GL Assessment 11 Plus: The Complete Guide for Parents (2026)

What is GL Assessment?

GL Assessment (formerly Granada Learning) is a UK educational assessment company that designs and administers the 11 plus entrance examinations used by the majority of grammar schools in England. The company has been producing standardised educational tests since the 1980s and is now the dominant provider in selective secondary admissions, supplying tests to local authority selection schemes across Kent, Buckinghamshire, Barnet, Trafford, Lincolnshire, Wirral, and many other regions.

GL Assessment papers are paper-based, not digital, and — crucially — they are not adaptive. Every child sitting the same test in the same region receives the same questions in the same order. This is an important distinction from some other assessments, because it means that the scoring must account for age differences through a process called standardisation (explained in detail in the scoring section below).

The tests are administered directly by schools or local authority consortia, typically in September or October of Year 6, though some regions have moved their testing dates to earlier in the academic year. GL Assessment does not sell its papers to the public; schools and local authorities license the tests, which is why there are no official past papers available for purchase. This makes preparation a matter of working with the question types and formats rather than memorising specific past questions.

It is worth noting that while GL Assessment sets and marks the papers, the admissions decisions themselves are made by the schools or local authorities, not by GL Assessment. GL Assessment provides the scores; the schools set the thresholds.

Which Subjects Does GL Assessment Test?

GL Assessment tests up to four subjects, though not every region tests all four. The subjects are English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning, and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Each is delivered as a separate, timed paper. The table below shows the standard structure:

| Subject | Questions | Time | Key Topics | |---|---|---|---| | English | ~50 | 50 minutes | Comprehension, spelling, punctuation, grammar, vocabulary | | Mathematics | ~50 | 50 minutes | KS2 curriculum, problem solving, number, geometry, data | | Verbal Reasoning | ~80 | 60 minutes | Word relationships, codes, analogies, letter patterns | | Non-Verbal Reasoning | ~80 | 60 minutes | Shape patterns, matrices, spatial rotation, series |

Not all regions test all four subjects. Some areas test only two or three of these papers. For example, some Buckinghamshire schools focus on English, Maths, and Verbal Reasoning; Kent tests English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, and NVR but at different weightings than other regions. Always check the specific requirements for your target school or local authority consortium, as the subject combination and weighting can vary significantly.

All GL Assessment papers use a multiple-choice format, where children select their answer from four or five options on a separate answer sheet. This is different from some independent school tests that require written answers. The multiple-choice format means that accurate, confident answer grid completion is itself a skill worth practising, as misaligning answers on the grid is a common and costly mistake.

Which Schools Use GL Assessment?

GL Assessment is used by grammar schools across a wide range of local authority areas in England. Below is a region-by-region breakdown of the major schools and consortia using GL Assessment papers.

**Kent** Kent operates the largest single grammar school selection scheme in England, with 36 grammar schools all testing through the Kent Test (GL Assessment). Notable schools include: Judd School (Tonbridge), Skinners' School (Tunbridge Wells), Tonbridge Grammar School, Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School (TWGGS), Maidstone Grammar School, Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (Rochester), Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School (Canterbury), Chatham Grammar School, and Cranbrook School.

**Buckinghamshire** Buckinghamshire operates a fully selective system — all state secondary schools are grammar schools. The consortium uses GL Assessment. Key schools include: Beaconsfield High School, Dr Challoner's Grammar School (Amersham), Aylesbury Grammar School, Royal Latin School (Buckingham), Wycombe High School, John Hampden Grammar School (High Wycombe), and Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School (Aylesbury).

**Barnet** Barnet's grammar schools use GL Assessment. These include: Queen Elizabeth's School for Boys (QE Boys, consistently among England's top state schools), Henrietta Barnett School, St Michael's Catholic Grammar School, and Latymer School (Edmonton, though some use modified formats).

**Trafford** Trafford operates a mixed selective system. GL Assessment schools include: Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Sale Grammar School, Stretford Grammar School, Urmston Grammar School, Loreto High School (Altrincham), and Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College.

