Kent County Council has appointed a new provider for the Kent Test from 2027. It is one of several changes to who writes the 11+ and what it looks like, so an older sibling's experience or a practice book from a few years ago can now point you in the wrong direction.

Below I go through the main 11+ tests in use for 2026 and 2027 entry, using the providers' and councils' own pages wherever they exist. Then I explain how to check which one your child will sit and which differences matter for their preparation.

What Happened to CEM?

For years there were two big names in the grammar school 11+: GL Assessment and CEM, which began at Durham University. CEM joined Cambridge University Press & Assessment in 2019, according to Cambridge's own history page, and it no longer supplies the paper 11+ that grammar schools used to buy. The areas that used CEM have moved to other providers or to their own papers.

Cambridge still sells entrance tests under the name Cambridge Insight. Its Cambridge Select Insight assessment is digital, lasts about 60 minutes on average, covers numerical, verbal and non-verbal ability and is used for entry into Years 7 to 10. Cambridge says it does not provide any commercial practice materials for it.

So if you see "CEM-style" practice books, check which test your school uses before you buy them.

The Main 11+ Tests in 2026

GL Assessment

GL Assessment, now part of Renaissance, writes 11+ tests for many grammar school areas. Its 11+ practice site covers four subjects: verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and maths. The papers are multiple choice. GL also says that "11+ tests vary from area to area", so the subjects and timings your child meets depend on what the local schools or council have chosen.

The Kent Test

According to Kent County Council, the Kent Test is two multiple-choice papers with a separate answer sheet, marked by computer:

  • an English and maths paper lasting 1 hour, with a comprehension exercise in the English section
  • a reasoning paper lasting about 1 hour, with verbal and non-verbal sections of roughly the same length
  • a 40-minute writing task, which is not marked but may be used by a headteacher panel

Kent has also announced a change: "We have appointed a new provider, Quest Assessments, for the Kent Test from 2027." The council says the format and timing will stay the same.

The Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test

Buckinghamshire Council says GL Assessment marks the two test papers. The final score is weighted 50% verbal skills, 25% maths and 25% non-verbal skills. A score of 121 or above qualifies a child for grammar school. The council expects about 37% of children to reach it.

CSSE (Essex)

The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex sets its own tests for its ten member schools: one English paper of 60 minutes with 10 minutes of extra reading time, and one maths paper of 60 minutes. There is no separate verbal or non-verbal reasoning, and since September 2024 the English paper has not included applied reasoning questions. Several guides online still describe the old format.

The Sutton SET

The Sutton grammar schools use the Selective Eligibility Test. Sutton Grammar School describes it as two multiple-choice papers, one in maths and one in English, with no verbal or non-verbal reasoning. Children who pass are invited to a second-stage exam at one of the participating schools: Nonsuch or Wallington High School for Girls, or Sutton Grammar, Wallington County Grammar or Wilson's for boys. Greenshaw High School does not hold a second stage.

This is the test I prepare the most students for. In my experience, the second stage is where English preparation matters most, because children have to write their own answers rather than choose one.

Bespoke school tests

Some schools have their own test written for them. Tiffin School is a good example: it works with Quest to set a bespoke test each year. Its illustrative English questions show a multiple-choice first stage (synonyms, cloze, spelling and punctuation questions, among others) and a second stage with written answers, including explaining language in their own words and writing the opening of a story. Tiffin does not publish past papers.

The ISEB Common Pre-Test

Many independent schools use the ISEB Common Pre-Test. It is four online, adaptive assessments in maths, English (reading comprehension and grammar), verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Children can take it at any point between the autumn and spring terms, and schools use it for Year 7 entry or deferred entry into Year 9. Adaptive means the questions get harder or easier depending on your child's answers, so practice should focus on accuracy rather than racing through.

Independent schools often add their own English paper, a creative writing task or an interview on top. Check each school's admissions page.

Northern Ireland: SEAG

Northern Ireland's grammar schools use a single test run by the Schools' Entrance Assessment Group. According to SEAG's own site, it replaced the two different tests children used to sit with a single Entrance Assessment over two Saturdays in November, set and marked by GL Assessment.

Area by Area: Who Sets the 11+ for 2027 Entry

These are the arrangements for children sitting the test in autumn 2026 for a Year 7 place in September 2027. Each one comes from the council's or school's own admissions page. Where a school doesn't name its provider, I have said so.

London

  • Bexley: Quest Assessments. Two multiple-choice booklets in one session, covering verbal reasoning with English comprehension, numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.
  • Redbridge: GL Assessment. Two papers: English with verbal reasoning, and maths with non-verbal reasoning.
  • Enfield (Latymer School): maths and verbal reasoning papers set and scored by GL Assessment, plus a written English paper set by the school. The English paper is only marked for the top 700 children on the first papers.
  • Barnet: Queen Elizabeth's School sets two multiple-choice papers in English and maths in a single session and does not name a provider. The Henrietta Barnett School has a first round in verbal and non-verbal reasoning and English, then a second round in English and maths.
  • Kingston (Tiffin School): works with Quest on a bespoke test. Stage one is multiple-choice English and maths. Stage two is English and maths with handwritten answers. The Tiffin Girls' School also tests in two stages.
  • Sutton: the SET described above.

