11 Plus English Guide

11+ English Practice 2026: Comprehension, Writing & Papers

11+ preparation for pupils, parents and tutors

11+ English Practice: Complete Preparation Guide

Prepare for 11+ comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, cloze and writing using school-specific papers and practical reading strategies.

Find the closest practice to your actual school exam:
SEARCH for replica 11 plus practice papers FOR ANY SCHOOL.
FREE 11 Plus Practice Tests with answers

11+ English: what to do first

Prepare for 11+ comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, cloze and writing using school-specific papers and practical reading strategies.

Read beyond the test

Regular fiction, non-fiction and more demanding texts build vocabulary, inference and reading stamina more effectively than worksheets alone.

Comprehension

Teach pupils to retrieve, infer, explain vocabulary in context and justify answers with evidence from the passage.

Vocabulary

Learn words through context, synonyms, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes and repeated use rather than isolated lists only.

Grammar and spelling

Use errors in writing and practice papers to identify which rules need explicit teaching.

Writing

Where schools assess writing, practise planning, structure, precise detail, sentence control and editing rather than memorised stories.

Use school-specific English papers

Independent-school English papers differ widely, so check the actual target school before prioritising comprehension, grammar or creative writing.

How to use 11+ practice effectively

Diagnose

Start with a short representative task. Record the question types missed, omissions and signs of time pressure.

Teach

Explain the underlying English, maths or reasoning skill before asking the pupil to repeat the same format.

Practise

Use several focused examples, then mix them with previously learned material so the pupil has to select the method independently.

Review

Return to weak areas after a delay. Improvement that survives a week is more useful than an immediate post-explanation score rise.

Understanding the assessment

Related RWA assessment guide: 11+ English Guide.

School Entrance Tests focuses on what pupils, parents and tutors need for preparation: test formats, school-specific papers, question types, timing and practical revision. For the deeper psychometric explanation—what the assessment measures, how scores should be interpreted and the limits of practice—use the linked Rob Williams Assessment guide.

Age-related 11+ practice

Year 3

Build reading depth, vocabulary, number confidence and reasoning habits. Keep practice short and largely untimed.

Year 4

Introduce structured preparation, the main question types and a regular weekly routine while keeping accuracy ahead of speed.

Year 5

Complete the syllabus, practise the target exam format, introduce timing and begin realistic school-specific papers.

Year 6

Consolidate reliable methods, rehearse exam timing, use final mocks selectively and protect confidence in the last weeks.

Practical SET 11+ resources

11+ Practice Tests Free 11+ Papers 11+ Maths Papers 11+ English Papers 11+ Verbal Reasoning 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning

Use school-specific papers wherever possible

Official specimen and past papers from the target school are especially useful because they show the school’s own question style, expected standard and assessment structure.

Assessment guides from Rob Williams Assessment

Core 11+ assessment guides

2026 11 Plus Explained Grammar Schools Guide 11+ Exam Boards & Test Types GL Assessment 11+CEM / Cambridge Select InsightISEB 11+ISEB Common Pre-Tests 11+ Maths 11+ English 11+ Verbal Reasoning 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning 11+ Exam Dates 11+ Results Day Improve Your 11+ ScoreYear 3 PreparationYear 4 Preparation Year 5 Preparation Year 6 Preparation

Selective schools by region

Birmingham & West Midlands Warwickshire Liverpool & Wirral Manchester & TraffordGloucestershireLincolnshire Devon Dorset, Bournemouth & Poole Yorkshire & North Yorkshire Medway Bexley Sutton

Common preparation mistakes

Using generic papers before checking the target school’s current test.
Starting full timed mocks before the pupil understands the question types.
Recording only total scores and not the cause of errors.
Spending too much time practising a pupil’s strongest subject.
Assuming one publisher or one regional pass mark applies nationally.
Ignoring registration, answer-sheet or online-platform familiarisation.

11+ English FAQs

Which practice papers should we use?

Start with the target school or consortium’s official specimen material, then choose practice that matches the same subjects, question types and delivery format.

When should practice become timed?

Once the pupil understands the method and can solve the question type accurately. Add short time limits gradually.

How often should a child do full mock papers?

Full mocks are most useful after the core skills are secure. Earlier in preparation, targeted teaching and shorter practice sets are usually more informative.

Are historical pass marks reliable?

They provide context only. Standardisation, applicant cohorts, school capacity and admissions rules can change.

Should preparation differ by age?

Yes. Year 3 should emphasise foundations; Year 4 structured familiarisation; Year 5 core preparation; Year 6 consolidation and realistic rehearsal.

Where can I read the psychometric explanation?

Use the linked Rob Williams Assessment guide for deeper explanation of what the assessment measures, standardisation and score interpretation.

