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United Kingdom · Entrance test

The 11 Plus

The 11+ is the test some children take in Year 6 to get into a grammar school. Here’s the thing most guides skip: there isn’t one 11+. Each area, or group of grammar schools, sets its own test, with its own dates, subjects and scores. This guide explains how it works, using Buckinghamshire and Northern Ireland as worked examples, and tells you where to find the rules for your area. There’s a free practice test for your child further down.

  • Year 6When most children sit the test (P7 in Northern Ireland)
  • 2Papers in Buckinghamshire and in Northern Ireland’s SEAG assessment
  • 121Qualifying score in Buckinghamshire, on a scale of 60 to 170
  • £0To sit Buckinghamshire’s test. SEAG in Northern Ireland charges £20
Start the free practice testHow it works

Updated October 2026 · Written from the Official familiarisation materials (Buckinghamshire Council, SEAG, GL Assessment)

Key facts

At a glance

Who sets it
Each area or group of grammar schools. There’s no national test
Subjects
A mix of verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English, depending on the area
When
Usually the autumn term of Year 6. Buckinghamshire tests in September, Northern Ireland (SEAG) in November
Pass mark
No single one. 121 in Buckinghamshire. SEAG has none: each school decides
Cost
Free in Buckinghamshire. SEAG charges £20, free with free school meals (as of October 2026)
Scores
Standardised for your child’s age, not raw marks

How it works

A different test in each area, usually taken in Year 6

  1. There’s no single national 11+. Each area, or group of grammar schools, decides its own test, dates and rules.
  2. Most children sit the test in the autumn term of Year 6, the year before they start secondary school.
  3. Buckinghamshire’s Secondary Transfer Test is set by GL Assessment. It has two papers of about 45 minutes each, or 60 minutes with the introduction and examples.
  4. One Buckinghamshire paper covers verbal skills: comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning. The other covers maths and non-verbal reasoning, including spatial reasoning. All questions are multiple choice, on a separate answer sheet.
  5. In Northern Ireland, the SEAG Entrance Assessment has two papers on two Saturdays in November. Each has 28 English (or Gaeilge) and 28 maths questions in 60 minutes, plus a short untimed practice section.
  6. Scores are standardised, which means they’re adjusted for your child’s age in years and months, so the youngest children in the year aren’t at a disadvantage.
  7. In Buckinghamshire, a score of 121 or more qualifies for grammar school. SEAG has no pass mark. Each school decides how it uses the results.

Topics

What’s on the test

01

Verbal reasoning

Puzzles with letters, words and number patterns. They test how well your child spots rules and works with language under time pressure.

Key points (4)
  • In letter codes, work out how far each letter moves in the alphabet, then apply the same move to every letter.
  • Turning letters into their alphabet positions (A = 1, B = 2 … Z = 26) makes letter series much easier.
  • For hidden words, read the sentence with the spaces taken out. The word usually spans the end of one word and the start of the next.
  • For analogies, make a short sentence linking the first pair, then test it on each option.
02

Vocabulary

Synonyms, opposites and word meanings. A wide vocabulary helps across verbal reasoning, comprehension and English.

Key points (4)
  • A synonym means the same or nearly the same, such as reluctant and unwilling.
  • An antonym means the opposite, such as generous and selfish.
  • Putting an unknown word into a simple sentence often shows which option fits.
  • Words can be linked without meaning the same thing. Grateful is linked to generous, but it isn’t its opposite.
03

Reading comprehension

Reading a short text carefully and answering questions about what it says and what it suggests.

Key points (4)
  • Every answer should be backed up by words in the passage, not by guesses.
  • Writers often show feelings through actions, like shaking hands for nerves, instead of naming them.
  • Read the question first, then go back to the part of the text it’s about.
  • Watch for options that are true but don’t answer the question that was asked.
04

Grammar, punctuation and spelling

The technical English covered in Years 5 and 6: word classes, apostrophes, commas and tricky spellings.

Key points (4)
  • An adverb tells you more about a verb, often how something happened. Many end in -ly.
  • It’s always means “it is” or “it has”. Its, with no apostrophe, shows belonging.
  • Necessary has one C and two Ss.
  • Saying a sentence the long way (it is, do not) shows whether an apostrophe is needed.
05

Number and calculation

Fast, accurate written and mental methods for the four operations with whole numbers.