**Lincolnshire** Lincolnshire uses GL Assessment for its grammar schools, including: Caistor Grammar School, King Edward VI Grammar School (Louth), Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School (Horncastle), Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School, and Lincoln Minster School.

**Wirral** The Wirral Grammar Schools that use GL Assessment include: Birkenhead School (selective entry), West Kirby Grammar School, Bebington High School (partially selective), and Calday Grange Grammar School.

**Other GL Assessment regions** include Bexley, Sutton, Kingston upon Thames, Redbridge, Slough, and Wiltshire (where some schools use GL). EdifyPod Nexus's school finder tool covers all of these regions, allowing parents to check exactly which test format applies to their target school.

How is GL Assessment Scored? Standardised Age Scores Explained

GL Assessment uses a scoring system called the Standardised Age Score (SAS), sometimes written as Standard Age Score. This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the 11 plus, so it is worth explaining clearly.

When a child answers questions on the GL Assessment paper, their raw score (the number of questions answered correctly) is first calculated. However, raw scores alone are not a fair basis for comparison, because children sitting the same test in the same sitting can be up to a year apart in age. A child born in September and one born in August of the same school year are nearly 12 months apart in development, yet they sit the same test.

To make the comparison fair, GL Assessment applies age standardisation. The raw score is adjusted based on the child's exact age at the time of sitting. A child who is younger and scores the same raw marks as an older child will receive a higher SAS, because the same performance is considered more impressive at a younger age. Conversely, an older child must achieve a higher raw score to reach the same SAS as their younger peers.

The SAS scale runs from 60 (the lowest possible score) to 142 (the highest). The scale is designed so that a score of 100 represents exactly average performance for a child of that age. Approximately 68% of all children score between 85 and 115 (one standard deviation either side of the mean). A score of 120 or above places a child roughly in the top 9% nationally, which is why many grammar schools set their thresholds around this mark.

It is also important to understand that the SAS from one paper (e.g. English) cannot simply be averaged with another (e.g. Maths) to produce a combined score, because different regions handle combination differently. Some regions add raw SAS scores; others combine weighted totals. Always check the specific admissions guidance for your target school.

What is the GL Assessment Pass Mark?

There is no single national GL Assessment pass mark. Each region and, in some cases, each individual school sets its own threshold based on the number of places available and the score distribution in that year's sitting. This means that the same child could pass in one area but not another, depending purely on how competitive that cohort is.

However, published data and historical admissions information give us useful benchmarks:

**Buckinghamshire**: The Bucks secondary transfer test uses GL Assessment and applies a qualifying score. Historically, children need a combined score (across English, Maths, and Verbal Reasoning) that equates to approximately 121+ on the SAS scale for each paper to qualify as a pass. The local authority publishes a combined score threshold rather than a per-paper mark.

**Trafford**: The Trafford consortium uses a combined score across all papers. The threshold has historically been around 334 combined (across multiple papers), though this varies by year and by individual school within the consortium.

**Lincolnshire**: The Lincolnshire selection test has historically required a combined score in the region of 220 or above across the papers sat, though individual schools set their own admissions criteria above the qualifying threshold.

**Kent**: The Kent Test uses a combination of scores. Historically the combined SAS score required is around 332, though individual schools set their own ranking and selection criteria above the qualifying pass threshold.

**London boroughs (Barnet, Sutton, etc.)**: In these areas, the pass mark is effectively determined by competition rather than a fixed threshold. The top-scoring children to fill available places are offered seats, making the effective pass mark fluctuate year by year.

The key takeaway for parents is that a score of 121+ SAS on each paper is a generally strong benchmark to target, but you must check the specific criteria for your target school and local authority every admissions cycle, as these can change.

How Does GL Assessment Differ from CEM?

CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, run by Durham University) is the other major 11 plus provider in England, used in areas including Birmingham, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, and parts of Wiltshire. The differences between GL Assessment and CEM are significant enough that preparation for one does not fully prepare a child for the other.

| Feature | GL Assessment | CEM | |---|---|---| | Provider | GL Assessment Ltd | Durham University / CEM | | Format | Separate papers per subject | Subjects interleaved in same paper | | Predictability | Consistent question types year to year | Format deliberately changes each year | | Adaptivity | Not adaptive (same for all) | Not adaptive, but format varies | | Answer format | Multiple choice on separate grid | Multiple choice, some written | | Past papers | Not officially available | Not officially released | | Best preparation | Question-type drilling, timed practice | Wide reading, genuine comprehension, maths fluency | | Scoring | Standardised Age Score (SAS) | Standardised scores | | Coaching advantage | Moderate (question types are learnable) | Lower (format variation limits drilling) |

The most important practical difference is the interleaving of subjects in CEM. In a GL Assessment sitting, a child knows they are sitting the Maths paper, then the English paper. In CEM, a single booklet might move from a comprehension passage to a maths problem to a verbal reasoning question and back again. This is deliberate: Durham University designed CEM to reduce the advantage that intensive coaching gives to wealthier children, by making the format less predictable.

For parents whose child is sitting GL Assessment, this comparison matters because it confirms that targeted, structured practice on each GL question type is both appropriate and effective.

What Does GL Assessment English Include?

The GL Assessment English paper tests three broad skill areas: comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG), and vocabulary. The paper typically contains around 50 questions to be completed in 50 minutes, leaving children roughly one minute per question.

**Comprehension**: Children read one or more passages of text and answer questions about them. These passages may be fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Questions test literal retrieval (finding information stated in the text), inference (working out what is implied), language analysis (why a writer used a particular word), and structural awareness (how a text is organised). Strong readers who read widely for pleasure have a significant advantage in this section.

**Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)**: Questions test knowledge of grammar rules (subject-verb agreement, tense, sentence structure), correct punctuation (commas, apostrophes, speech marks), and accurate spelling. These questions often present a sentence with an error that the child must identify and correct, or ask the child to select the grammatically correct option from several choices.

**Vocabulary**: Children may be asked to identify synonyms, antonyms, or the correct word to complete a sentence. Some questions test understanding of word roots, prefixes, and suffixes. A wide reading habit is the single most effective way to build the vocabulary knowledge tested here.

Preparation for the English paper should prioritise reading a wide range of texts (novels, newspapers, non-fiction books, poetry), active vocabulary building through reading logs or word-of-the-day habits, and regular SPaG practice using Year 5 and Year 6 grammar frameworks. EdifyPod Nexus includes targeted English comprehension and SPaG practice aligned specifically to the GL Assessment question types.

What Does GL Assessment Maths Include?

The GL Assessment Maths paper covers the Key Stage 2 mathematics curriculum, extended to the upper end of Year 6 and in some cases into early KS3 territory. The paper typically contains around 50 questions to be completed in 50 minutes. Calculators are not permitted.

The major topic areas tested include:

**Number and arithmetic**: Place value, rounding, ordering, factors, multiples, prime numbers, squares and cubes, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, and proportion. Mental calculation speed is important here, as many questions require quick arithmetic without a calculator.

**Algebra**: Simple algebraic expressions, substitution, basic equations, and number patterns. While this is technically beyond the standard KS2 curriculum, GL Assessment often includes introductory algebra questions.

**Geometry**: Properties of 2D and 3D shapes, angles (on a line, in a triangle, around a point), area and perimeter, volume, coordinates, reflection, rotation, and translation.

**Measures**: Units of measurement (length, mass, volume, time), conversion between units, reading scales, and interpreting measurements in context.

**Data and statistics**: Reading and interpreting tables, bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, frequency tables, and calculating mean, median, mode, and range.

**Problem solving**: Many questions are presented in word-problem format, requiring children to extract the relevant mathematical operation from a written scenario. This multi-step reasoning is where children often lose marks, even when their arithmetic is sound.

Effective Maths preparation combines fluency drilling (times tables, arithmetic facts) with problem-solving practice, specifically working through GL-style multi-step word problems under timed conditions.