Prepare for the test your school actually uses

Check the current school or consortium format, use the closest available past or specimen papers, teach weak skills explicitly and add realistic timing only after accuracy is secure.

Welcome to our best selling English practice papers for Common Entrance independent school entry. Search the ISC independent schools list to find more info on your specific school’s entry requirements.

Top English 11+ practice past papers

THE LATEST 11 plus English test practice

English 11+ test practice papers

Our free 11 plus English practice

English 11+ 2020 test practice papers (and 2019)

11 Plus Latymer English Lord of the Rings Answers 2019

11+ Manchester Grammar School Arithmetic Section A 2020
11Plus Reigate Grammar Online Reasoning Practice Test

Firstly, 11+ English Secondly, 11+English Multiple Choice 1 Thirdly, 11+ English Multiple Choice 2 Next, 11+English Multiple Choice 3 Then, 11+ English Multiple Choice 4 With, 11+English Multiple Choice 5 11+ English – Sample Paper 1 (Alleyn’s) 11+English – Sample Paper 2 (Alleyn’s) 11+ English (Bancroft’s School Sample Paper 1) 11+English (Bancroft’s School Sample Paper 2) 11+ English Practice Paper (Blackheath High School) 11 plus English (City of London Freemen’s School September 2014) 11+ English (City of London Freemen’s School 2014) 11+ English (City of London School) 11+English (City of London School for Girls 2014) 11+ English (City of London School for Girls 2013) 11+English (City of London School for Girls 2012) 11+English (City of London School for Girls 2010) 11+ English (City of London School for Girls 2008) 11+English (Dulwich College) 11+ English (Dulwich College Specimen Paper A) 11+English (Dulwich College Specimen Paper B) 11+ English (Dulwich College Specimen Paper C) 11+English (Emanuel) 11+ English (Emanuel 2012) 11+English (Emanuel 2011) 11+ English (Emanuel 2010) 11+English (Francis Holland 2017) 11+ English – Passage (Francis Holland 2017) 11+English (Francis Holland 2016) 11+ English – Passage (Francis Holland 2016) 11+English (Francis Holland 2015) 11+ English – Passage (Francis Holland 2015)

Common Entrance 11+ English past papers

11+English (Francis Holland 2014) 11+ English – Passage (Francis Holland 2014) 11+English (Francis Holland 2013) 11+ English (Francis Holland 2012) 11+English – Passage (Francis Holland 2012) Next, 11+ English (Francis Holland 2011) Then, 11+English – Passage (Francis Holland 2011) Lastly, 11+ English (Francis Holland 2010)

11+ English past prep exam papers

More 11+ English past papers

11+English – Paper 1 (ISEB 2009) 11+ English – Paper 2 (ISEB 2009) 11+English – Paper 1 (ISEB 2008-9) 11+ English – Paper 2 (ISEB 2008-9) 11+English – Paper 1 (ISEB 2008) 11+ English – Paper 2 (ISEB 2008 11+English – Paper 1 (ISEB 2006) 11+ English (Junior King’s 2014) 11+English (Junior King’s 2013) 11+ English (Junior King’s 2012) 11+English (Junior King’s 2011) 11+ English (Kent College 2009) 11+English – Comprehension (King Edward’s School Birmingham) 11+ English – Composition (King Edward’s School Birmingham) 11+English Section A (King’s College School Wimbledon 2017) 11+ English Section B (King’s College School Wimbledon 2017) 11+English Section C (King’s College School Wimbledon 2017) 11+ English – Writing (King’s College School Wimbledon 2015) 11+English – Reading (King’s College School Wimbledon 2015) Next, 11+ English (The King’s School Chester) 11+ English & Maths Sample 1 (Latymer Upper School 2019) 11+English (Latymer Upper School 2019) Then, 11+English (Latymer Upper School 2014) Lastly, 11+ English (LIGSC 2009-10)

11+ English past papers Part III

11+ English past papers • Updated for 2026 entry Free English papers by school

11+ English Practice Papers: Free Past Papers by School

Find 11+ English comprehension, writing and school-specific practice papers for independent and selective school entry — then use them to diagnose what your child actually needs to improve.

Search papers for your school Free 11+ practice tests

School-specific Start with the closest exam format

Comprehension Retrieval, inference and vocabulary

Writing Planning, structure and accuracy

Diagnostic Review why marks were lost

On this page

Which papers to use English skills Papers by school Diagnose mistakes Timed practice Practice by age Related guides FAQs

Start here

Which 11+ English practice paper should you use?

The best paper is not automatically the hardest paper or the one from the most selective school. It is the paper that most closely resembles the English assessment your child is actually preparing to sit.

