11+ guide · checked October 2026
11+ Maths, explained simply
The 11+ maths test checks the primary maths your child already knows, but faster and with harder problems. This page explains who sets the tests used by London grammar and independent schools, how the scores work, and how to prepare without overload.
- Taken in Year 6 (autumn)
- Usually multiple choice
- Standardised scores
- Year 5 maths and beyond
Exam board
Not sure which board? Ask your child's school, or check the front of a mockA practice exam, usually set by school a few months before the real thing. paper.
The exams at a glance
GL Assessment 11+ Maths (Redbridge, Latymer, Buckinghamshire). 1 paper.
Specification: GL Assessment 11+ Maths (Redbridge, Latymer, Buckinghamshire)
What's in the exams
Tests don't publish topic weightings. ISEB says its maths test covers the National Curriculum up to the end of Year 5: number and place value, the four operations, fractions, decimals and percentages, measurement, geometry and statistics. Grammar school tests often add multi-step problems that stretch beyond that.
How the grading works
Standardised scores, not percentages
The 11+ is not marked out of 100. Raw marks are turned into a standardised score that allows for a child's age in months, so a younger child is not at a disadvantage. On GL Assessment's scale the average is 100, about two-thirds of children score between 85 and 115, and only about 2% score 130 or more.
What score is needed?
It depends on the school. Buckinghamshire grammar schools qualify children with a total score of 121 or more. Ilford County High in Redbridge sets a minimum of 104, but ranks everyone above that by score, so places usually go to children scoring well above the minimum. Selective schools rarely publish a single pass mark.
Who sets the test?
Most London-area grammar schools use GL Assessment, sometimes with their own papers (Tiffin School uses bespoke tests set with Quest). Many independent schools use the ISEB Pre-Test, an online test taken once and shared with every school applied to. Cambridge's current entrance tests (Cambridge Select Insight) are offered to independent schools.
Past paper mock builder
Pick an exam series and we'll set out the full GL Assessment mock: which papers to sit, how long to allow and where to download them.
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Mathematics and non-verbal reasoning, Free familiarisation papers · Redbridge: one combined paper; length given in the invitation letter
Download the papers and mark schemes: GL Assessment official past papers or Save My Exams past papers. Exam boards keep the most recent series for schools only for a while, so if the newest one isn't there, take the one before.
What Maths is really about
Where the word comes from
"Eleven-plus" is simply the age: the test is taken by children aged 11 or about to turn 11, in the autumn of Year 6. The name dates from the Education Act 1944, when a test at 11 decided which secondary school a child went to.
Where it comes from
The Education Act 1944, steered through Parliament by R. A. Butler, set up grammar, secondary technical and secondary modern schools, and the eleven-plus decided who went where. Most areas phased out selection from the 1960s, but grammar schools remain in places including Buckinghamshire, Kent and several London boroughs such as Redbridge, Sutton, Bexley and Kingston.
Why it's still taught
Strong arithmetic and problem solving at 10 and 11 make secondary maths much easier, whatever school a child goes to. For families applying to grammar or selective independent schools, the maths paper is usually a large part of the score.
How to do well in 11+ Maths
Make times tables instant
Fast, accurate recall of tables to 12 x 12 frees up thinking time for the harder problems.
Practise multi-step word problems
11+ questions often hide two or three steps inside a short story. Teach your child to underline what is asked before starting.
Work without a calculator
Calculators are not allowed. Regular written and mental methods for fractions, percentages and long multiplication are essential.
Practise in the right format
Most tests are multiple choice on an answer sheet or on screen. Try the free familiarisation papers so the format holds no surprises.
Train for speed with a timer
Time is tight. Short timed sets of 10 questions build pace better than one long paper.
Check by estimating
A quick estimate catches answers that are clearly too big or too small, which is especially useful in multiple choice.
The three best places to revise
Our teachers' picks. We have no connection with these sites.
GL Assessment free familiarisation materials
Free sample papers from the company that sets most grammar school tests, showing the real format.
Corbettmaths Primary
Free videos, worksheets and daily practice questions covering the whole primary maths curriculum.
Oak National Academy
Free, full primary maths lessons taught by teachers, useful for filling gaps.
Questions parents ask
Not sure where your child stands?
Our free 45-minute assessment often uses a real past paperA real exam from a previous year, used for practice., so you'll know their likely grade and exactly what to work on. Lessons online across the UK, or at our seven London hubs.
Sources
- London Borough of Redbridge, Redbridge 11 plus (Ilford County High and Woodford County High, September 2027 entry)
- Ilford County High School, Year 7 admissions (minimum threshold score of 104)
- Buckinghamshire Council, Marking the Secondary Transfer Test (qualifying score 121)
- The Latymer School, Year 7 admissions
- Tiffin School, Frequently asked questions, entry September 2027
- ISEB, What are the ISEB Common Pre-Tests (11+) and how do they work?
- ISEB, Pre-Tests test framework
- GL Assessment, Quick data guide (standard age scores)
- Cambridge (CEM), Entrance assessments