Free practice test

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work licencesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

United Kingdom · Entrance test

GL 11 plus, CEM and the other test writers

The area runs the test, but a specialist company usually writes it. The GL 11 plus, from GL Assessment, is the test in Buckinghamshire, the West Midlands (including Birmingham and Warwickshire), Medway and Redbridge. Wirral uses Quest Assessments, and Northern Ireland's grammar schools have their own SEAG assessment. None of the seven English areas covered here names CEM for its 2026 test.

Free practice test

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Who writes the test in each area

AreaTest writer (2026 tests)
BuckinghamshireGL Assessment
Birmingham, Warwickshire and the West MidlandsGL Assessment (West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Tests)
MedwayGL Assessment, written for Medway Council
RedbridgeGL Assessment
WirralQuest Assessments
Essex (CSSE)Not named in the CSSE's 2027 entry guide
Northern IrelandSEAG Entrance Assessment

What is the GL 11 plus?

GL Assessment, now "a Renaissance company" according to its site, writes the tests in five of the areas covered here: Buckinghamshire, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Medway and Redbridge. But there isn't one GL test. Medway's papers are written specifically for Medway Council, and the formats differ: Buckinghamshire has two papers of about 45 minutes, the West Midlands two of about 60, and Medway three separate papers.

GL gives away about 10 hours of familiarisation PDFs and sells practice packs. It says your local test's timings and number of questions may differ from them.

Free GL papers and practice packs →

What is the CEM 11 plus?

CEM is now part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and its website carries that name. It lists its entrance testing as Cambridge Select Insight, and doesn't describe an 11+ grammar school test. If a school you're applying to mentions CEM, check that school's admissions page for which test it uses now.

Why it matters which test it is

The writer decides the question styles, the timing and whether there's a separate answer sheet. Buckinghamshire says its test is only for its own grammar schools and shouldn't be used as practice for other areas. Start with your own area's familiarisation papers.

Register for your area's test →
Sources: Buckinghamshire Council · King Edward VI Foundation · Warwickshire County Council and 9 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewPractice testWhere to learnStudy plannerPass markScoringOnline practiceFree papersResultsRegistrationMathsEnglishReasoning and vocabularyBuckinghamshireBirminghamWarwickshireEssexMedwayRedbridgeWirral