Key points (4)
  • Always carry in column addition, and check each column’s carry before moving on.
  • Multiplying by 25 is the same as multiplying by 100 and dividing by 4.
  • Rounding to a friendly number and then adjusting (2,798 is 2,800 − 2) saves time.
  • A quick estimate catches answers that are 100 or 1,000 out.
06

Fractions, percentages and ratio

Finding fractions and percentages of amounts, and using simple ratios.

Key points (4)
  • To find a fraction of an amount, divide by the bottom number and multiply by the top.
  • 50% is a half, 25% is a quarter and 10% is a tenth.
  • A discount is taken away from the price. Don’t stop at the amount saved.
  • 0.75, 3/4 and 75% are the same amount.
07

Maths problem solving

Word problems that mix skills, including proportion, measures and time.

Key points (4)
  • In proportion problems, find how many times bigger the new amount is, then scale everything by that.
  • There are 60 minutes in an hour, so add hours and minutes separately.
  • Perimeter is the distance all the way round a shape. For a rectangle it’s 2 × (length + width).
  • Write down each step of a multi-step problem so you don’t lose track in the test.

Free practice test

Try 20 questions in the 11+ style

Here are 20 questions for your child to try: verbal reasoning, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar and maths, all at Year 6 level. They’re our own questions, written in the style of the multiple-choice 11+ papers, not taken from any real test. Real papers are longer and vary by area. There’s no non-verbal reasoning here, because those questions need pictures. The 11+ has no single pass mark, so we use 70% as a practice target: 14 right hits it. That’s a goal for practice, not a prediction of a real score. After each answer your child can ask the tutor to explain it another way, and anything they miss comes back at the end.

Question 1 of 20

In a code, CAT is written as DBU. Using the same code, how is DOG written?

Sample of the test: same format, 20 questions.

Test day

What your child needs on test day

  • Whatever your child’s test centre or school asks for in the invitation or pupil card
  • Your child’s SEAG Pupil Card, if they’re sitting the Northern Ireland assessment
  • A drink and a snack for before or after the test
  • Glasses, if your child wears them

Before you go

  1. Check which test your area or target schools use. The local council or the schools’ admissions pages will say.
  2. Register in time. Buckinghamshire registers children at its state-funded primary schools automatically, but everyone else must register.
  3. Download the free familiarisation papers for your area and let your child try them at home.
  4. Practise filling in a separate answer sheet, because many 11+ papers use one.
  5. Practise working to a time limit, a little at a time, so the real test doesn’t feel rushed.
  6. Find out when results arrive and the deadline for your secondary school application, which is usually 31 October in England.
Buckinghamshire Council: Secondary Transfer Test registrationEvery area registers children differently. In Buckinghamshire, registration opens on 1 May and closes at 3pm on 2 June. In Northern Ireland, register with SEAG at seagni.co.uk.

