Buckinghamshire's 11-plus, officially the Secondary Transfer Test, is set by GL Assessment — the same national provider used in areas like Trafford and Wirral, but with its own Buckinghamshire-specific papers. It measures verbal, non-verbal and mathematical skills across two one-hour papers, sat in September of Year 6.
Buckinghamshire uses GL Assessment — a different provider from Kent and Essex
Where Kent commissions a bespoke test and Essex's ten grammar and bilateral schools write their own CSSE papers, Buckinghamshire buys into GL Assessment — the UK's largest school-assessment publisher, used across a number of selective local authorities including Buckinghamshire, Trafford, Wirral, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. GL Assessment sets the Buckinghamshire papers specifically for the county, so the format is broadly similar to GL's approach elsewhere, but the exact question mix is set for the local cohort.
Buckinghamshire Council's own admissions pages describe the Secondary Transfer Test as measuring verbal, non-verbal and mathematical skills — there is deliberately no creative writing component, which is a real point of difference from the Kent Test's separate writing task.
What format is the Buckinghamshire 11-plus?
According to Buckinghamshire Council's admissions guidance, the test runs as follows:
| Stage | What it involves | Approx. length |
|---|---|---|
| Practice test | A shorter familiarisation sitting, so the child knows what to expect before the real thing | Sat around two days before the main test |
| Paper 1 & Paper 2 | Two papers, sat on the same day with a break between them, together covering verbal reasoning combined with English comprehension, maths, and non-verbal reasoning | Each about one hour |
All answers are recorded on separate multiple-choice answer sheets, which are marked electronically — there is no examiner discretion over borderline handwriting or presentation the way there can be with a written task.
Scoring and the 2026–27 cycle
Buckinghamshire Council's admissions pages confirm the qualifying threshold directly: a child needs a standardised score of at least 121 to be considered eligible for a Buckinghamshire grammar school place. As with other areas, this is a standardised score adjusted for the child's age in months, not a raw mark out of 100.
For the 2026 cycle — testing for September 2027 entry, covering children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 — the pattern is:
- Registration (for families who need to register): opens 1 May 2026, closes 2 June 2026
- Practice test: 8 September 2026
- Main Secondary Transfer Test: 10 September 2026
- Results: released mid-October 2026
As always, check Buckinghamshire Council's own admissions pages for the live dates before relying on any single cycle's timetable, since registration windows have shifted by a few days between years.
Who needs to register separately?
Children at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary schools are generally entered for the Secondary Transfer Test automatically, as part of the school's normal process. Families need to register directly with Buckinghamshire Council if their child is:
- at an independent school (in or outside Buckinghamshire)
- living outside Buckinghamshire and opting in to the test
- home-educated
Because these registration routes fall outside the automatic school process, it's worth confirming your child's status directly with Buckinghamshire Council well before the registration window closes, rather than assuming the school will handle it.
This split matters in practice more than families expect. A common mistake is assuming that because a child attends a Buckinghamshire school, no separate action is needed at all — but families who move house into the county partway through Year 5 or 6, or whose child moves from an independent school into a state one, can fall into a grey area where the automatic process doesn't quite apply. If in doubt, contact Buckinghamshire Council's admissions team directly and ask them to confirm your child's registration status, rather than assuming it has been handled.
FAQ
What provider runs the Buckinghamshire 11-plus?
GL Assessment sets the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test, the same national provider used in several other selective local authorities, though Buckinghamshire's papers are set specifically for its own cohort.
What is the pass mark or qualifying score for Buckinghamshire grammar schools?
Buckinghamshire Council's own guidance states that a standardised score of at least 121 is needed to be considered eligible for a grammar school place. This is an age-standardised score rather than a raw mark, and the exact figure can be revisited by the council over time, so always check the current cycle's published threshold.
Does the Buckinghamshire 11-plus include a written English task?
No. Unlike the Kent Test, which includes a separate 40-minute creative writing task, the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test has no creative writing component — it is entirely multiple-choice, covering verbal reasoning combined with English comprehension, maths and non-verbal reasoning.
Can children who live outside Buckinghamshire sit the test?
Yes. Families living outside Buckinghamshire can opt in and register directly with Buckinghamshire Council to sit the Secondary Transfer Test, though — as with any out-of-area application — registration deadlines and processes can differ from those for Buckinghamshire-resident families, so confirm directly with the council.
Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are skills most children haven't met in the classroom before sitting the 11-plus — aitutors.me can help build that confidence alongside everyday KS2 maths and English.