South East

  • Kent and Buckinghamshire: as described above.
  • Medway: GL Assessment, with a test written for Medway. Three papers in English, maths and reasoning, with English and maths counting double.
  • Slough: GL Assessment. Two papers covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning, English and maths, with a qualifying score of 111.
  • Reading School: FSCE. Four papers that mix multiple choice, short constrained answers and written answers.
  • Kendrick School, Reading: two multiple-choice papers marked and standardised by GL Assessment, covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning, English and maths, with no creative writing.

South West

  • Gloucestershire: GL Assessment, all multiple choice, covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning, English and maths.
  • Bournemouth and Poole: GL Assessment. Three multiple-choice papers in maths, English and verbal reasoning.
  • Salisbury: the two grammar schools use different providers. South Wilts Grammar School uses GL Assessment (maths, English and verbal reasoning) and Bishop Wordsworth's uses Quest.
  • Torbay: Torquay Boys' Grammar School sets two tests of about 50 minutes in English and maths.

Midlands

  • Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Warwickshire and Shropshire: one shared test from GL Assessment, with two multiple-choice papers. The schools' own pages describe the sections slightly differently, so read the description for the school you are applying to.

North

  • Trafford: GL Assessment. Two papers of about an hour covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning and maths.
  • Wirral: Quest Assessments. Two papers covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning and maths, with "no long written answers".
  • Lancaster Royal Grammar School: three tests in verbal reasoning, maths and English, with no non-verbal reasoning.
  • Ripon Grammar School: GL Assessment, with a new format from September 2026. One paper covers verbal skills (comprehension, spelling and verbal reasoning) and the other non-verbal reasoning with maths. All questions are multiple choice.
  • Calderdale (Crossley Heath School): FSCE, covering English, maths and creative writing, with multiple-choice and written answers.

Changes Already Announced for 2028 Entry

If your child is in Year 5 now, they will sit the test in autumn 2027, and several areas are changing provider for that round:

  • Trafford: FSCE takes over, with content based on Key Stage 2 English and maths.
  • Gloucestershire: FSCE takes over.
  • Bournemouth and Poole: the consortium moves to Quest Assessments.
  • Kent: Quest Assessments, as above.

FSCE's tests at Reading School and Crossley Heath include written answers as well as multiple choice. Trafford and Gloucestershire have not yet published full details of their new tests, so look out for familiarisation materials from the schools once they appear rather than relying on older practice papers.

How to Find Out Which Test Your Child Will Sit

When a family starts with me, this is the first thing we check together. It takes about half an hour.

  1. List every school you might apply to, including any in a neighbouring area.
  2. Read each school's admissions policy for the current year. It will name the test, the subjects and the dates.
  3. Check your council's website for the area test (the Kent Test or the Buckinghamshire test, for example).
  4. Note whether there is a second stage, and whether it is multiple choice or written.

Do this every year rather than relying on what an older sibling sat. As Kent's change of provider shows, the details move.

What Changes Your Child's Preparation

The provider's name matters less than three questions about the test itself.

  • Is it multiple choice or written? Multiple-choice English rewards accuracy and careful reading of every option. Written papers reward clear explanations, quotations and good handwriting under time pressure.
  • Is there verbal and non-verbal reasoning? The Kent and Buckinghamshire tests include it. CSSE and the Sutton SET do not. My guide to 11+ verbal reasoning covers the question types.
  • Is there a writing task, and is it marked? In Kent it is not marked but may be used on review. At Tiffin it is part of the second stage. My 11+ creative writing guide covers what examiners look for.

Underneath all of these, the English skills are the same: reading a demanding passage closely, knowing a wide range of words and writing accurately. So I spend most lessons on those skills and save test-specific practice for the final months, usually through mock exams in the right format.

Questions Parents Ask Me About 11+ Tests

Can my child sit the 11+ in more than one area?

Yes. Each area or school runs its own registration with its own deadline, so you need to register separately for each one. Check the test dates too, because some fall on the same weekend.

Are practice papers from one provider useful for another?

Partly. The reading, vocabulary and writing skills carry over completely. The question formats and timings often don't, so the last stretch of practice should match the test your child will sit.

Why do different websites list different providers for the same area?

Because the providers change and older pages are rarely updated. Even one Gloucestershire school page I checked still mentioned CEM in its FAQ while naming GL Assessment higher up. The school's or council's own admissions page for the current year is the one to trust.

Before You Buy Any Practice Papers

  1. Check the admissions page of every school on your list for this year's test.
  2. Write down the format: multiple choice or written, which subjects and whether there is a second stage.
  3. Use the provider's own familiarisation materials first, before buying practice papers.
  4. Build reading, vocabulary and writing all year, and add timed practice in the right format nearer the exam.

My 11+ exam preparation guide covers the timeline and a weekly routine. For the English side, whichever test your child is sitting, I offer 11+ English tuition in small groups and one to one. Everything else I offer is on my services page.