What Does GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning Include?

Verbal Reasoning is often the most unfamiliar subject for parents, because it does not map directly onto the school curriculum. It tests a child's ability to identify patterns and relationships between words and letters, and to apply logic to language problems. GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning papers typically contain around 80 questions in 60 minutes.

There are more than 20 distinct question types used in GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning. The main types include:

- **Word analogies**: "Dog is to kennel as horse is to ___" - **Odd one out**: Identify which word does not belong in a group - **Word codes**: Letters are replaced by codes; find the code or decode the word - **Letter series**: Identify the next letter(s) in a pattern sequence - **Number series**: Identify the next number in a pattern (using letters representing numbers) - **Word connections**: Find a word that connects two pairs of words - **Closest meaning (synonyms)**: Select the word closest in meaning to a given word - **Opposite meaning (antonyms)**: Select the word most opposite in meaning - **Hidden words**: Find a word hidden across two adjacent words in a sentence - **Word completion**: Complete a word by adding the same letters to both halves - **Letter substitution**: Replace letters using a given code - **Compound words**: Find a word that can follow one word and precede another - **Sentence completion**: Select the word that best completes a sentence - **Reordering sentences**: Arrange scrambled words into a correct sentence - **Letter rearrangement**: Rearrange letters to form a new word - **Missing three-letter words**: Find a three-letter word that completes both a prefix and suffix - **Number logic**: Simple arithmetic operations described with word codes - **Position codes**: Work out the position of a letter based on coded clues - **Alphabet ordering**: Place words or letters in alphabetical order - **Letter moving**: Identify which letter moves from one word to make two new words

Because these question types are highly learnable through practice, Verbal Reasoning is often where structured preparation produces the most significant score improvements.

What Does GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning Include?

Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) tests a child's ability to identify patterns and relationships using shapes, symbols, and diagrams rather than words or numbers. It is designed to assess reasoning ability in a way that is not dependent on language or prior knowledge, making it in theory equally accessible to children regardless of their reading level. In practice, it is a highly learnable skill with consistent question types. GL Assessment NVR papers contain approximately 80 questions in 60 minutes.

The key question types in GL Assessment NVR include:

**Series**: A sequence of shapes is shown, and the child must identify what comes next in the pattern.

**Matrices**: A grid (usually 2x2 or 3x3) of shapes is shown, with one cell missing. The child must identify the pattern across rows and columns and select the missing shape.

**Analogies**: "Shape A is to Shape B as Shape C is to ___" — the child identifies how A has been transformed to produce B, then applies the same transformation to C.

**Odd one out**: Five shapes are shown; four share a common property (size, shading, number of sides, rotation). The child must identify the one that does not fit.

**Reflection and rotation**: A shape is shown alongside a mirror image or a rotated version; the child identifies the correct transformation.

**Folding and nets**: A flat net of a 3D shape is shown; the child identifies which 3D shape it would produce when folded.

**Codes**: Shapes are given letter codes based on their properties (size, shading, orientation); the child works out what code applies to a new shape.

NVR is a subject where visual-spatial reasoning can be specifically trained. Regular exposure to NVR question types improves pattern recognition speed, which matters enormously at one question per 45 seconds.

How to Prepare for GL Assessment: A Year-by-Year Timeline

Effective GL Assessment preparation is not a last-minute sprint. The children who perform best are those whose preparation is steady, consistent, and spread over time — not crammed into a single intensive year. Here is a practical timeline.

**Year 3 and Year 4: Build the foundations** At this stage, direct exam preparation is premature and counterproductive. Instead, focus on the underlying skills. Read every day: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, newspapers suitable for children. Make sure your child is secure in their times tables by the end of Year 4 — this is foundational for both the Maths paper and for the mental arithmetic needed in timed conditions. Explore puzzles, logic games, and visual pattern activities informally to build the kind of reasoning skills tested by VR and NVR. This phase is about breadth and curiosity, not drilling.

