What exams do grammar schools use (GL, CEM, school’s own)?

Overview of Grammar School Entrance Exams

Grammar school entrance exams, primarily the 11+ test, determine entry to over 160 selective UK secondary schools with pass rates typically 20-30% for top grammars like Wilson's School and Tiffin School. Three main systems dominate: GL Assessment (used by many grammar schools), CEM Select (layered format), and school's own exams (independent schools). Understanding provider differences is crucial for targeted preparation.

GL Assessment tests Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, plus English and Maths. These multiple choice tests use optical mark recognition sheets. Parents often start with practice papers like Bond 11+ or CGP books to build familiarity.

CEM Select features adaptive sections that increase in difficulty, covering similar topics with a focus on speed and accuracy. School's own exams vary, sometimes including essays or interviews. Experts recommend mock exams to simulate real conditions and reduce exam anxiety.

Preparation involves a timeline from Year 4, using online practice, 11+ tutors, or courses. Focus on age-standardised scores where pass marks often sit around 110-121. Regional variations exist, like Kent Test or Trafford grammar setups.

Primary Exam Providers

The three dominant 11+ providers control most grammar school admissions: GL Assessment (multiple choice, many schools), CEM Select (layered difficulty, many schools), and consortia like CSSE/SET (traditional format). These exam boards shape secondary school admissions. Check your target school's website for exact exam dates and registration details.

GL dominates Midlands coverage, while CEM leads North West like Trafford. Use GL papers or CEM papers for practice, such as Exam Ninja or Letts 11+. Barnet mocks help for London 11+ prep.

For CSSE exams or SET exams, emphasise comprehension, vocabulary, and essay skills. Independent schools may use Hannon-Fowler with custom maths test or English test. Tailor your preparation courses to match these exam types.

GL Assessment (GLA)

GL Assessment papers are used by 60+ grammars including all Birmingham schools, featuring four core subjects with 100% multiple choice format scored via optical mark recognition. Standardised GL tests measure VR (21%), NVR (29%), Maths (25%), English (25%) across 100 questions total. Pass mark typically 70-75% raw score converts to 110+ stanine.

Available since the 1990s, GL dominates London/Sutton regions. Tests are fixed difficulty, allowing precise benchmarking against Bond/CGP practice papers. Parents often use these resources for 11+ preparation to match the standard format.

GL papers suit grammar school entrance exams with consistent question types. Families in Birmingham and Sutton rely on them for secondary school admissions. Practice with mock exams builds familiarity with the structure.

Experts recommend starting GL practice papers early in Year 5. This approach helps with exam techniques and score thresholds. Regional variations like London 11+ centres highlight the need for targeted revision.

What GL Tests Cover

GL papers test four domains: Verbal Reasoning (synonyms, anagrams, 21%), Numerical Reasoning (sequences, mental arithmetic, 29%), Non-Verbal Reasoning (patterns, shapes, 25%), English (comprehension, SPaG, 25%). These cover key skills for 11+ exams.

Research suggests NVR highest fail rate for many pupils below 50th percentile. Focus on spatial reasoning with regular practice. CGP GL books cover 500+ questions per title.

Use this table for topic mastery in preparation. Combine with online practice for vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, grammar. Timed drills improve speed accuracy.

Format and Question Types

GL exams use 100% multiple choice with 4 options per question, completed on OMR sheets within strict 110-minute total time across four papers. Paper format includes A4 booklet plus separate answer sheet, no working out shown.

1. 1Timing: 25-30min per section, no extra time.
2. 2Question progression: Easy to hard within sections.
3. 3Scoring: 1 mark per question, no negative marking.
4. 4Sample VR: Codebreaker: DEFG=1234, what is HIJK?

Common error is bubble sheet misalignment, causing score loss. Practice weekly with 80-question GL paper in 90min using Exam Ninja packs. Build exam strategy through intensive revision.

Parents note exam anxiety from timed tests. Recommend 11+ tutors for OMR technique. Online mocks simulate test centres and invigilators.

