11 Plus Maths — Complete Preparation Guide for Parents
The 11 Plus is sat in September or October of Year 6 — meaning all preparation must be complete before secondary school applications close. GL Assessment is now used by the majority of grammar schools across England including Birmingham, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Essex and Lincolnshire. The maths component goes significantly beyond the Year 6 national curriculum, testing topics that primary schools do not teach.
What Your Child Will Learn in 11 Plus Maths
⚠ Topics beyond the national curriculum — require dedicated tuition
What Children Often Find Difficult
What children struggle with
Common mistakes to watch for
How You Can Help at Home
GL Assessment — not CEM
GL Assessment is used by most grammar schools after CEM exited the traditional 11 Plus market in 2022. Ensure all preparation material and mock papers match the GL Assessment format for 2025/2026 entry.
Start tuition in Year 5
The exam sits in September or October of Year 6 — starting in September Year 6 is too late for significant improvement. Two years of structured preparation from Year 5 is the recommended approach.
Timed practice from Year 5
The GL Assessment maths paper is timed and covers beyond-curriculum topics. Timed GL-style mock papers from Year 5 summer build the speed and exam technique that worksheet practice alone cannot provide.
GL Assessment — Grammar & Selective School Entrance
GL Assessment is used by the majority of grammar schools in England including Birmingham, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Essex and Lincolnshire. Papers cover verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and maths. The exam is timed, taken in school, and there are no retakes. Most grammar and selective independent schools use GL Assessment format for 2025 and 2026 entry.
Example Homework Questions
Question
A train travels 180 miles in 3 hours. What is its average speed?
Expected Answer
60 mph
Skill Tested
Speed, distance and time (not taught in KS2)
Question
A bag has 3 red, 5 blue and 2 green balls. What is the probability of picking a blue ball?
Expected Answer
5/10 = ½
Skill Tested
Probability (not taught in KS2)
Question
The mean of 5 numbers is 12. Four of them are 8, 14, 11 and 15. What is the fifth?
Expected Answer
12
Skill Tested
Mean from a set of numbers (not taught in KS2)
Is Your Child On Track for the 11 Plus? Find Out Now
Out of School tracks performance across all 11 Plus maths topics — including the ones not covered in school. Parents can see exactly which topics have been practised, where gaps exist in the beyond-curriculum content, and how close their child is to GL Assessment standard. Preparation starts in Year 5. Do not leave it until Year 6.
Topic-by-topic tracking
See which curriculum areas are strong and which need work — broken down by individual topic, not just a single percentage.
Homework visibility
Every piece of homework set is visible to parents in real time — questions, answers, and accuracy — as soon as the session ends.
Tutor reports
After every session, parents receive a progress update covering what was covered, what went well, and what to focus on next.