**Year 5: Introduce structured practice** Year 5 is when most families begin targeted preparation. Start by identifying which specific test your child will sit (which subjects, which region), then introduce one subject at a time rather than trying to cover everything simultaneously. Begin with Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, as these are the subjects least covered in school and therefore require the most building from scratch. Introduce timed practice gradually — first focus on accuracy with unlimited time, then introduce time pressure once question types are familiar. By the end of Year 5, your child should be completing timed practice papers in at least two subjects.

**Year 6 (Summer Term before the test): Full preparation** From April to August of Year 6, move to full timed papers under exam-like conditions. Aim for two to three practice sessions per week, not daily drilling, to avoid burnout. Review every incorrect answer carefully — understanding why an answer was wrong is more valuable than completing more questions. Simulate the actual exam experience in the final weeks: same time of day as the real test, quiet room, no interruptions. In the final two weeks before the test, ease off the volume of practice and focus on confidence-building, reviewing question types your child finds most challenging, and ensuring they are well-rested and calm.

EdifyPod Nexus structures its practice content to match this timeline, with adaptive difficulty that adjusts to your child's performance so that the hardest questions are served at the right stage of preparation.

Common GL Assessment Mistakes to Avoid

Understanding what goes wrong for prepared children is as valuable as knowing what to do right. These are the most common mistakes families make in GL Assessment preparation.

**Starting too late**: Many families begin structured preparation in January of Year 6, leaving only eight months before a September test. While this is workable, it creates unnecessary pressure. Children who begin with foundational work in Year 4 and structured practice in Year 5 are calmer, more confident, and typically score higher.

**Ignoring the answer sheet**: GL Assessment papers require children to fill in a separate multiple-choice answer sheet, not write in the question booklet. Misaligning answers — filling in row 11 when answering question 12 — can cost multiple marks at once. Practise with real answer sheet formats from early on.

**Practising accuracy without time pressure**: Many children can answer GL Assessment questions correctly when given unlimited time. The challenge is doing so in 45-60 seconds per question. Introducing time pressure is uncomfortable but essential. Time every practice session from Year 5 onwards.

**Over-focusing on weaknesses to the neglect of strengths**: It is natural to focus remediation on weak subjects, but children also need to maintain and sharpen their strongest subjects. A child who lets their Maths slide while drilling VR may end up with a balanced but lower overall combined score.

**Treating every incorrect answer as a crisis**: Exam preparation should be normalised as a learning process, not a performance. Children who are anxious about making mistakes on practice papers become anxious in the real exam. Frame every wrong answer as useful data, not failure.

**Using outdated or off-format practice materials**: Not all 11 plus practice books are aligned to GL Assessment specifically. Some use question types from CEM, or from older versions of the GL format. Use materials that are explicitly labelled as GL Assessment aligned, and check that the number of questions and timing match the current format for your specific region.

How EdifyPod Nexus Helps with GL Assessment Preparation

EdifyPod Nexus is designed specifically around the demands of the 11 plus, with content aligned to GL Assessment question types across all four subjects. Rather than generic KS2 practice, Nexus focuses precisely on the skills that appear in GL Assessment papers: the specific VR question types (all 20+ of them), the NVR pattern categories, the comprehension and SPaG skills tested in English, and the problem-solving maths format used in GL papers.

The platform adapts to your child's performance. As your child completes practice questions, Nexus tracks where they are losing marks and adjusts the difficulty and frequency of those question types accordingly. A child who is strong in Maths but struggling with VR letter codes will receive more targeted VR practice, served at a level that is challenging but achievable.

Nexus also includes a school finder that covers every GL Assessment region mentioned in this guide — Kent, Buckinghamshire, Barnet, Trafford, Lincolnshire, Wirral, Bexley, Sutton, Kingston, and more — so you can confirm exactly which subjects and format apply to your target school and configure your child's preparation accordingly.

Parents receive progress reports that translate raw practice scores into meaningful insights: which question types your child has mastered, which need more work, and whether they are on track for the score range that their target school typically requires. Preparation should feel manageable and structured, not chaotic. Nexus is built to provide that structure.