GL Assessment 11+ tests explained for parents - TheSchoolRun

GL Assessment was originally founded by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). While the two organisations are now separate, they continue to ... SkiptomaincontentNeedhelp?OpenContactusFAQsWhatoursubscriberssay...HowtovideosWhyjoin?MainmenuMainnavigationSubjectEnglishCreativewritingandfictionGrammarHandwritingNonfictionPhonicsPoetryandplaysReadingReadingcomprehensionSpellingWordpuzzlesMathsAdditionDecimalsDiagrams,tablesandchartsDivisionFractionsMentalmathsMoneymathsMultiplicationNumberpuzzlesNumbersandcountingPercentagesProbabilityandestimatesProportionandratioSpaceandshapeSubtractionTellingthetimeTimestablesWeightsandmeasurementsScienceInvestigativeskillsLifeandlivingthingsMaterialsPhysicalprocessesOthersubjectsArtComputingandICTDesignandtechnologyDramaGeographyHistoryLanguagesMusicPEPSHEReligiousEducation(RE)SATsSATsYear2SATsYear6KS1SATsKS2SATsOptionalSATsLevel6SATsSchoolYearNurseryNurseryEnglishNurseryMathsNurseryScienceReceptionReceptionEnglishReceptionMathsReceptionScienceYear1Year1EnglishYear1MathsYear1ScienceYear2Year2EnglishYear2MathsYear2SATsYear2ScienceYear3Year3EnglishYear3MathsYear3ScienceYear4Year4EnglishYear4MathsYear4ScienceYear5Year5EnglishYear5MathsYear5ScienceYear6Year6ScienceYear6SATsYear6MathsYear6EnglishElevenPlus(11+)EYFSEYFSScienceEYFSMathsEYFSEnglishKS1KeyStage1EnglishKeyStage1MathsKeyStage1SATsKeyStage1ScienceKS2KeyStage2EnglishKeyStage2MathsKeyStage2SATsKeyStage2ScienceTopicsSchoollifeApplicationsandappealsBacktoschoolBullyingChildcareforschool-agechildrenCommunicatingwithschoolCurriculumExamsandrevisionGiftedandtalentedHomeworkHowchildrenlearnLearningoutsideschoolStartingschoolTransitiontosecondaryschoolYouandyourchild'steacherSpecialeducationalneedsADHDAutisticspectrumDyscalculiaDysgraphiaDyslexiaDyspraxiaSENsystemLeisuretimeEducationaldaysoutFamilyandkids'activityholidaysHobbiesandplayReadingforpleasureSeasonalSummerandholidaylearningHealthChildren'sbehaviourChildren'shealthSocialandemotionalskillsHomeeducationEnglishMathsScienceOthersubjectsSupportandinformationLearningProgrammesEnglishNurseryEnglishLearningJourneyReceptionEnglishLearningJourneyYear1EnglishLearningJourneyYear2EnglishLearningJourneyYear3EnglishLearningJourneyYear4EnglishLearningJourneyYear5EnglishLearningJourneyYear6EnglishLearningJourneyMathsNurseryMathsLearningJourneyReceptionMathsLearningJourneyYear1MathsLearningJourneyYear2MathsLearningJourneyYear3MathsLearningJourneyYear4MathsLearningJourneyYear5MathsLearningJourneyYear6MathsLearningJourneyTopic11+LearningJourney7+LearningJourneyFractionsLearningJourneyHandwritingLearningJourneyKeyStage1SATsLearningJourneyKeyStage2SATsLearningJourneyLearningJourneyProgressChecksPhonicsLearningJourneySpellingLearningJourneyTellingtheTimeLearningJourneyTimesTablesLearningJourneyY6SATsChallengeLearningJourneyScienceNurseryScienceLearningJourneyReceptionScienceLearningJourneyYear1ScienceLearningJourneyYear2ScienceLearningJourneyYear3ScienceLearningJourneyYear4ScienceLearningJourneyYear5ScienceLearningJourneyYear6ScienceLearningJourneyProjectExplorerHistoryReligionScienceGeographyGlossariesMathsEnglishGrammarScienceComputingBookshopAlltitlesEnglishMathsSATsBundlesOtherReceptionYear1Year2Year3Year4Year5Year6HelpContactusFAQsWhatoursubscriberssay...PricingPricingHowtovideosWhyjoin?GLAssessment11+testsexplainedforparentsIt’soneofthemaindevelopersofgrammarschoolentranceexamsintheUK,butwhatdoGLAssessment’s11+testsinvolve?LoginorRegistertoaddtoyoursavedresourcesEverySeptember,thousandsofchildrenacrosstheUKsit11+teststodeterminewhetherthey’resuitableforagrammarschooleducation–andmanyofthesechildrenwilltaketestsdevelopedbyGLAssessment.‘Our11+testsareusedinaroundhalftheselectivesecondaryschoolsandlocalauthoritiesinEngland,’explainsDrIanHelm,wholeadsonthe11+withinGLAssessment.‘WealsoprovideoneofthetwoentranceassessmentsusedforadmissiontogrammarschoolsinNorthernIreland.’Whatdothetestsinvolve?Becauseschools’andlocalauthorities’requirementsvary,there’snosuchthingasaone-size-fits-all11+test.‘Ourcustomerstelluswhattheywanttotest,therequiredformatofthepaperandthelengthoftheexam,andwedesignatestthatmeetstheirspecificrequirementswhileensuringbestpracticeisfollowed,’saysIan.GLAssessment11+testsconsistofoneormoreoffourmainareas: Verbalreasoning(VR)andnon-verbalreasoning(NVR),whichhavebeenproventobethebestwaytopredictfutureacademicpotential.MathematicsandEnglish,whichprovideagoodandreliableindicationofcurrentachievement.‘VRandNVRtestsareagoodwaytoassess“pure”abilityastheydonotrelyonwhatyourchildhasalreadylearnt,’explainsIan.‘Thismeansthatthetestdoesnotdisadvantagechildrenwhohavehadfeweropportunitiestodevelopgoodreadingskillsandvocabularyattheirschool.’ PrepareYourChildForThe11+ExamEssential11+EnglishandmathsskillsVerbalandnon-verbalreasoningquestionsReadingcomprehensionworksheetsCLOZEtestworksheetsFindoutmoreSomeschoolsandareasalsouseEnglishand/ormaths11+tests.ThesearemainlybasedoncurriculumcontentcoveredduringtheearlypartofYear6,andaresometimesusedalongsideVRandNVRteststoestablishhowmuchpupilshaveachievedintheirschoolingsofar.AminorityofschoolsuseGLAssessmenttestsinconjunctionwiththeirowninternallywrittentests.Thisvariesfromschooltoschooldependingonhowtheyprefertoselecttheirpupils;someschoolsincludeanextendedwritingpaper,forexample.Howarethetestsdeveloped?AllofthequestionsonGLAssessment’s11+papersaretakenfromitsQuestionBank,asecurecollectionof13,000questionsthatiscontinuallybeingexpandedwithnewquestionsandquestiontypes.‘Eachquestionisthoroughlytrialledandvalidatedongroupsofpupilsbeforebeingapprovedforuse,’explainsIan.‘Ittakesustwoyearsforustoproduceanewtestpaperbecauseoncewehavewrittenit,wetrialitwithawiderangeofchildrenandourteamofstatisticiansanalysestheresultstoensurethereisnobiastowardsanygroup.’GLAssessment’sadmissionsteamismadeupofpeoplewhoarehighlytrainedandexperiencedinallaspectsofacademicresearchandselection.‘Theteamconsistsoftestcommissionerswhomakesurethecontentandlengthofthetestareright,developerswhocreatequestionsthatarefreefrombias,andstatisticianswhoexaminetheresultsandreportbacktoschools,’Iansays.