11+ practice papers: the free official ones, and how to use them

Key takeaways

• →Most 11+ tests do not release real past papers. The official pages we read offer familiarisation material or sample questions instead. Essex is the main exception we found.
• →GL Assessment offers 10 hours of free familiarisation material, and many areas point to it. Its timings and number of questions may differ from your local test.
• →Check the tables for your area before you buy anything. Sutton’s test, for example, has no verbal or non-verbal reasoning papers.
• →Start with familiarisation, add timed practice later, mark and review mistakes, and keep it little and often and calm.

1. Do 11+ past papers exist?

Parents often search for “11 plus past papers”, but real past papers are rare. Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet answers a question about past papers with a plain no, and offers sample papers instead.^[1]

Tiffin School in Kingston does not publish its past papers either, and says completely new papers are written every year.^[3]

The online ISEB Pre-Tests adjust to each child’s answers, and ISEB says no printed exam papers exist for them.^[2]

Essex is the main exception we found. The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) lists past English and maths papers, with mark schemes, for 2021 to 2023 entry.^[4]

None of the official pages we read explain why most papers are not released, so we will not guess.

Most areas offer familiarisation material instead: a free sample of the question types and layout, so your child knows what to expect. It is not the real test. GL Assessment, a main test provider, says the timings and number of questions in your local test may differ from its materials.^[5]

2. GL Assessment: the main free source

GL Assessment is a test provider. Its 11+ website offers 10 hours of free familiarisation materials, as PDFs to print at home.^[6]

There are six free downloads, covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and maths. Verbal reasoning means word puzzles, such as codes. Non-verbal reasoning means spotting patterns in shapes.^[5]

GL also sells printed practice papers. Each book has three question papers, with answer sheets and a parent guide.^[6]

GL says an area or school may add its own questions, so your child’s test may not look exactly like GL’s material.^[7]

Not every area uses GL: Some tests are written by schools or groups of schools and cover different subjects. Check the tables below before you spend time or money.

3. Official free material in London

Redbridge’s council page says GL Assessment provides its test and points to GL’s free materials. It warns they might not match the exact test.^[8]

Six Sutton schools share one Selective Eligibility Test (SET): two multiple-choice papers, English and maths, with no verbal or non-verbal reasoning. Sutton Grammar School’s FAQs say it provides no specimen papers but link sample questions for each subject.^[9]

Tiffin School’s admissions page links illustrative English and maths questions and an example maths answer sheet.^[10]

The Tiffin Girls’ School, also in Kingston, says it does not publish past papers, provides no sample questions and runs no mock tests.^[11]

Queen Elizabeth’s sample papers page links GL’s free English and maths materials, and Atom Learning resources, free for pupils who get pupil premium (extra school funding for some pupils). It warns some material may not reflect its exam format.^[12]

Henrietta Barnett’s admissions page links GL familiarisation booklets for its first round test, including packs of free materials.^[13]

Latymer’s FAQs say GL Assessment sets its maths and verbal reasoning paper and the school sets English. It links English sample papers and sends parents to GL’s website for the rest.^[14]

4. Official free material in the South East

Buckinghamshire Council offers a familiarisation booklet, with advice and sample questions, and a practice test that looks like the real Secondary Transfer Test. The practice test is not marked or sent home. The council says its purpose is to help children prepare, not to show how well they have done.^[15]

Kent County Council’s page links a Kent Test familiarisation paper, which explains the test papers, and a range of free familiarisation materials.^[16]

Herschel Grammar School links GL familiarisation downloads for the Slough consortium test, and free Atom Learning resources for pupils who get pupil premium. It adds a warning that the resources are not designed specifically for the Slough test.^[17]

5. Official free material elsewhere

CSSE’s guide says free English and maths familiarisation papers can be downloaded from its website, and practice packs can be bought online.^[18]

Warwickshire’s test is shared with grammar schools in Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Shropshire. It has four multiple-choice sections: English, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths.^[19]

Warwickshire’s document library lists an Entrance Test Familiarisation Guide, with example and practice questions. Check the guide’s year, because the library page was last changed in 2022.^[20]

The ISEB Pre-Tests are online, adaptive tests used by leading independent senior schools.^[21]

ISEB’s free Test Walkthrough lets pupils try the test as it will look on the day. ISEB says extra practice is not a requirement.^[22]

ISEB also says there are no practice questions inside the tests.^[23]

6. Paid practice papers

Practice papers are also sold. CSSE’s guide says suitable material is sold commercially by major booksellers, at a similar level but not in the same format as its 11+ papers.^[18]

ISEB says its Pre-Tests prep pack includes Common Entrance 11+ English and maths past papers, which cover similar skills. They come from a different exam, not the Pre-Tests.^[2]

Before you buy, ask the school which test your child will sit. Then check that the subjects, format and timings match. We do not recommend any brand.

Try free first: If a free familiarisation paper feels easy, you may not need to buy more. If it shows a weak spot, practise that topic first.

7. How to use practice papers well

Start with familiarisation. Look at the free material together, with no timer. Your child should know what each question type is asking before the clock starts.

Add timed practice later. Closer to the test, try one short timed section, then a full paper now and then. GL says a practice paper under timed conditions gives children valuable experience.^[7]

Mark every paper and review the mistakes. Ask why each answer was wrong: a slip, a gap in knowledge, or an unfamiliar question type. The review is where most learning happens.

Little and often. Twenty minutes, a few times a week, beats one long weekend session.

Do not overdo full papers. They are tiring, and short sections on weak spots usually help more. CSSE’s guide says children “only need a limited amount of practice”.^[18]

Keep it calm. Stop if your child is tired or upset. Praise effort, not scores. A relaxed child usually does better than an anxious one.

Familiar first, timed later, calm always.

8. More 11+ help

If your area is not in the tables, check the school’s admissions page for test guidance or FAQs, and ask which test is used. We left out anything we could not confirm on an official page.

Our other 11+ guides can help you find your schools and dates: “The 11+ exam explained”, “Grammar schools in London, borough by borough”, “Grammar schools near Kingston and Sutton”, “Grammar schools near Forest Gate and east London” and “Grammar schools near Enfield and Uxbridge”.

9. How Brainhub can help

94% of our 11+ students were placed in their first- or second-choice school (Brainhub student records, 2021–2026). That figure is our own data, not independent research.

We teach the 11+ one-to-one, live online across the UK, from £25 an hour. Every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment, a good place to talk through which test your child is aiming for and which practice to start with.

1. 1. Do most 11+ tests publish real past papers?

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2. 2. How much free familiarisation material does GL Assessment offer?

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3. 3. Why check your area’s test before buying practice papers?

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Your next steps

• Ask your child’s schools which test they use, then find your area in the tables.
• Try one free familiarisation paper together before buying anything.
• Book a free 45-minute assessment to plan your child’s practice.

Subject guides to go with this

Want one-to-one help? See how our online lessons work.