Taken last year’s grammar school 11+ entrance exam? What will this year’s 11 plus pass mark be?

Our focus is on the 11 plus exam pass marks. Specifically, how the 11 plus pass mark will be calculated. Find the specific grammar school 11 plus practice papers for your chosen independent school(s) below:

How is the 11 plus exam marked?

4. Every year a minimum total weighted 11 plus score is set. This determines the grammar 11 plus pass mark. For example, this year’s Medway 11 plus 11 plus score is set at 26%.

5. Please note that this minimum 11 plus score is only known once this year’s 11 plus scores have been calculated.

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11 plus query?

Ask ROB, our resident 11+ test design expert , your questions by emailing passedpapers@gmail.com An Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Rob Williams is a Chartered Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working and designing tests. Rob has worked for all three of the main school entrance test publishers: GL Assessment grammar school entry exams; ISEB independent school entry papers and CEM Select private school entrance papers.

FEEL FREE TO ASK ME ANY 11 PLUS QUESTION.

What is the 11 plus pass mark?

Well, let’s see what does previous years’ 11 plus pass mark data tell us?

How will this year’s 11 plus exam’s pass mark be calculated?

Raw marks go through a standardisation process. This is to maintain the integrity of the 11 plus assessment process. Also to ensure that the process is fair to all grammar school applicants. This standardised score is then used to determine:

• All 11 plus pupils results in rank order
• 11 plus Pass marks for each grammar school, including 11 plus pass mark adjustments for that 11 plus school year.

FREE 11 Plus Practice Tests with answers.

Plenty of free 11+ past papers at the links below to guide your 11+ tuition for the 11+ exam.

Key annual 11+ exam dates

1 – When is the 11 plus exam each year?

• The 11+ exam dates depend upon the grammar school county in which you apply. This is because it is not a nationally co-ordinated set of exams like GCSE’s or A-Levels.
• 11 plus exam registration opens each year in April/May. With a June/July entry deadline for parents to register their child for the 11+ exam.
• The 11 plus exam occurs in the first two weeks of September at most grammar schools.

When are the 11 plus exam results days?

Kent 11 plus results day

The many Kent grammar schools typically release their annual 11 plus results in the first week of November. School Entrance Tests recommends reviewing this Kent 11 plus familiarisation guide . You will find the sample Kent 11 plus questions particualrly useful.

Essex 11 plus results day

Whereas Essex’s 11 plus test results are usually posted online in the first week of December.

For further details see Essex 11 plus publisher CSSE Website.

What score do you need to pass the 11+?

• Well, that all depends on what Local Educational Authority (LEA) you take the test in.
• Each 11 plus region has its own pass marks for entry into a grammar school.
• In fully selective regions where there are many grammar schools, (i.e. Lincolnshire, Buckinghamshire, Kent) the pass mark is lower than in areas with fewer grammar schools (Greater London).
• In addition, different schools within the same LEA may have different minimum pass marks.

How are 11 plus results standardised?

• Also, 11 plus pass marks are standardised using a complex statistical process.
• Put simply, this means a child’s score is adjusted to reflect their age and the difficulty of the paper.
• Standardisation ensures fairness because older children would otherwise have an advantage.
• Some grammar schools select candidates by ranked order.
• Places are given to the children who performed best on the test.
• Other schools have a minimum pass mark and use other criteria, such as distance, faith, siblings, to select candidates.

In conclusion, it is impossible to say exactly what percentage you need to pass the 11-plus. However, as an approximate figure, a child will need to score about 80—85% to pass. Obviously, in more competitive areas this figure may be higher.

11+ exam introduction

The 11+ exam is important as it is the first major exam that students take which will have a significant impact on their education. Passing the 11+ is crucial for getting into the majority of leading grammar schools in the UK, as well as some independent schools. There are two main exam boards for the 11+: the CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) and GL (Granada Learning).

• The exam board that you will be sitting this year depends on the county of the schools you are applying to.
• Although the exam board you will be sitting is usually dependent on the county, there are some exceptions to this.
• Therefore, it is important to ask the school you are applying to which exam board they require.
• The CEM assessment consists of Numerical reasoning, Verbal reasoning and Non- verbal reasoning.
• In contrast to this, the GL assessment consists of English, Maths, Non-verbal reasoning and Verbal reasoning.
• Due to the difference in topics between the two exam boards, there are different methods to revise for each exam board.

How the 11+ exam has changed

Unlike last year, the 11+ has not changed much this year despite the effects that the pandemic has had on education and schooling. Exams will be in person this year in contrast to the exams being online last year. Furthermore, there has been little to no change in the content. That said, most counties have delayed the date for the examination. Due to the exams being pushed back, results day has also been postponed. Some schools will still be carrying out interviews in addition to the usual exams, although this is not the case for all schools.  

How best to prepare for the 11+ exam

To ace your 11+, you must make sure that you use your last few months leading up to the examination as effectively as possible. Here are some steps that you can follow to ace the 11+ this year:

• Create a list of all the topics that will be coming up in the test for each section. Then complete a handful of exam-style questions for each topic and put a tick or cross next to the name of the topic depending on how confident you feel on it. This is crucial as it will prevent you from wasting your precious time on topics that you have already mastered rather than spending time on the topics that you actually struggle with. It is also important to update the list after you’ve mastered a new topic!
• Little and often. It is important to revise topics frequently no matter how little you do. This is because it helps solidify the information in your mind. One good way to ensure that you are revising little and often is by doing ten-minute tests. There are lots of books by CGP and Bond which have these ten-minute tests for each section to check your understanding of the topic.

11 plus exam preparation tips

• It is also vital to do frequent 11+ mock exams. Mock exams are great to practice exam technique as well as to get used to exam conditions. Mock exams allow you to work under the time limit meaning that you practice working under time pressure. These examinations can also be used to track topics that you commonly lose marks on which you can then focus on. Alongside this, results from mock exams can be a good indicator of how well you are doing.
• Arguably the most difficult aspect of the 11+ is vocabulary and verbal reasoning. The best method to improve your vocabulary and comprehension skills is by reading books and articles. Whilst reading, it is very useful to write down any words that you don’t know the meaning of… then to learn what they mean and how to use them in a sentence. This is a great way of perfecting your English for the 11 plus exam 2021.

Why use 11 plus exam tuition?

One of the best ways to prepare for the 11+ is by getting a tutor or using an app that provides 1:1 tuition. Although tuition isn’t necessary to pass the 11+, it gives you a huge advantage and helps you prepare for the exam. Tuition is especially useful if you are applying to competitive schools. If you can’t afford 1:1 tuition, EasyA is the only app to provide it completely free.    

Will this year’s eleven plus exam have a higher pass mark?

All students sitting the 11+ this year will be in the same situation so although it may seem unfair, it is a level playing field. Furthermore, you can capitalise on this situation by preparing and revising – something a lot of students simply haven’t learned how to do.

Our key 11 plus exam posts

• Which grammar schools are nearby?
• COMPARE uk schools League Tables.
• What will this year’s 11 plus pass mark be?
• Key 11 plus exam dates