‘Wealsohaveadedicatedteamthatisresponsiblefortriallingtestquestionsonstudentsbeforetheyareapprovedforuse.’AreGL11+teststhesameasNFERtests?YoumightwellhearthenamesGLAssessmentandNFERusedinterchangeablywhenpeopletalkaboutthe11+.GLAssessmentwasoriginallyfoundedbytheNationalFoundationforEducationalResearch(NFER).Whilethetwoorganisationsarenowseparate,theycontinuetoworktogetheronanumberofassessmentprojects,andtheNFERstillwritessomeofthequestionsforGLAssessment’s11+tests.Aresummer-bornchildrenatadisadvantage?Inanaverageschoolyeargroup,children’sageswillvarybyalmost12months,andtheoldestchildrenwilltypicallyachievehigher11+scoresthantheiryoungercounterparts.Thebestandfairestwaytodealwiththisissueistoage-standardisethetestresults.‘Thismeanswecanaccountfortheexactageofthepupilsothateverychildisonalevelplayingfield,’Iansays.Shouldmychildbetutoredorcoachedforthetest?‘Weadviseagainstcoachingyourchildforthetestbecauseitwillhavenorealimpactontheirperformance,’Iansays.‘Wevarythequestionspresentedoneachtesttoeliminateanyadvantagethatpupilscouldgainthroughtutoring,andwedonotpublishpast11+testpapersforthesamereason.’Familiarisation,ontheotherhand,isessential.‘Childrensittingthe11+areprobablyfacingtheirfirstformalexam,’Ianexplains.‘Everythingisunfamiliar–fromtheexamhalltomanagingtheirtimetothewaythepaperislaidout.Youwouldn’tenrolyourchildinswimminglessonswithoutacoupleoftripstotheswimmingpoolfirsttogetthemusedtothewater,andyoushouldn’tgetthemtositanimportantexamwithoutfamiliarisingthemwiththeformat.’Tothisend,GLAssessmentproduces alimitedrangeofpracticepapers,andalsoprovidesschoolsandlocalauthoritieswithfamiliarisationmaterialstosharewithparentsandchildren.WhatifI’munhappywithmychild’sresult?Speaktotheschoolinthefirstinstance.‘Eachschoolhasitsownappealsprocess,whichshouldbeoutlinedonitswebsitewithintheadmissionspolicy,’Iansays.‘Wedon’thandleindividualappealsdirectly,butwewillanswerqueriesfromschoolsinrelationtotheirownappealsprocesses.’MorelikethisThebeginner'sguidetothe11+Whatisverbalreasoning?Whatisnon-verbalreasoning?Yourregion-by-regionguidetothe11+DIY11+tutoring:theparents'guideVerbalandnon-verbalreasoning:anintroductionBeyourchild'sown11+tutor:yourstep-by-stepguideWhatisaclozetest?Toptipsforsurvivingthe11+Shoppingbasket0itemsViewbasketWorksheetfinderWorksheetfinderYear-Any-EYFS-Nursery-ReceptionKS1-Year1-Year2KS2-Year3-Year4-Year5-Year6-11PlusKS3Subject-Any-Maths-Addition-Decimals-Diagrams,tablesandcharts-Division-Fractions-Mentalmaths-Moneymaths-Multiplication-Numberpuzzles-Numbersandcounting-Percentages-Probabilityandestimates-Proportionandratio-Spaceandshape-Subtraction-Tellingthetime-Timestables-WeightsandmeasurementsEnglish-Creativewritingandfiction-Grammar-Handwriting-Nonfiction-Phonics-Poetryandplays-Reading-Readingcomprehension-Spelling-WordpuzzlesScience-Investigativeskills-Lifeandlivingthings-Materials-PhysicalprocessesOthersubjects-Art-PE-Designandtechnology-Drama-Geography-History-ComputingandICT-Music-PSHE-RE-LanguagesSATs-Level6SATs-OptionalSATs-Year2SATs-Year6SATs11PlusTheSchoolRunoffersparentsthousandsofprintableandinteractiveworksheets,coveringeveryaspectoftheprimarycurriculum.Theseareavailabletooursubscribersbutyoucantryafewforfreehere:FreeEnglishworksheetsFreeScienceworksheetsFreeMathsworksheetsFreeKS1andKS2SATSpapersTutorialfinderTutorialfinderYear-Any-EYFS-ReceptionKS1-Year1-Year2KS2-Year3-Year4-Year5-Year6Category-Any--Addition-Decimals-Diagrams,tablesandcharts-Division-Fractions-Mentalmaths-Moneymaths-Multiplication-Numberpuzzles-Numbersandcounting-Percentages-Probabilityandestimates-Proportionandratio-Spaceandshape-Subtraction-Tellingthetime-Timestables-WeightsandmeasurementsIneachinteractivetutorial,ourdigitalteacherexplainsthemethod,showsyouexamplesandthengivesyouachancetopractisewhatyou'velearned.Findoutmore.TutorialsareavailabletoTheSchoolRunsubscribersonlybutyoucantryforfree:Learningthe4timestable,LongmultiplicationandFindingmultiplesLearningpackfinderLearningpackfinderYear-Any--Reception-Year1-Year2-Year3-Year4-Year5-Year6Subject-Any-MathsEnglishScienceOthersubjectsSATs11PlusIfthereisaspecificareaoflearningyourchildneedssupportwith,ourpacksofferinformation,adviceandplentyofengagingpracticalactivities.WrittenbyteachersandexpertsandexclusivelyavailabletoTheSchoolRunsubscribers,learningpacks(each50+pageslong)arefunaswellaspractice-packed.JOINover250,000parents&getFREEresourcesandactivitiesforyourchild!EmailIacceptthetermsandconditionsOnceyousignup,wewillcreateaFREEaccountforyouonthesiteandemailyouactivitiesandoffers.Youcanunsubscribefromourmailinglistatanytime.PleasereadourprivacypolicyStartyour14-daytrialforFREEClickhereHowtouseTheSchoolRun TheLearningJourneyHomeworkGnomeLearningpacksandworkbooksPrimarySchooltestshomeworkgnomeTestimonials'MygranddaughterisenjoyingusingTheSchoolRunworksheetsandeBooks–theyreallydomakelearningfun.'-Moira,Tring'Thankyouforprovidingamuch-neededserviceforparentsandonewhichreallyrepresentedgoodvalueformoney.Iparticularlylovedyourhandwritingsectionsandthe‘LearningJourney’linksthatyouhavecreated.TherearenotmanyservicesIwouldpaytosubscribeto,andevenlessIwouldrecommend,butyoursisonewhichIdid!'-Nicola,Aberdeenshire'I’mnotonsocialmediabutjustwantedtoreachoutandsayIhavebeenrecommendingyoutoeveryoneIknow,withkidsofcourse!Yoursitehasbeenfantastic.It’snotonlyteachingmylittleonethings,it’sshowingmehowthingsshould’vebeendonewhenIwasyounger.Idowishyouwerearoundthen,asyourcontentisfantasticandmylittleboylooksforwardtoyourdailyworksheets.Learningdefinitelymadefun.Peoplearesoquicktomoanthesedays,soIwantedtosendanemailtosingmypraises.You’vehelpedmebecomemoreorganisedwiththescheduleofthings,butwithoutthepressureIwasputtingmyselfunderbefore.Wehavefunandlearn.'-Katie,Sevenoaks'I'mfindingyoursiteanabsolutelyfantasticresourcealongsidethestuffbeingsentfrommyson'sschool.WelovebeingabletokeeptrackofhisprogressonhisLearningJourneychecklist!'-Claire,KentViewmoretestimonialsCompetitionsWina1yearmembershiptoTappityandafreeliveclass!Sparkyourchild'scuriositywithat-homescienceexperiments,interactivevideos,andfungamescovering500+sciencetopics.EnterforachancetowinayearmembershiptoTappity,the#1scienceappforkids.WinaweekendcampingatTowerseyFestivalTowerseyisafestivalforeveryone,fromsmallkidstograndparents,aplaceyoucancreatefamilymemoriestogether.Enterforachancetowinacampingweekendwortharound£600!WinaFootballFantasticActivityBook!FootballFantasticActivityBookisamust-haveforanyfootiefan,filledwitheverythingyoucouldeverwanttoknowabouttheworld’sfavouritesportandthepeoplewhomakeitgreat.Enterforachancetowinacopyworth£6.99(rrp).Viewallourcompetitions