Honest advice on the 11+ from a parent who's been through it. No fluff, no upsells.
What code questions look like on the 11+ verbal reasoning paper, why bright children lose marks on them, and how to practise letter and number codes at home.
Read more →What odd-one-out questions look like on the 11+, why bright children pick the obvious wrong answer, and how to practise the 'find the two that don't belong' format at home.
Read more →A straight guide to the Trafford 11+ for parents: the five grammar schools, the GL test format, the 334 qualifying score, key dates and why catchment still decides everything.
Read more →What SPaG questions look like on the 11+, the spot-the-error format used by GL and the super-selectives, and how to help your child practise at home without drilling.
Read more →What shuffled sentence questions look like on the 11+, why children rush them and lose marks, and a step-by-step technique to get them right at home.
Read more →What synonym and antonym questions look like on the 11+, why they trip children up, and how to practise them at home without drilling word lists into the ground.
Read more →You've bought the practice papers. Now what? How to mark an 11 plus paper properly, what the score actually tells you, and the mistakes parents make.
Read more →What 11+ cloze tests are, the three types your child will meet, and a practical technique for getting them right. Straight-talking UK parent advice.
Read more →What the free 11+ familiarisation booklet is, why it isn't the real test, and how to use it properly. Honest UK parent advice on GL, Kent and Bucks materials.
Read more →Your child wakes up with a temperature on test day. Now what? Here's exactly what happens if you miss the 11+ exam, region by region, and how to handle it calmly.
Read more →The 11 plus isn't sat at age 11. Here's exactly when children take the test, which school year it falls in, and why summer-born kids get a fairer deal than you'd think.
Read more →Twenty-eight applicants per place sounds terrifying. But headline 11+ ratios mislead more than they inform. Here's how to read the odds properly before you panic.
Read more →Almost no grammar school interviews for the 11 plus. Which boarding grammars are the exception, why independent schools are different, and how to prepare your child without coaching a robot.
Read more →A practical guide to applying to more than one grammar school: how many you can sit, juggling test dates across regions, shared exams, and ranking schools on the form.
Read more →Who is allowed to sit the 11 plus? A straight look at eligibility, including state and private school children, residency, EAL pupils and access arrangements for SEN.
Read more →A practical 11+ reading list for Year 4, 5 and 6, with books grouped by reading age and a straight explanation of why wide reading beats vocabulary drilling for the English and verbal reasoning papers.
Read more →What super selective grammar schools actually are, how they differ from ordinary selective grammars, and why there's no fixed pass mark to aim for. A straight guide for parents weighing up the odds.
Read more →How to train your child's mental arithmetic for the 11 plus exam. Number bonds, times tables, percentage shortcuts and the techniques that save vital seconds under pressure.
Read more →Whether your child can resit the 11 plus, when late testing is allowed, Year 7 entry routes, and what to do if exam day goes wrong.
Read more →When to register your child for the 11+ and why missing the deadline costs you a whole year. A plain guide to the registration windows in Kent, Bucks, Essex, Berkshire and beyond.
Read more →A realistic plan for the summer holidays before a September 11+ exam, from a parent who's done it. What's worth your time, what to skip, and how to keep your child sane.
Read more →What a standardised score actually means, how 11+ age weighting works, and why a younger child can score higher than an older one on the same raw marks.
Read more →How independent school entrance exams differ from the grammar school 11 plus. The ISEB Pre-Test, Common Entrance, timing, what's tested, and whether you can sit both.
Read more →How the 11+ works in Gloucestershire: the seven grammar schools across Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud, the GL test, qualifying scores, deadlines, and how to prepare your child.
Read more →How the 11+ works in Lincolnshire: the grammar school consortium, the verbal and non-verbal reasoning test, the qualifying score, deadlines, and how to prepare your child.
Read more →How the 11+ works in Warwickshire: the five grammar schools split between Rugby and Stratford, the test, deadlines, pass marks, and how to prepare your child.
Read more →A practical 11 plus revision timetable for Year 5. What a real week looks like with school, homework, sports and family life still in the picture.
Read more →How long the 11 plus actually takes, broken down by region. Kent, Bucks, Birmingham, Berkshire, Essex and what to expect on test day.
Read more →How 11 plus catchment areas actually work in Kent, Bucks, Berkshire, Essex and beyond. Why your postcode can override a pass mark, and how to check before you commit.
Read more →An honest look at whether your child should sit the 11 plus. Time, cost, pressure, and what to think about before you commit to prep.
Read more →How the 11 plus appeals process actually works. What evidence the panel rewards, how to write the appeal letter, and what to expect at the hearing.
Read more →Practical 11+ creative writing tips. What markers actually reward, how to plan a story in five minutes, and the mistakes that quietly lose marks.