Schools Using GL

43 London grammars plus all Birmingham selective schools use GL, including Wilson's School (pass mark 118), Tiffin Girls (112), and Sutton Grammar (110). These state grammar schools favour the uniform GL format.

Wilson's received 1,200+ apps for 120 places in 2024. GL practice essential for these competitive admissions. Check exam dates and registration via school sites.

Trafford grammar and Sutton grammar follow similar score thresholds. Use Barnet mocks for London 11+. Preparation courses aid Year 6 pupils transitioning from SATs.

CEM Select (Durham University)

CEM Select, developed by Durham University, serves over 70 schools with layered tests featuring four untimed sections that increase difficulty mid-exam. Unlike fixed GL papers, CEM uses adaptive questioning where harder questions appear after correct answers. It tests four skills with equal weighting.

This format appears in the Kent Test, Trafford, and Northern Ireland GL format exams. Pass marks start at 100 or higher, but top grammar schools often require 115+. No prior 11 plus papers are released, so practice relies on specialised mocks.

Parents preparing for 11+ CEM should focus on layered difficulty in resources like Bond 11+ or Exam Ninja. These simulate the adaptive style, helping with verbal reasoning, maths test, and non-verbal reasoning. Building speed and accuracy suits the self-paced structure.

Regional variations mean checking specific grammar school exams for score thresholds. Experts recommend starting prep early with online practice to master question types like comprehension and spatial reasoning.

CEM Test Structure

CEM consists of four sections, Maths, Verbal, Non-Verbal, and Comprehension, in one 60-minute paper with layered difficulty and no separate timing per section. The single composite paper has 120 questions total. Students work self-paced across all areas.

Sections include Maths/QR (30 questions), Verbal (30), NVR/Spatial (30), and Comprehension (30). Layering starts with questions 1-20 easy, 21-40 medium, then 41+ hard. This rewards quick correct answers with tougher challenges.

Scoring uses age-standardised scores with a mean of 100. For the Kent Test 2024, thousands took the exam, with passes based on local thresholds. Practice with RGS Worcester CEM mocks simulates these layers effectively.

Prep tips include timing drills for the 60-minute total. Focus on multiple choice tests and quantitative reasoning. Resources like CGP books build skills in vocabulary and spatial reasoning for the untimed flow.

Differences from GL

CEM's layered adaptive format contrasts GL's fixed difficulty, with CEM untimed per section versus GL's strict 25-30 minute limits and broader question variety. This makes CEM less stressful for some pupils. GL uses separate papers, while CEM combines everything.

Hybrid prep works well, such as 60% CEM mocks plus 40% GL variety, as Exam Ninja recommends. This covers 11+ resources for both exam providers. Practice GL vs CEM differences to adapt strategies.

For grammar admissions, CEM's focus on comprehension means extra work on reading. GL emphasises English test variety like spelling and punctuation. Tailor 11 plus tutors to these exam types.

Schools Using CEM

CEM dominates the Kent Test (22k annually), Trafford Grammars, and schools like Pate's Grammar (Cheltenham, pass 110) and Colchester Royal (108). Kent has 30 grammars, including Dartford Grammar (112) and Tunbridge Wells Girls (110). Trafford offers 5 grammars like Altrincham GS (115).

Gloucestershire schools include Pate's (110) and RGS Worcester (112). Essex has Colchester Royal (108). These use CEM papers for secondary school admissions, with local score thresholds varying by applicant numbers.

Trafford 2024 saw high competition for places. Prep focuses on layered mocks from Bond 11+. Combine with online mocks for verbal reasoning and maths test practice.

Check exam dates and registration for each selective school. Resources like Letts 11+ help with question types in these consortia exams. Build exam techniques for paper-based tests and answer sheets.

School's Own Entrance Exams

Independent schools like Latymer Upper and Wilson's create bespoke 11+ exams, often mixing GL Assessment and CEM Select elements with interviews and creative writing. These school's own exams test core skills in English, maths, and reasoning, plus school-specific challenges. They appear in about 30% of selective independents and some grammars transitioning formats.

