There is no single "the 11+" — different local authorities use different providers, papers, timings and pass-mark systems. Kent runs its own test, Essex uses a schools' consortium, and Buckinghamshire uses GL Assessment, so advice written for one area rarely transfers directly to another.
Why "the 11+" isn't one exam
Across England, there are 163 state grammar schools spread across 36 local authorities, educating roughly 167,000 pupils — and no new grammar schools are permitted to open, though existing ones can expand. What surprises a lot of parents is how concentrated that provision is: roughly 60% of all grammar school places sit in just 11 of those 36 local authorities. Kent alone accounts for 36 of the 163 grammar schools nationally — more than any other single area by a wide margin.
That concentration matters because it means the "11+" most families encounter online — in forums, tutoring marketing, generic practice-paper packs — is really shorthand for several genuinely different regional systems, not one national exam with local branding.
Three different providers, three different tests
Broadly, an area's 11+ falls into one of three models:
- GL Assessment — an independent publisher and the UK's largest school-assessment provider, used by most 11+ local authorities, including Buckinghamshire, Trafford, Wirral, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire
- CEM — used by some other 11+ areas, and worth a correction here: CEM has been part of Cambridge Assessment / Cambridge University Press & Assessment since 2019, when it was jointly acquired from Durham University. It is no longer a Durham University unit, even though its team remains based in North East England and older articles still describe it that way
- A bespoke local consortium or authority-run test — Kent County Council commissions its own papers directly, and Essex's ten selective and bilateral schools write and mark their own shared test through the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE)
None of these three models share a test, a scoring scale, or necessarily a timetable.
Kent, Essex and Buckinghamshire, side by side
To make the scale of the difference concrete, here's how three real areas compare for the 2026 cycle (September 2027 entry):
| Area | Provider | Format | 2026 test date | Qualifying score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | Bespoke, commissioned by Kent County Council | English & maths paper, reasoning paper, plus a 40-minute creative writing task | 10 Sept (Kent-schooled) / 12–13 Sept (out-of-county) | Aggregate 332+, with no subject below 106 |
| Essex (CSSE) | Written by the consortium of 10 member schools | English (60 min + 10 min reading) and maths (60 min) papers | 19 Sept | Standardised score of 303+ |
| Buckinghamshire | GL Assessment | Two ~60-minute multiple-choice papers covering verbal reasoning/English and maths/non-verbal reasoning | 10 Sept | Standardised score of 121+ |
Read that table carefully and the point makes itself: three genuinely comparable "11+" systems produce three completely different scoring scales (332 out of 423, 303, and 121), three different paper structures, and — for Kent specifically — different test dates depending on whether the child is Kent-schooled or applying from outside the county. See our full write-ups on the Kent Test, the Essex CSSE test and the Buckinghamshire 11-plus for the detail behind each.
What this means for your family
If you're preparing a child for the 11+, the single most important step isn't buying a practice-paper bundle — it's confirming exactly which test your target school or local authority actually uses. A verbal reasoning question-type list written for a GL Assessment area won't reliably match Kent's bespoke reasoning paper. A qualifying-score number quoted for Essex tells you nothing about whether your child is on track for Buckinghamshire. And a registration deadline that applies to families in one county may not apply to a family applying into a neighbouring grammar school from outside it.
Always confirm details directly with your own local authority's or target school's admissions pages, rather than assuming a neighbouring area's rules — or a friend's experience from a different county — apply to you. For the general mechanics that do carry across most areas (registering, the standard council application, oversubscription criteria and appeals), see our guide on how to apply for a grammar school place; for how the scoring systems themselves actually work, see how grammar school pass marks work.
FAQ
Is the 11-plus the same test everywhere in England?
No. Different local authorities use different providers — GL Assessment, CEM (now part of Cambridge Assessment), or a bespoke local test such as Kent's or Essex's CSSE — with different papers, timings and scoring systems. There is no single national 11+ exam.
Which areas use GL Assessment, CEM or a bespoke test?
GL Assessment covers the largest number of 11+ areas, including Buckinghamshire, Trafford, Wirral, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. CEM (part of Cambridge Assessment since 2019) is used by some other areas. Kent and Essex are notable exceptions that run their own bespoke tests rather than buying in a commercial provider.
Why do qualifying scores differ so much between areas — 303 in Essex vs 121 in Buckinghamshire vs 332 in Kent?
Because each area's test uses its own scoring scale, set by its own provider or consortium — the numbers aren't directly comparable to each other. A score of 303 under Essex's CSSE system and 121 under Buckinghamshire's GL Assessment system can both represent a genuinely strong result; see our guide on how grammar school pass marks work for the standardisation mechanics behind this.
How do I find out which 11-plus test my area actually uses?
Check your local authority's own school admissions pages directly, or the specific grammar school's admissions page if you're applying out of area. Don't rely on generic "11+ guide" content that doesn't name your specific local authority, since format, timing and scoring genuinely vary by region.
Whatever test your area uses, the reasoning skills underneath the 11-plus — spotting patterns, working with words and numbers under time pressure — are the same. See how aitutors.me can help build them.