Read more →A plain-English guide to the Surrey 11+ — the Sutton SET, the Tiffin tests, and how to apply to the super-selective schools parents call Surrey grammars.
Read more →Practical advice for UK parents whose child didn't get the 11+ pass mark. Appeals, alternatives, and how to talk to your child about it.
Read more →What happens if your child doesn't get a grammar school place on 1 March. How waiting lists are ordered, when movement happens, and what to do while you wait.
Read more →What to do the night before, the morning of, and after the 11+ exam. Honest advice from a Reading dad on calming your child without losing your own mind.
Read more →Comprehension is the section parents underestimate most. Here's how to help your child read smarter, answer faster, and stop losing easy marks.
Read more →Number sequence questions on the 11+ catch out a lot of capable children. Here's how to recognise the common patterns and stop guessing under time pressure.
Read more →Charts, averages, probability. Here's what data handling questions on the 11+ maths paper really involve, and where children most often drop marks.
Read more →Six weeks out from the 11+ and starting to panic? Here's what to focus on, what to drop, and what to leave well alone in the final stretch.
Read more →Most open days are sales events. Here's the question list that gets you real answers about whether the school is right for your child.
Read more →Most kids can do the arithmetic. Problem solving is where the 11 plus maths paper trips them up. Here are the strategies that genuinely move the needle.
Read more →Untimed practice misses what the 11 plus actually tests. How to introduce timed practice, when to start, and how to avoid making your child panic.
Read more →Multiple choice 11 plus papers reward technique as much as knowledge. Practical tips on guessing, timing, and reading the answer grid that most parents miss.
Read more →Are 11 plus tutors worth the money? Real costs, when they help, when they don't, and how to decide before you spend thousands on prep you may not need.
Read more →GL Assessment vs CEM 11 Plus: what changed, which exam your child sits in 2026, and why old CEM prep advice is now out of date.
Read more →What the 11+ pass mark really is, why it varies by area (Kent, Bucks, Birmingham, Essex, Berkshire), and how to read a standardised score.
Read more →What actually happens on 11+ results day in the UK, region by region. When results arrive, what the score really means, and what to do next.
Read more →An honest UK parent guide to 11+ mock tests: free papers, paid options, in-person mocks near you, and how many your child actually needs.
Read more →Practical ways to help an anxious 11+ child: spotting the signs, what to say, what not to say, and when to ease off the practice.
Read more →Which 11+ books actually work? An honest sort through CGP, Bond, Schofield & Sims, and the practice papers that match real GL Assessment exams.
Read more →A plain-English guide to the Berkshire 11+ — two separate selective systems in Reading and Slough, the tests, the deadlines, and how to prepare your child.
Read more →A plain-English guide to the Essex 11+ — the CSSE test format, key dates, how places are allocated, and how to prepare your child.
Read more →A plain-English guide to the Birmingham 11+ — the consortium test, the grammar schools that use it, super-selective cut-offs, and how to prepare your child.
Read more →A plain-English guide to the Buckinghamshire 11+ — the test format, the 121 pass mark, the review process, and how to prepare your child.
Read more →A plain-English guide to the Kent 11+ — the test format, key dates, the borderline review process, and how to prepare your child.
Read more →You don't need to spend £50 an hour to get your child ready for the 11 plus. Here's how UK parents can run effective preparation at home, from assessment to exam day.
Read more →What non-verbal reasoning actually tests, why it's on the 11+, and how to help your child practise effectively even if they've never seen these questions before.
Read more →What verbal reasoning actually tests, why it's on the 11+, and how to help your child get to grips with it — without a tutor.
Read more →Thinking about grammar school but not sure if it's right for your child? Here's an honest comparison of grammar schools and comprehensives — from a parent who's been through it.
Read more →Looking for free 11+ practice papers? Here's an honest guide to what's available online, what's actually useful, and how to use free resources without wasting your child's time.
Read more →Your child's 11+ results just arrived and you're staring at numbers that don't make sense. Here's how to read them properly — raw scores, standardised scores, stanines and what they mean for your child.
Read more →If your child's diagnostic shows Below Range or Approaching Range, what does that actually mean for their chances? An honest explanation with next steps.
Read more →Before spending £40-70/month on Atom Learning, find out exactly where your child stands with a free GL Assessment-aligned 11+ maths diagnostic.
Read more →A plain-English breakdown of every maths topic covered in GL Assessment 11+ exams — and how to find out which ones your child needs to work on.
Read more →Most advice on when to start 11+ prep is either too vague or too alarming. Here's an honest timeline based on where your child actually stands.
Read more →No jargon, no sales pitch. Here's what the 11+ exam is, who sits it, and what you actually need to know before your child takes it.
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