GL vs CEM 11 Plus: how to choose the right preparation

If you are preparing for an 11 Plus exam in 2027, a book labelled GL or CEM is not enough to identify the test your child will take. First read the school’s admissions information for the relevant entry year. Older comparisons often describe historical paper formats and should not be used as a current map of schools and providers.

What should you compare?

Separate three things: the organisation supplying an assessment, the test selected by a school or consortium, and a commercial practice publisher’s label. A resource can practise useful skills without being an official past paper or a complete match for your school.

GL Assessment: variation matters

GL’s own parent information says that topic combinations, question numbers and timings can differ by area. Use its samples to understand styles, then follow the local specification. A generic instruction to prepare all four subjects may waste time when your school assesses a narrower combination.

CEM and Cambridge Select Insight

The current official entrance-assessment page uses the name Cambridge Select Insight. It describes computer-based assessment and distinguishes products with different reporting arrangements. Do not describe all CEM-related assessments as one paper-based test, an adaptive test or a single fixed scoring system. Ask the school which assessment and familiarisation apply.

A checklist before buying practice materials

• Does the school’s current admissions page name this provider or assessment?
• Does the resource practise the subjects actually assessed?
• Does the answer style match: selected answers, written responses or computer interaction?
• Does the published sample include a separate writing component?
• Are there later stages with different requirements?
• Is the resource described honestly as original practice, official familiarisation or an authorised past paper?

What if a school uses another test?

Do not force it into a GL-versus-CEM comparison. A school or consortium may use its own papers or a different provider. Use its current sample as the starting point and build a preparation checklist from that. Provider changes are particularly important when a page says “2027 entry”: that can refer to tests taken in 2026, not your child’s 2027 sitting.

Which is harder?

There is no reliable universal answer. Difficulty depends on the actual assessment and the child’s skills; the score needed for a place also depends on the school’s selection arrangements. Comparing two commercial workbook percentages does not establish which entrance test is harder.

Continue with the maintained provider guide

See our main provider comparison for the broader overview. This article focuses on choosing resources and avoiding misleading labels. Neither page is an official provider publication.

Primary sources

Reviewed 7 October 2026 against GL Assessment and Cambridge Select Insight. These sources support the provider descriptions, not a school-specific 2027 provider assignment. Always verify that assignment with the school.