Your chance to see samples of the questions asked in the 11 Plus exam; Difficulty levels of Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Assessing the relative difficulty of the 11 Plus exam poses a challenge due to the absence of nationally published data on the number of students taking the exam or the proportion who successfully secure a spot in grammar schools as a result. It's worth noting that online statistics related to this topic can often be manipulated to support either the proponents or opponents of selective education.
Nonetheless, we can deduce from available data that approximately 20% of the country's population resides in areas where selective education, specifically grammar school education, is practiced. Out of the total population, approximately 5% of students attend grammar schools. Consequently, when we apply basic mathematics, it suggests that roughly 1 in 4 children living in grammar school areas manage to secure admission to a grammar school, while the remainder typically attend comprehensive schools.
It's important to keep in mind that in an 'average' primary school class, roughly a quarter of the students, typically the most academically accomplished, are offered places in grammar schools. However, this average should be viewed cautiously, as some schools achieve significantly higher acceptance rates, while others may have considerably lower rates.
It is always worth talking to your primary school to see what their 'Pass rate' is.
National average figures for 11 Plus exam pass rates and grammar school admissions are unavailable, and attempting to calculate such averages would be a complex and challenging task.
Probably the most important thing to remember is that the chances of gaining admission to a grammar school are significantly influenced by a student's academic performance at the primary school level. Higher achievement in primary school invariably improves the odds of securing a place in a grammar school, assuming that is the desired outcome.
The first step should be to carefully check which subjects are tested at your particular school, and you can easily do this on our Grammar School Exam Subjects page.
Your primary school will probably go a long way towards preparing for Maths and English, but Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning almost certainly deserve extra attention. See our informative 11 Plus Subject Guide to gain an overview of the requirements.
In many instances, the questions in the exam will be in a multiple-choice format, but there may also be occasions where answers must be computed from scratch. It is essential to remember one critical piece of advice: when approaching the end of the exam session, children should always make an educated guess on any remaining multiple-choice questions. This approach increases the chances of adding extra points to the total score.
If your child is in the top quartile of his/her year group for maths and English, then you are well on the way. Practice of Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning can be accomplished with Online Courses and Materials or by enlisting the help of a private tutor.
In the upcoming sections, we will present sample questions from the primary 11-Plus subject areas commonly assessed nationwide. These examples should provide you with a sense of the expected level of proficiency. However, it's important to keep in mind that no child is expected to answer every question with 100% accuracy.
This is arguably the most important section of the 11 Plus exam (it is the most widely used) and it commands the largest section on the Education Quizzes website. We have 180 11 Plus Maths quizzes(1,800 questions) to give you all the practice you need.
The questions below are at the upper end of the difficulty expected.
While primary schools typically provide comprehensive coverage of this subject, we aim to ensure thorough preparation by offering a total of 75 11 Plus English quizzes for practice sessions.
The questions below cover a broad spectrum of the questions likely to be asked.
We have 120 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning quizzes to give you sufficient practice in this important part of most 11 Plus tests.
The questions below illustrate the level of difficulty. See the quiz questions at the link above to see more clearly how these will be presented in the exam.
This part of the 11 Plus tends to pose the greatest challenges for students, and it's the area that parents often find most concerning. Initially, these questions might appear quite daunting, but with consistent practice, they become more manageable. Regularly practicing with our 11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning quizzes will prepare you thoroughly for the test.
An example of an "Analogy" Question:
An example of a "Code Breaker" Question:
An Example a "Complete the Series" Question:
An example of a "Matrices" Question:
An Example of an "Odd One Out" Question:
An example of a "Shapes and Letters" Question:
An example of a "Similar Shapes" Question: