11+ guide · By BrightEleven editorial · Last reviewed 17 September 2026
11+ guides for parents
Free to read, no sign-up. Written for parents in plain English, each guide says what we know, what varies by area, and where to check.
The guides
- What is the 11+? A plain guide for 2026/27
What the 11+ is, who sits it and when in the 2026/27 school year, what a GL-style test covers, how results are reported, and how to find out what applies in your area.
- Which 11+ exam board does your school use?
GL, CSSE, FSCE or ISEB: how to find out which 11+ test your child will sit, what happened to CEM in 2023, and who BrightEleven is - and is not - built for.
- The shift from CEM to GL: what changed, and what it means for your child
CEM stopped setting paper 11+ tests in 2023 and most of its areas moved to GL-style tests. Why older GL-vs-CEM advice reads out of date, what a GL-style test looks like, and how to prepare for it.
- When to start 11+ preparation
There is no single right date. What counts as preparation in Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, the signs it is too early, and the things that matter more than the start date.
- Year 4 or Year 5: when should 11+ practice begin?
What Year 4 is for, what Year 5 is for, why the test's timing in Year 6 matters, and why a child who begins in Year 5 has enough time.
- How much 11+ practice is enough?
Little and often: why short, regular sessions do more than long ones, what a sensible week looks like, how to tell when it is too much, and how the run-up to the test changes things.
- Preparing for the 11+ without a tutor
What a tutor actually provides, how each part can be covered at home, when a tutor genuinely helps, and what a parent does and does not need to be.
- 11+ standardised scores, explained
What an 11+ standardised score is, how age standardisation works, why a good score depends on the area, and why BrightEleven shows a readiness band rather than predicting a number.
- A calm 11+ exam day
The week before, the night before, the morning, the room and the afternoon after: how to keep the 11+ exam day ordinary for a child of ten or eleven.
One page per subject
What each subject looks like in a GL-style paper, the topics our bank covers, and a free ten-question quiz on any of them.
- 11+ maths: what it covers and the topics to practise
What maths looks like in a GL-style 11+ paper, the sixteen maths topics BrightEleven covers, and ten free questions on any one of them with no sign-up.
- 11+ English: what it covers and the topics to practise
What English looks like in a GL-style 11+ paper, the twelve English topics BrightEleven covers, and ten free questions on any one of them with no sign-up.
- 11+ verbal reasoning: question types and the topics to practise
What verbal reasoning is in a GL-style 11+ paper, the thirteen question types BrightEleven covers, how it differs from non-verbal reasoning, and ten free questions on any topic.
- 11+ non-verbal reasoning: question types and the topics to practise
What non-verbal reasoning is in a GL-style 11+ paper, the ten question types BrightEleven covers, and ten free questions on any one of them with no sign-up.
Preparing in your area
One page per area, and every one of them carries the same thing: the questions to ask, and no answers we would have to keep current. We publish no provider, no format and no dates for any area.
- Preparing for the Kent Test
The questions to put to your own council and school about the Kent Test, where the answers live, and how our practice fits if it is a GL-style test.
- Preparing for the Buckinghamshire 11+
The questions to put to your own council and school about the Buckinghamshire 11+, where the answers live, and how our practice fits if it is a GL-style test.
- Preparing for the Lincolnshire 11+
The questions to put to your own council and school about the Lincolnshire 11+, where the answers live, and how our practice fits if it is a GL-style test.
- Preparing for the Medway 11+
The questions to put to your own council and school about the Medway 11+, where the answers live, and how our practice fits if it is a GL-style test.
- Preparing for the Barnet 11+
The questions to put to your own council and school about the Barnet 11+, where the answers live, and how our practice fits if it is a GL-style test.
- Preparing for the Enfield 11+
The questions to put to your own council and school about the Enfield 11+, where the answers live, and how our practice fits if it is a GL-style test.
Not sure which test your area sets? That is the one thing only your council's and your school's own admissions pages can tell you. What we can tell you is what BrightEleven covers, row by row, before you spend anything.
Free tools
The free quiz that goes with these guides is on the free tools page.