You've taken the ReadyFor11 diagnostic. Your child's results are on screen. And now you're staring at a readiness band wondering what it actually means for their 11+ chances. "Approaching Range" sounds okay, doesn't it? Or does it mean they're not ready? And "Below Range" at Year 4, is that a red flag or just a starting point?
These are fair questions. Readiness bands are only useful if you understand what they're telling you and what to do about them. So here's a straight explanation of each one, what it means in practice, and the honest next steps for your child.
How the bands work
The ReadyFor11 diagnostic scores your child across maths topics aligned to the GL Assessment format. The overall percentage maps to one of four readiness bands: Below Range, Approaching Range, Within Range, and Above Range.
These bands aren't pass or fail labels. They're a snapshot of where your child sits right now against the standard expected for grammar school entry. A child scoring in the Approaching Range in Year 4 is in a very different position from a child scoring the same band three weeks before the exam. Context matters. The band tells you the distance. The calendar tells you whether there's time to close it.
Below Range: under 40%
This is the band that worries parents most, and it's the one that gets misunderstood. Below Range means your child scored under 40% on the diagnostic. That tells you there are significant gaps in the maths topics that GL Assessment exams test.
What it does not tell you is that your child can't pass the 11+. Especially not if they're in Year 4 or early Year 5.
Children scoring Below Range typically have gaps in foundational areas. Maybe they haven't covered certain topics at school yet. Maybe they've been taught fractions but haven't practised enough for fluency. Maybe they found the question format unfamiliar and ran out of time. These are all fixable things.
What matters is what you do next. A Below Range result in Year 4 with eighteen months until the exam is a useful piece of information. It tells you this child needs structured, consistent work across multiple topic areas. Not panic. Not a tutor five days a week. But a clear plan, started early, with regular practice.
If your child scores Below Range in the summer of Year 5 with the exam three months away, the conversation is different. You need to be honest about whether the gap can close in time, and whether pushing for it is the right thing for your child. Some families decide the grammar school route isn't the right fit, and that's a perfectly valid outcome. Better to make that call with data than to find out on results day.
Approaching Range: 40% to 59%
Approaching Range is the most common band for children taking the diagnostic in Year 4 or Year 5. It means your child has the foundations but needs focused work to reach the level grammar schools expect.
Children in this band usually have some topics well covered and others with clear gaps. The diagnostic breaks this down by topic area, so you can see exactly where the weaknesses sit. A child who scores 80% on number operations but 30% on fractions and decimals has a very specific problem to solve. A child who scores 45% across everything has a broader one.
The practical next step for Approaching Range is targeted preparation. Look at the topic breakdown. Identify the two or three weakest areas. Focus there first. If fractions and percentages are the issue, spend a few weeks building fluency with equivalent fractions, converting between forms, and practising percentage calculations. If geometry is the weak spot, work on shape properties, angles, and measurement conversions.
Most children in the Approaching Range in Year 5 can move into Within Range with six to nine months of regular practice. That doesn't mean an hour a day. It means twenty to thirty minutes, four or five times a week, focused on the right topics. Consistency beats intensity at this stage.
Within Range: 60% to 79%
Within Range means your child is performing at a level that's broadly in line with what grammar schools expect. They've got the core knowledge and can apply it to GL-style questions. There are probably still one or two areas where they drop marks, but the foundations are solid.
This is a good position to be in, especially if the exam is still six months or more away. But "within range" isn't "definitely going to pass." Grammar school entry is competitive, and the 11 plus benchmark varies by area. In super-selective schools in places like Sutton or parts of Kent, the threshold is higher than in areas where grammar places are more available. A child scoring 65% on the diagnostic might be well placed for some schools and still short for others.
The next step for Within Range is refinement, not rebuilding. Your child doesn't need to go back to basics. They need to sharpen the areas where they're losing marks, build speed on questions they can already do correctly, and get comfortable with the time pressure of exam conditions. Timed practice papers become useful here. So does working on multi-step problem-solving questions, which are where most Within Range children drop their marks.
If your child is in this band and you're wondering whether to get a tutor or sign up for a platform like Atom Learning, this is the point where that decision is most personal. Some children in Within Range will get there with practice papers at home. Others benefit from structured weekly sessions. It depends on your child's motivation, your own confidence helping them, and your budget.
Above Range: 80% and over
Above Range means your child scored 80% or higher and is performing comfortably above the expected standard. The maths content on the GL Assessment is well within their ability.
If this is your child, the main thing to avoid is over-preparing. There's a real temptation to keep drilling because the stakes feel high, but a child who's already scoring 85% on a diagnostic doesn't need twelve more months of intensive preparation. They need to stay sharp, keep practising at a moderate pace, and build familiarity with the exam format so nothing surprises them on the day.
The risk for Above Range children isn't the content. It's complacency or careless errors under time pressure. Work on exam technique: reading questions carefully, checking answers, managing time across the paper. A few timed mock tests in the months before the exam will do more good than hundreds of practice questions.
One thing worth mentioning for parents of Above Range children. Your child is strong in maths, but the 11+ also tests English, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning depending on your area. A high maths score is encouraging, but make sure the other subjects are on track too.
These bands are a starting point, not a verdict
The whole point of 11 plus readiness bands is to give you something actionable. Not a prediction. Not a guarantee. Just an honest read on where your child is so you can make smart decisions about what comes next.
If you haven't taken the diagnostic yet, it's free, it takes about thirty minutes, and it gives you this breakdown by topic area. No paywall, no sales pitch.
Take it at www.readyfor11.co.uk and see where your child stands. Then come back here and these explanations will make a lot more sense.
Frequently asked questions
My child scored Below Range. Should we give up on grammar school?
Not necessarily, especially if they're in Year 4 or early Year 5. Below Range means there are gaps to close, not that they can't be closed. The question is whether you have enough time and whether your child responds well to consistent practice. Take the topic breakdown seriously, make a plan, and reassess in a few months.
Is my child ready for grammar school if they score Within Range?
They're in a competitive position, but readiness depends on more than one diagnostic score. Within Range on maths is a strong indicator, but you also need to consider the other subjects tested in your area, your child's ability to perform under exam conditions, and how selective your target school is. It's a good sign, not a guarantee.
Can my child move up a band before the exam?
Yes. Children regularly move from Approaching Range to Within Range, or from Within Range to Above Range, with focused preparation over several months. The key is working on the specific topics where they're weakest rather than doing general practice across everything.
Should I retake the diagnostic after a few months of prep?
That's exactly what it's for. Take it now to get your baseline, focus on the weak areas, then retake it in two or three months to measure progress. If the band hasn't shifted, you know the current approach isn't working and it's time to adjust. If it has, you know to keep going.