Study options

Where to study

Start with the free familiarisation papers for your area. They show the real question types and answer sheet, and they cost nothing. GL Assessment and SEAG both publish free material too. If you want more, we’ve compared the books, online practice and tutoring parents use, with prices checked in October 2026.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test familiarisation bookletOfficial · PDFMade for Buckinghamshire’s GL Assessment test. It shows the question types and how the answer sheet works. Children at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary and partner schools get a printed copy. Anyone else can download it.
FreeThe whole booklet, with sample questions and advice
Booklet (PDF) ↗Testing process ↗
SEAG Practice Papers 1 to 4Official · PDFFor Northern Ireland’s SEAG Entrance Assessment, in English and in Gaeilge. The parents’ guide was revised in September 2026. SEAG doesn’t sell or endorse any other practice papers.
FreeFour practice papers with answer sheets, plus a parents’ guide with answer keys
Practice materials ↗
GL Assessment free familiarisation materialsTest maker · PDFGL Assessment sets the 11+ in several areas, including Buckinghamshire. The free PDFs are for printing at home. Its paid practice packs have three papers each. Verbal reasoning packs cost £11.99, or £31.99 for all three. GL says your local test’s timings and question numbers may differ.
Free downloads. Verbal reasoning practice packs £11.99 eachAbout 10 hours of familiarisation papers in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and maths
Free materials ↗Practice papers ↗
Oak National AcademyWebsite · lessonsFree lessons that follow the national curriculum. They aren’t 11+ papers, but they’re a good way to fill gaps in the Year 5 and 6 English and maths that most tests build on.
FreeYear 6 English and maths lessons, among other subjects
Year 6 subjects ↗
Apps and websites
Bond 11+ (Oxford University Press)Books and online practiceA long-running 11+ series covering maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Bond Online gives unlimited auto-marked tests, timed mocks and progress reports for parents. It also sells assessment papers and books.
Bond Online: £65 a year or £7.50 a month, per childFree practice pages and interactive quizzes on the website
Website ↗Bond Online ↗
Atom LearningOnline learningAdaptive online practice for ages 7 to 11+. The £39.99 plan covers English, maths and science. Exam prep (£59.99) adds verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and Exam prep plus (£69.99) adds unlimited online and printable mock tests.
£39.99 to £69.99 a month, or 20% less paid yearlyA free trial
Pricing ↗
In person
Explore LearningTuition centres and onlineEntrance exam tuition in groups of up to 6 at its centres, or one-to-one online. It includes weekly 60-minute lessons and 3 full-length mock exams. Prices can vary by centre.
From £190 a month in centre. Online one-to-one from £180 a monthA free trial session
Entrance exam tuition ↗
Buckinghamshire practice testOfficial · in school or at a grammar schoolTwo multiple-choice papers of about 40 minutes each. They aren’t marked or sent home, but your child gets to try the real answer sheet in exam conditions. Children at Buckinghamshire state primaries normally sit it at school. Others are invited, usually to a grammar school, in September.
FreeA full practice sitting a couple of days before the real test
Testing process ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

Pass markWhat is the 11 Plus pass mark?ScoringHow 11 Plus scores are worked outOnline practice11 Plus online tests and practiceFree papersFree 11 Plus papers and familiarisation bookletsPractice test11 Plus practice testWhere to learnWhere to prepare for the 11 Plus

FAQ

Common questions

What is the 11 Plus exam?

It’s an entrance test for grammar schools, taken by some children in Year 6 (P7 in Northern Ireland). It isn’t compulsory and it isn’t one national exam. Each area or group of grammar schools chooses its own test. Buckinghamshire’s, for example, is set by GL Assessment, while Northern Ireland’s grammar schools use the SEAG Entrance Assessment.

What is in the 11 Plus exam?

It depends on where you live. Buckinghamshire tests verbal reasoning, comprehension and technical English in one paper, and maths and non-verbal reasoning in the other. Northern Ireland’s SEAG assessment tests only English (or Gaeilge) and maths: 28 questions of each per paper, across two papers. Check your local council or the grammar schools you like for your area’s mix.

What is the pass mark for the 11 Plus?

There isn’t one pass mark, because there isn’t one test. In Buckinghamshire, a standardised score of 121 or more qualifies a child for grammar school. Buckinghamshire Council expects about 37% of children to reach it. In Northern Ireland, SEAG gives each child a score and a band but sets no pass mark. Each grammar school publishes its own entry criteria.

How much does the 11 Plus cost?

In many areas it’s free to sit. Buckinghamshire’s test is free because the grammar schools pay for it. In Northern Ireland, SEAG charges a £20 non-refundable registration fee for 2026, and it’s free for children who get free school meals. The real cost for most families is optional extras: practice books, online practice or tutoring.

When do children take the 11 Plus?

Most sit it in the autumn term of Year 6. In 2026, Buckinghamshire’s test was on 10 September, with results on 9 October. Northern Ireland’s SEAG papers are on 14 and 21 November 2026, with results on 23 January 2027. Registration usually closes months earlier, so check your area’s dates in Year 5.

What happens if my child doesn’t pass the 11 Plus?

They go to a non-selective secondary school, and many children thrive there. In Buckinghamshire, you can also ask for a Selection Review if your child scored below 121, where headteachers look at your written case. You can appeal after National Offer Day too. Rules differ in other areas, so check with your council.

All 20 practice questions with answersA printable list of the practice test above

  1. In a code, CAT is written as DBU. Using the same code, how is DOG written?

    EPH Each letter in CAT moves one place forward in the alphabet: C becomes D, A becomes B and T becomes U. Do the same to DOG: D becomes E, O becomes P and G becomes H. That gives EPH.

