11+ guide · checked October 2026
11+ Non-verbal reasoning, explained simply
Non-verbal reasoning tests how well your child spots patterns in shapes and diagrams: sequences, rotations, reflections and codes, with no reading needed. It is not taught at school, so knowing the question types matters. This page explains who uses it, how it is scored, and how to prepare.
- Taken in Year 6 (autumn)
- Multiple choice
- Standardised scores
- Shapes, not words
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+ Non-verbal reasoning (Redbridge, Buckinghamshire). 1 paper.
Specification: GL Assessment 11+ Non-verbal reasoning (Redbridge, Buckinghamshire)
What's in the exams
Tests don't publish topic weightings. Typical question types include completing a sequence, finding the odd one out, matching shapes that are rotated or reflected, codes made from shapes, and spotting which net folds into a cube. In Buckinghamshire, non-verbal skills make up a quarter of the total score.
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.
Which schools use it?
Redbridge's grammar schools combine maths and non-verbal reasoning in one GL paper, and Buckinghamshire's test includes it. Many independent schools use the ISEB Pre-Test, which has a 30-minute non-verbal reasoning section.
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 Non-verbal reasoning is really about
Where the word comes from
"Non-verbal" means "not using words", from the Latin verbum, "word". The tests use shapes and diagrams instead, so they measure reasoning without depending on reading.
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. Picture-based reasoning tests such as Raven's Progressive Matrices, developed by the British psychologist John Raven in the 1930s, aimed to measure reasoning without relying on language.
Why it's still taught
Spotting patterns in shapes builds the visual and logical thinking used in maths, science, design and engineering. For schools that test it, non-verbal reasoning gives children who are still building their English a fair chance to show their ability.
How to do well in 11+ Non-verbal reasoning
Learn the question types
There are a handful of standard formats. Once your child can name them, half the battle is won.
Check one feature at a time
Look at size, then shading, then number of sides, then position. Changing one thing at a time makes patterns easier to spot.
Get hands-on with nets and rotations
Cutting out and folding paper cubes, or turning shapes on a table, makes rotation and net questions far easier.
Rule out wrong answers
In multiple choice, crossing out answers that break the pattern is often quicker than finding the right one directly.
Practise against the clock
The ISEB section is 30 minutes. Short timed sets build speed without tiring your child.
Use puzzles and games
Tangrams, pattern puzzles and building blocks develop the same skills in a relaxed way.
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.
NRICH
Free visual and spatial puzzles from the University of Cambridge that build pattern-spotting skills.
Oak National Academy
Free primary geometry lessons on shape, symmetry, rotation and reflection.
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 (September 2027 entry)
- Ilford County High School, Year 7 admissions (minimum threshold score of 104)
- Buckinghamshire Council, Marking the Secondary Transfer Test
- The Latymer School, Year 7 admissions
- ISEB, What are the ISEB Common Pre-Tests (11+) and how do they work?
- GL Assessment, Quick data guide (standard age scores)