Independent schools can differ considerably in their English assessments. One school may use a traditional comprehension and composition paper; another may use multiple-choice English; another may assess English within the ISEB Common Pre-Test or a computer-based admissions process.

Check the target school

Read the school’s current admissions information and identify whether it publishes an official specimen or past paper.

Match the format

Check whether English is written or multiple-choice, whether writing is included and how much time is available.

Match the level

A prestigious school’s paper may be excellent practice, but it can be too difficult or simply too different from your actual exam.

Expert principle: use a practice paper to answer a question about the pupil. Is the problem vocabulary, comprehension, written expression, accuracy or speed? Simply completing more papers does not tell you what should be taught next.

What is being tested?

The main 11+ English skills

Although individual exams vary, most 11+ English assessments draw on a relatively small group of underlying literacy skills. Knowing which skill is causing difficulty makes practice far more efficient.

Reading comprehension

Finding explicit information, understanding the main idea and selecting relevant evidence from a passage.

Inference

Working out what is implied about characters, motives, events or the writer’s meaning rather than simply locating a sentence.

Vocabulary in context

Understanding what a word means within a particular sentence or passage rather than recalling an isolated definition.

Grammar and punctuation

Sentence construction, spelling, punctuation and grammatical knowledge where these are directly assessed.

Cloze and sentence completion

Combining vocabulary, syntax and meaning to choose the word that best completes a sentence or passage.

Writing

Planning, organisation, sentence control, vocabulary, punctuation and the ability to sustain a coherent response.

Child reading a book as part of English comprehension and vocabulary development

Reading widely helps develop vocabulary and comprehension beyond repeated test-paper practice. Image: Widad.sirkhotte / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

For the deeper assessment perspective — including what these tasks measure and why different 11+ English formats should not be treated as interchangeable — see the RWA 11+ English assessment guide .

Paper finder

11+ English past papers by independent school

The schools below are among those for which English specimen, sample or historical papers have commonly been used for 11+ preparation. Always check the school’s current admissions pages because formats can change.

Alleyn’s School English sample/specimen practice

Bancroft’s School English sample papers

City of London schools English and comprehension examples

Dulwich College English and creative-writing specimens

Emanuel School English specimen papers

Forest School English writing practice

Godolphin & Latymer Historical English papers and passages

Highgate School English sample papers

King’s College School Reading and writing papers

Merchant Taylors’ English practice papers

North London Collegiate English sample questions

Oundle School English entrance papers

The Perse School English specimen papers

Reigate Grammar School English and writing practice

Sevenoaks School English past and sample papers

St Paul’s Girls’ School English and comprehension papers

Trinity School English and writing samples

Other independent schools Search by school before choosing practice

Search 11+ papers by school Independent-school paper finder

Choose intelligently

How useful is a particular English paper?

Paper	Best use	Watch out for
Target school’s official specimen	Understanding the actual format, level and instructions.	Do not use every official paper months before the exam.
Recent paper from a similar school	Extending practice with broadly comparable material.	Confirm that question style and timing are genuinely similar.
Historical target-school paper	Useful English skill practice and an indication of past expectations.	The current assessment may have changed substantially.
Generic 11+ English paper	Targeted practice before school-specific rehearsal.	Difficulty or coverage may not match the real test.
Very difficult selective-school paper	Stretch practice for an already strong pupil.	Harder is not automatically more valid or more useful.

Diagnostic practice

Do not just mark the paper — diagnose the mistake

A score such as 68% is much less useful than knowing why the missing 32% was lost. After marking an English paper, classify the errors before choosing the next activity.

Knowledge gap

The pupil did not know the vocabulary, grammar, spelling or literary concept required.

Comprehension error

The text was read, but an important relationship, implication or piece of evidence was misunderstood.

Question-reading error

The pupil knew the material but answered a slightly different question from the one actually asked.

Timing error

The pupil could answer accurately without a time limit but lost marks when working too slowly or rushing.

Useful next step: if several mistakes have the same cause, stop doing full papers temporarily and teach that weakness directly. Then retest it with a short fresh set of questions.

Comprehension strategy

How to use 11+ comprehension papers effectively

Retrieve

Can the pupil find explicit information accurately without being distracted by nearby but irrelevant detail?

Infer

Can the pupil combine clues from the passage rather than expecting every answer to appear word-for-word?

Evidence

Can the pupil support an interpretation using a relevant phrase, sentence or event from the text?

English preparation should combine reading and discussion with targeted exam practice. Image: Christian Yakubu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Written English

Using 11+ creative-writing papers

For schools that assess writing, the task is not simply to produce the longest story or use the most complicated vocabulary. Strong responses typically need a clear interpretation of the task, an organised structure, controlled sentences and enough time for checking.

Plan

Spend a short period deciding the central idea, structure and ending before starting to write.

Write with control

Prefer precise vocabulary and varied but secure sentence structures to forced complexity.

Edit

Reserve time to check punctuation, spelling, repeated words, missing words and confusing sentences.

Exam technique

When should 11+ English papers become timed?

Timing should normally be introduced after the pupil understands the question types and can answer them reasonably accurately. Applying strict exam timing too early can encourage guessing, superficial reading and hurried writing.

Stage	Recommended approach
Learning	Work largely untimed. Discuss difficult vocabulary and explain why answers are right or wrong.
Targeted practice	Use short sections with generous timing while building reliable methods.
Developing fluency	Gradually reduce the time allowed once accuracy is stable.
Final rehearsal	Use a limited number of close-format papers under realistic exam conditions.

Pupils working independently at desks in a classroom

Realistic timed practice is most useful later in preparation, once methods and accuracy are secure. Image: KalvinKalvin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Practice by school year

How English paper practice should change with age

Year 3

Prioritise regular reading, vocabulary, discussion and short comprehension activities. Full selective-school papers are usually unnecessary.

Year 3 11+ preparation →

Year 4

Introduce structured comprehension, grammar and writing tasks while keeping accuracy and understanding ahead of speed.

Year 4 11+ preparation →

Year 5

Identify the likely target-school format, complete the main English skill development and begin more school-specific practice.

Year 5 11+ preparation →

Year 6

Consolidate remaining weaknesses and use selected close-format papers for timed rehearsal rather than continually introducing new material.

Year 6 11+ preparation →

Related School Entrance Tests guides

Continue your 11+ preparation

11+ English preparation

The broader SET English guide covering comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, writing and preparation strategy.

English guide

Independent-school 11+

Find school-specific past papers and understand the different assessment routes used by independent schools.

Independent-school guide

Free 11+ papers

Browse SET’s wider library of free 11+ papers across English, Maths and reasoning.

Free 11+ papers

GL Assessment 11+

Prepare specifically for GL-style English, Maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning where this is the local test route.

GL practice guide

Year 5 preparation

Structure English and wider 11+ preparation during the main preparation year.

Year 5 guide

RWA assessment guide

Read the psychometric explanation of 11+ English, assessment demands and interpretation.

RWA 11+ English

About the expert

Expert-led school entrance test guidance

Rob Williams, Chartered Psychologist

Rob Williams CPsychol AFBPsS is a Chartered Psychologist and test-design specialist with more than 25 years’ experience designing and advising on assessments.

His school-assessment work has included projects connected with major test publishers and assessment organisations including GL Assessment, ISEB and Cambridge assessment organisations.

The principle behind this guide is simple: use past papers to understand and develop the skills the real assessment requires — not simply to accumulate practice scores.

More about Rob Williams Assessment →

Frequently asked questions

11+ English practice papers FAQs

Where can I find free 11+ English past papers?

Start with the target school’s own admissions pages and official specimen material. You can then use School Entrance Tests’ independent-school and free-paper libraries to find additional relevant practice.

Which is the best 11+ English practice paper?

The most useful paper is usually the one that most closely matches your child’s real test in question style, subjects, response method, difficulty and timing. The hardest paper is not necessarily the best one.

Should my child practise papers from other independent schools?

Yes, when their English format and level are sufficiently similar. Use the target school’s own official specimen material first and treat other schools’ papers as supplementary practice.

How many 11+ English papers should a child complete?

There is no ideal number. Paper practice should reveal what needs teaching and provide realistic rehearsal. Repeatedly completing full papers without analysing errors can be less useful than focused work on a specific weakness.

When should 11+ English papers be timed?

Introduce time pressure progressively after the child understands the task and can work accurately. Full realistic timing is most useful later in preparation.

What should I do after marking an English paper?

Classify errors by cause: vocabulary or knowledge gap, comprehension difficulty, question misreading, writing weakness, careless execution or time pressure. Use that diagnosis to choose the next practice activity.

Are old independent-school papers still useful?

They can be useful for developing English skills, but they should not automatically be treated as a model of the current entrance test. Check the school’s latest admissions information before relying on historical material.

Does every independent school use a written English paper?

No. Some schools use their own written English assessments, while others use computer-based tests, the ISEB Common Pre-Test or a combination of tests, writing, interviews and assessment activities.

Next step

Prepare for the English test your child will actually sit

Start with the target school’s current assessment format, use the closest available English papers, diagnose the reason for mistakes and save some realistic papers for final timed rehearsal.

Search 11+ papers by school Read the 11+ English guide