The 11+ by Region: How Grammar School Entry Really Works for 2027

The single most misleading thing about the 11+ is the name. It sounds like one national exam. It is in fact a patchwork of regional systems that differ on almost every point that matters: who writes the paper, what it tests, whether your child is entered automatically or only if you register, and when the deadlines fall. A family in Buckinghamshire can do nothing at all and still find their child sitting the test. A family in Kent who misses a deadline in early July may find the door closed for the year. And a good deal of the advice still circulating online — particularly anything built around "CEM-style" preparation — describes a landscape that no longer exists.

This guide sets out how grammar school entry works for September 2027 admission, region by region. Children applying for 2027 entry sit their tests in the autumn of 2026 — so if your child starts Year 6 in a fortnight, the exam is now weeks away, not months.

First, the big change: GL has won

For years the 11+ market was split between two providers, GL Assessment and CEM, and choosing practice materials meant first working out which one your area used. That fork in the road has gone. CEM no longer runs traditional 11+ exams, and the regions it once dominated — Buckinghamshire and Birmingham among them — have moved to GL Assessment, which now sets the papers for the large majority of grammar school entry in England. A minority of areas, most notably Essex's CSSE consortium and several individual London schools, write their own papers instead.

The practical consequence: if a prep book or a well-meaning forum post tells you to prioritise "unpredictable CEM formats", it is out of date. GL papers are comparatively consistent — distinct sections in English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal (spatial) reasoning, usually multiple choice, with answers marked on a separate sheet. Familiarity with that format is genuinely coachable, which is exactly why timed practice matters more than volume of practice.

Kent: the biggest system, with early deadlines

Kent runs the largest selective system in England, with more than thirty grammar schools — and its neighbour Medway operates a separate test with its own registration. The Kent Test is strictly opt-in: registration typically opens at the start of June and closes in early July, tests are sat in early-to-mid September of Year 6, and results arrive by email in mid-October, in time for the national secondary application deadline of 31 October. The GL-based test comprises two multiple-choice papers — one covering English and maths, one covering reasoning — plus a short writing task that is not scored on the day but can be considered if a borderline child goes to headteacher review. Children who narrowly miss the threshold have that review route, and a formal appeal beyond it. We cover the detail, including scoring and out-of-county arrangements, in our full Kent 11+ guide.

Buckinghamshire: the opt-out county

Bucks works the other way round. Children at Buckinghamshire primary schools sit the Secondary Transfer Test automatically unless their parents withdraw them; only out-of-county families need to register, typically over the late spring and early summer. The test moved from CEM to GL some years ago and now consists of two multiple-choice papers covering verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning, typically sat in mid-September, with a familiarisation session beforehand so no child meets the format cold. Qualification rests on a standardised score, with a selection review route for children who fall just short. Results typically arrive in October, before applications close.

Essex: the CSSE writes its own rules

The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex — covering the Chelmsford, Colchester, Southend and Westcliff grammar schools — is one of the few systems that does not use GL. The CSSE sets its own papers in English and maths, in a largely standard (not multiple-choice) format that includes an element of continuous writing, and you register directly with the consortium, typically by early July, rather than through the council. The exam is typically sat on a Saturday in late September, with results in late October. There is no pass mark: children are ranked by score, and the most oversubscribed schools — Chelmsford's in particular — effectively require marks near the top of the distribution. Our complete CSSE guide walks through the papers and the scoring in depth.

Birmingham: one GL test, several schools

The King Edward VI grammar schools in Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield share a single entrance test, now set by GL Assessment. One registration, made directly with the consortium and typically closing in early July, covers all the schools; the test is typically sat in early September, with results in October. Two features are worth knowing: the schools operate priority arrangements for pupil-premium children who reach a qualifying score, a deliberate access policy, and several use catchment areas alongside scores — so a strong mark alone does not settle where an offer comes from. Check each school's oversubscription criteria, not just the test date.

Lincolnshire: reasoning only, and a later window

Lincolnshire uses GL, but with a distinctive format: the test consists of verbal and non-verbal reasoning papers only, with no English or maths paper. It is opt-in, and registration typically stays open later than most — into early September — with tests sat shortly after the autumn term begins and results in mid-October. For families who discover the 11+ late, Lincolnshire is one of the few areas where the door may still be open in the final weeks.

Trafford: seven schools, no single system

Greater Manchester's selective borough has no council-wide test at all. Trafford's seven grammar schools run their own admissions, some in small clusters sharing a paper, and you register with each school individually — deadlines vary, typically falling across the summer term. Tests are spread across September and early October, so a child applying to two or three schools may sit two or three exams on different Saturdays. Formats are mostly GL-style multiple choice, but verify each school's arrangements on its own website before assuming anything transfers.

Sutton and the London boroughs: apply school by school

London selective admission is the most fragmented of all. Sutton's boys' grammar schools — Sutton Grammar, Wilson's and Wallington County — share a first-stage Selective Eligibility Test, with registration typically closing in August and the test sat in late September or early October, followed by second-stage papers set by the individual schools; Nonsuch and Wallington's girls' schools share a separate arrangement. Elsewhere, Bexley runs a borough-wide GL test with an opt-in registration that typically closes in early summer; Kingston's Tiffin schools run their own two-stage tests; and Barnet's Henrietta Barnett School and Queen Elizabeth's Boys each set their own papers. The rule in London: there is no single form and no single date. You register school by school, and an ambitious application list can mean three or four test days in one autumn.

The timetable at a glance

Where families slip up

The commonest mistake is not a missed test — it is a missed application. Registering for the 11+ enters your child for the exam; it does not apply for the school. You must still name your chosen schools on your local authority's Common Application Form by 31 October, whatever the test result. Most systems time their results to land just before that deadline precisely so you can apply with the score in hand — which is also why late test sittings, where they exist, are a poor substitute: the result may arrive after the form has closed, leaving you in appeal territory.

What to do now, in late August

If your child sits the test this autumn, the final weeks are for sharpening, not cramming: short timed sessions on the actual paper format, the official familiarisation materials for your area, and enough sleep to arrive fresh. A tutor at this stage earns their fee through exam technique — pacing, elimination on multiple choice, knowing when to move on — rather than new content. If you have missed registration, ring the admissions team anyway; a handful of areas, Lincolnshire among them, may still have the window open. And if your child is entering Year 5, resist the urge to buy a stack of papers now. This is the year for fundamentals — fluent arithmetic, wide reading, vocabulary — with test-format practice from spring onwards.

A note on realistic expectations

Grammar school entry is competitive everywhere, and brutally so at the super-selectives. Good preparation removes the avoidable ways to lose marks — unfamiliar formats, poor pacing, nerves — but no tutor can guarantee a place, and anyone who promises one should be shown the door. Prepare properly, hold your nerve in October, and build a Plan B you would genuinely be happy with. The children who thrive at secondary school are rarely defined by one Saturday morning in Year 6.