadline, which may fall before the end of the overall testing window. Do not assume an autumn 2027 assessment uses that same session’s registration dates. Follow the new session guidance when published.

An adaptive test changes the selection of later questions in response to earlier answers. Use the official familiarisation interface to understand how the child interacts with it. It is not the same experience as working through a fixed printed practice paper.

Common Entrance is a different assessment

ISEB’s Common Entrance guide describes paper-based examinations at 11+ and 13+. At 11+, the subjects are English, mathematics and science. Common Entrance may form part of the conditions attached to a senior-school place; the receiving school determines its requirements.

Do not buy “ISEB” resources without checking the full assessment name. A CE science paper is not a fifth component of the Common Pre-Tests, and an online Pre-Test walkthrough does not show the layout of a CE written paper. Ask which test is required, which subjects apply and when the result is needed.

A shared independent-school assessment

The London 11+ Consortium is an example of independent schools sharing an assessment while retaining school-specific admissions steps. Its published current cycle is for entry in September 2027, with tests in late 2026. It uses a bespoke online Quest assessment, with both adaptive and non-adaptive components.

Candidates take the assessment once for participating schools to which they are registered, while references and interview arrangements remain part of the school process. This is a current example of how sharing can work, not a confirmed timetable for tests taken in autumn 2027. It is also distinct from state grammar-school consortia in London.

School-specific tests and other stages

For a school outside a shared route, read its own assessment description. It may ask for written English or maths, reasoning, an interview or other activities. Confirm whether these happen together, whether a later stage is by invitation and whether any part of the process is different for the entry point you want.

A school with “grammar” in its name is not necessarily a state grammar school. Verify its status and admissions route. Our grammar and independent-school comparison explains the broader distinction without assuming one sector’s application rules apply to the other.

Does passing a grammar-school test help?

It may show useful learning has taken place, but do not assume that an independent school accepts the result instead of its own assessment. Ask the school directly. The relevant question is not whether two tests both contain maths, but whether the school explicitly accepts that test for the child’s entry cohort.

There is also no universal independent-school pass score such as 120. Schools can consider different evidence and use different assessments. A practice score or one school’s threshold does not predict an offer from another.

Make a complete application record

Work from the earliest relevant deadline and keep submission confirmations. If a date or rule is not yet published for the 2027 assessment, mark it as awaiting confirmation. Do not simply shift last year’s dates by twelve months.

Prepare for the actual route

1. 1Ask the admissions team for the current test description and official sample or walkthrough.
2. 2Identify the subjects and response formats the child needs to practise.
3. 3Use short learning activities to address specific gaps before deciding whether a full rehearsal is useful.
4. 4For an interview or activity, help the child listen, explain their thinking and discuss genuine interests; follow the school’s preparation advice.
5. 5Review the plan when updated instructions arrive, keeping ordinary schoolwork, interests and rest in view.

A sample demonstrates some aspects of a format; it is not necessarily a past live exam or an exhaustive syllabus. Our free resources guide separates official familiarisation from publisher samples and paid trials. Use the response-format guide to distinguish written, multiple-choice and digital practice.