  2. Which letter comes next in this series? B E H K ?

    N The series jumps forward three letters each time: B, then C D E, then F G H, then I J K. Three letters on from K are L, M, N, so the next letter is N.

  3. An animal is hidden across two words that sit next to each other in this sentence. Which animal is it? Please ask Ali one more time.

    lion Look at the end of “Ali” and the start of “one”. The letters L and I from Ali, followed by O and N from one, spell LION. None of the other animals can be found in a row of letters in the sentence.

  4. Bird is to nest as bee is to ?

    hive A nest is the home a bird lives in. The word that matches for a bee is the home a bee lives in, which is a hive.

  5. Which number comes next in this series? 2 5 11 23 ?

    47 Each number is doubled and then 1 is added: 2 × 2 + 1 = 5, 5 × 2 + 1 = 11, 11 × 2 + 1 = 23. So the next number is 23 × 2 + 1 = 47.

  6. Which word fits both meanings? A piece of wood used to hit the ball in cricket. A small flying animal that comes out at night.

    bat “Bat” has both meanings. A cricket player hits the ball with a bat, and a bat is also a small flying mammal that comes out at night.

  7. Which word is closest in meaning to “reluctant”?

    unwilling If you’re reluctant to do something, you don’t want to do it. “Unwilling” means the same thing.

  8. Which word is most nearly the opposite of “generous”?

    selfish A generous person happily gives and shares. A selfish person keeps things for themselves, so selfish is the opposite.

  9. Which word or phrase is closest in meaning to “ancient”?

    very old Ancient means belonging to a time long ago, so it means very old. The pyramids in Egypt are ancient: they were built thousands of years ago.

  10. Read the passage, then answer the question. Maya had practised the piano every evening for a month. On the morning of the concert her hands shook, but as soon as she played the first note, the nerves faded and the music took over. How did Maya feel on the morning of the concert, before she started to play?

    nervous The passage says her hands shook, and then it talks about “the nerves” fading. Both clues tell you she was nervous before she began.

  11. Read the passage again. Maya had practised the piano every evening for a month. On the morning of the concert her hands shook, but as soon as she played the first note, the nerves faded and the music took over. Which phrase shows that Maya’s worry went away?

    the nerves faded To fade means to slowly disappear. “The nerves faded” tells you her worry went away once she started playing.

  12. Which word is spelt correctly?

    necessary The correct spelling is “necessary”, with one C and a double S. It’s on the national curriculum word list for Years 5 and 6 in England.

  13. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

    It’s raining, so bring your coat. “It’s” is short for “it is”, so it needs an apostrophe where the letter i has been left out. The comma goes before “so”, where the sentence naturally pauses.

  14. Which word in this sentence is an adverb? The tiny kitten slept peacefully.

    peacefully An adverb tells you more about a verb, often how something was done. “Peacefully” tells you how the kitten slept, so it’s the adverb.

  15. What is 3,406 + 2,798?

    6,204 Add column by column from the right: 6 + 8 = 14 (write 4, carry 1), 0 + 9 + 1 = 10 (write 0, carry 1), 4 + 7 + 1 = 12 (write 2, carry 1), 3 + 2 + 1 = 6. The answer is 6,204.

  16. What is 48 × 25?

    1,200 25 is a quarter of 100. So 48 × 25 is the same as 48 × 100 ÷ 4, which is 4,800 ÷ 4 = 1,200.

  17. What is 3/5 of 45?

    27 First find 1/5 of 45 by dividing by 5: 45 ÷ 5 = 9. Then you want three fifths, so multiply by 3: 9 × 3 = 27.

  18. A jumper costs £40. In a sale, it has 25% off. What is the sale price?

    £30 25% is a quarter. A quarter of £40 is £10, so the jumper is £10 cheaper. £40 − £10 = £30.

  19. A recipe uses 2 eggs for every 150 g of flour. How many eggs are needed for 600 g of flour?

    8 600 g is 4 times as much flour as 150 g, because 150 × 4 = 600. So you need 4 times as many eggs: 2 × 4 = 8.

  20. A film starts at 17:45 and lasts 1 hour and 50 minutes. What time does it finish?

    19:35 Add the hour first: 17:45 + 1 hour = 18:45. Then add 50 minutes. 15 minutes takes you to 19:00, and the other 35 minutes take you to 19:35.

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