No standardised scoring means pass marks vary, often targeting the top performers. Common in London areas, schools like Latymer and JAGS use these for secondary school admissions. Parents must check school websites for exact exam dates and registration details.

Prep involves downloading practice papers and past papers from the school site. Combine with CGP 11+ books for broad coverage of verbal reasoning (VR), numerical reasoning (NR), and non-verbal reasoning (NVR). Focus on exam techniques like time management for timed tests.

These exams differ from GL papers or CEM papers by including unique elements, such as creative tasks. Grammar schools using them, like those in Sutton or Trafford, may add interviews. Tailored prep beats generic 11 plus exam courses.

Common Formats and Examples

Typical school's own exams include a 50-minute English test with 25% comprehension, a 50-minute maths test on word problems, plus 20-minute reasoning, as seen at Latymer Upper. Formats vary by school, blending multiple choice tests with open-ended questions. Durations range from 90 minutes to 2.5 hours.

Prep strategy centres on sample papers from school sites plus CGP 11+ books covering all formats. Practice 11+ resources like Bond 11+ for comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation. Add mock exams to build speed and accuracy.

Schools like Colchester Royal or Tiffin School may include spatial reasoning or interviews. Focus on topic mastery in quantitative reasoning. Experts recommend online practice and 11 plus tutors for personalised exam strategy.

Comparing the Three Systems

GL offers predictable multiple choice questions with a typical 70% pass threshold, while CEM provides a layered challenge where the top 30% usually pass, and school's own exams vary widely requiring custom prep. GL Assessment uses standardised formats with abundant practice papers. In contrast, CEM Select features adaptive elements with limited materials.

School's own exams are bespoke and often interview-heavy, tailored to specific grammar schools like those in Birmingham or Kent. Scoring differs across systems: GL uses stanines targeting 110+, CEM employs standardised scores around 100+, and school's own have variable thresholds. Around 85k pupils test annually across these systems per DfE 2024 data.

Regional variations affect exam types, such as Kent Test using GL or Consortium exams in Sutton and Trafford. Parents face choices between GL papers, CEM papers, or unique formats from selective schools. Understanding these differences helps in targeting 11 plus exam preparation effectively for secondary school admissions.

Practice resources abound for GL format with multiple choice tests, while CEM format demands broader skills in verbal reasoning (VR), numerical reasoning (NR), and non-verbal reasoning (NVR). School's own may include maths tests, English comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and grammar unique to the institution.

Preparation Strategies

Optimal 12-month prep starts with months 1-6 on topic mastery using Bond books, shifts to months 7-9 with timed papers from Exam Ninja, and ends months 10-12 with weekly mocks at Barnet or ICE centres for £25 per session. This timeline suits Year 5 Easter starts and daily 1hr in Year 6. Tailor to GL, CEM, or school's own for grammar school entrance.

Here are six key strategies by system:

• GL: CGP GL Workbooks across four subjects plus 20 past papers for verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths, and English.
• CEM: Bond 11+ CEM books combined with RGS mocks to build speed in quantitative and spatial reasoning.
• School's own: School sample papers plus Letts 11+ for bespoke formats seen in places like Pate's Grammar or Colchester Royal.
• Timeline: Begin Year 5 Easter, ramp to daily 1hr in Year 6, focusing on exam techniques and speed accuracy.
• Tutoring: Opt for 1:1 sessions at £35/hr or online platforms like Atom Learning with 1,000+ questions for intensive revision.
• Mock schedule: One per month in Year 5, weekly from Year 6 October at test centres with invigilators mimicking real conditions.

Experts recommend blending practice papers, mock exams, and 11 plus tutors to reduce exam anxiety. Resources like CGP books, Bond 11+, and Exam Ninja support 11+ resources for GL vs CEM differences. Parental guides and forums help navigate registration, exam dates, and pass marks for state grammar schools.