Before you start searching for '11+ sample paper' all over the internet, it is worth knowing one thing: the test provider itself — for most areas of England, GL Assessment — publishes official familiarisation material, and that is the only source worth trusting. In this guide we explain where the official material lives, what each paper contains, work through a non-verbal reasoning question step by step, and show how you can carry on from there to our free practice in a similar format.
This guide is not designed to get around that position — quite the opposite: it collects what the schools themselves describe as legitimate (knowing the format, plus a few examples), shows where each official document is, and only then points to further practice.
The official familiarisation material
Every area that runs an 11+ publishes something official. The exact set varies — a large county-wide test such as the Kent Test or the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test has its own familiarisation booklet on the council website; a standalone grammar school usually links to the provider's material from its admissions page. These are the only sources you can trust — not '11+ sample papers' published by commercial preparation sites, which sometimes do not reflect the real format.
| Document | What is in it |
|---|---|
| Familiarisation booklet (GL Assessment) | A short explanation of each question type with one or two worked examples — verbal, non-verbal, maths and English |
| Practice paper(s) | A shortened paper in the real layout, with an answer sheet, so the child sees how to mark answers |
| Test information / 'About the test' page | The official description of which papers are sat, how long each is, and how the score is standardised |
| Answer key | The answers to the practice paper — usually at the back of the booklet |
| Access arrangements guidance | Adjustments for children with SEND, EAL or a medical condition — how to apply and by when |
Links to the relevant official pages depend on where you live — search your local authority's website for '11 plus' or 'grammar school admissions', or go to the school's admissions page. It is worth downloading the booklet and going through it together with your child, without pressure and without a timer the first time — the aim is only that they see what a question like this looks like on the page.
What is in each paper — according to the official descriptions
Most 11+ tests in England now use GL Assessment papers (the other main provider, CEM, withdrew from the 11+ market in 2023, though a few schools use their own or other providers' papers). A typical test is two papers of about 45–60 minutes each, sat on one morning in September of Year 6, and covers a selection of:
- Verbal reasoning — word relationships, codes, odd one out, completing sentences
- English — reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar
- Maths — the Year 5 curriculum, mostly, with some problem solving
- Non-verbal reasoning — series of shapes, odd one out, matrices, codes with shapes
- Spatial reasoning — nets, rotations, hidden shapes (only in some areas)
Which of these are included, and with what weighting, is decided locally. For example, some areas test only verbal and non-verbal reasoning; others weight maths and English heavily. Each section contains multiple-choice questions, with a fixed time for each section and equal weight for the questions within it. Each section opens relatively gently, but easy questions can appear in the middle and at the end as well — so a child should not relax just because the start looked simple.
A worked example: a non-verbal reasoning series question
Non-verbal reasoning is the paper most parents have never seen, so here is one question type worked through in words. Imagine a row of four boxes, and you have to choose which of five options comes next.
Box 1: a large white circle with one small black dot inside it, at the top. Box 2: a large white circle with two small black dots inside it, at the top and the right. Box 3: a large white circle with three small black dots inside it, at the top, right and bottom. Box 4: a large white circle with four small black dots at the top, right, bottom and left. What comes next?
- Step 1 — look for what stays the same: the large white circle is in every box. So the answer must contain a large white circle. Any option without one can be crossed out straight away.
- Step 2 — look for what changes, one feature at a time: the number of dots goes 1, 2, 3, 4. So the next box should have 5 dots.
- Step 3 — look for the rule in the change: the dots are added clockwise — top, right, bottom, left. After left, the next position clockwise is back to the top, so the fifth dot goes between existing dots or the pattern restarts; the option that keeps the clockwise rule is the one to choose.
- Step 4 — cross out the options that break any rule: an option with a black circle breaks step 1; an option with 4 or 6 dots breaks step 2; an option with 5 dots but placed randomly breaks step 3.
- Step 5 — choose the only option left, and move on. Do not spend more than about a minute on any one question — the marks are equal.
How to carry on after the official material
After you have gone through the official booklet, the next step the schools suggest is a little familiarisation with the situation of the test itself. That is exactly why we built two free tools in a format similar to the official descriptions — not as a substitute for the official material, but as a natural continuation of it:
- A timed practice run — several short sections in the order the official descriptions use, with no score prediction and no 'pass/fail'.
- A printable worksheet — a set of questions with an answer key, for practice on paper exactly as in the real test.
All our questions are original — we do not copy questions from the official papers, we write new questions in the same format, so that the child practises the situation and the kind of thinking required, rather than memorising answers.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find an official 11+ sample paper?
From the test provider via your local authority or the grammar school only — GL Assessment familiarisation booklets and practice papers are published on council admissions pages and school websites. The exact link depends on where you live, so search your local authority's site for '11 plus familiarisation'.
Do we need to do every practice question in the official material?
The schools generally recommend familiarisation only — a few questions of each type so the child knows what to expect — not extensive practice. The aim is that the child knows the format, not that they memorise questions.
Are practice papers from commercial sites as reliable as the official ones?
Not necessarily. Details such as the length of the papers or the number of questions published by outside sites may not match what your area actually uses — it is worth relying only on what the local authority or the school publishes, and treating other papers as extra practice at most.
What is the difference between the official material and the free practice on this site?
The official material is written by the provider that writes the real test, and it is worth going through it first. Our practice is original questions in a similar format — a follow-on tool for getting used to the situation of the test, not a substitute for the official material.
Does practising on this site guarantee a higher score or a grammar school place?
No. Neither we nor anyone else can guarantee an outcome in an admissions test. The practice is designed for familiarisation with the question formats only, in line with what the schools themselves say.
All the stages, the timeline and the official sources — in one place
To the complete 11+ guide ←