11+ Exam Timeline: What to Expect Year by Year

Preparing for the 11+ can feel like a maze of dates, registration windows, and regional differences. This guide walks through the journey from Year 4 through exam day, so you know what's coming and when.

Year 4: Getting Your Bearings

There's no need to start formal preparation yet, but Year 4 is a good time to do some groundwork.

• Research your local system. Grammar school admissions vary significantly by area. Some regions use GL Assessment, others use CEM-style tests (now run by different providers depending on the consortium), and a few areas set their own papers. Check your local authority or grammar school websites to understand what applies to you.
• Build reading habits. A strong vocabulary and comfort with unfamiliar words gives children a real head start, and this develops best through regular, varied reading rather than cramming.

For practical reading and word habits that fit into an ordinary evening, see our guide on how to improve your child's vocabulary for the 11+.

Year 5: The Main Preparation Year

This is typically when structured preparation begins in earnest.

• Autumn to spring: Introduce practice materials gradually. Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths, and English are the usual components, though the exact mix depends on your local test provider.
• Spring to summer: Increase pace and introduce timed conditions. Children benefit from getting used to working under a clock well before the real thing.
• Consider a tutor or class, if it suits your family. This is a personal decision, not a requirement. Some children do perfectly well with parent-led preparation and good resources.
• Keep an eye on registration dates. Some areas open registration surprisingly early, sometimes before the summer holidays, so it's worth checking your local authority's timeline now rather than waiting until September.

Wondering how vocabulary work should shift as your child gets closer to the exam? Read 11+ Vocabulary by Age: What to Focus on at 8, 9, and 10.

Year 6, Early Autumn: Registration and Final Preparation

• September: Registration typically opens for most areas. Deadlines vary and can be strict, so mark them clearly in your calendar. Missing a registration window can mean missing the exam entirely.
• September and October: Final revision push. This is a good period to focus on exam technique, gap-filling weaker areas, and building confidence rather than introducing new content.
• Familiarise your child with the format. If possible, find out whether the exam is paper-based or on a computer, since some areas have moved to online testing, and this can affect how a child should prepare.

Year 6, Exam Period: September Through January

Exact dates depend heavily on your region, so always confirm with your local authority or the specific schools you're applying to.

• Early sittings (September to October): Many GL Assessment areas hold exams in September, shortly after the school year starts.
• Later sittings (November onward): Some areas, and some independent or “super-selective” grammar schools with their own admissions tests, sit exams later in the autumn term.
• Multiple exams are common. Families applying to more than one grammar school, or to both a local authority test and an individual school's own entrance exam, may find their child sitting several different papers across a few weeks.
• Look after wellbeing during this stretch. It's a demanding period for a ten or eleven year old. Keeping some normal routine, downtime, and reassurance in place matters as much as last-minute revision.

Late Autumn to Winter: The Waiting Period

• Results are usually released in the autumn term, though timing varies by area (some in October, others closer to December).
• This can be an anxious wait. It helps to talk with your child about what different outcomes might mean in practical terms, so the result itself, whatever it is, doesn't feel like the only measure of their worth.

Late Autumn: The Secondary School Application

• Regardless of 11+ results, you'll still need to complete the standard secondary school application, usually by the end of October, listing your school preferences in order.
• 11+ results typically arrive before this deadline in most areas, so you can factor them into your choices, but check your local authority's timeline to be sure the sequencing works the way you expect.

March: National Offer Day

• National Offer Day, 1 March (or the next working day if it falls on a weekend), is when secondary school places are confirmed nationally.
• If your child didn't pass, or didn't get their preferred school, options remain, including appeals, waiting lists, and looking again at other good schools that may not have been the first choice.
• Appeals processes have their own deadlines and procedures, usually set out clearly by the school or local authority in the offer letter, so it's worth reading this carefully as soon as it arrives.

A Note on Regional Variation

This timeline is a general shape, not a fixed calendar. The 11+ landscape differs considerably between areas such as Kent, Buckinghamshire, Essex, and the various London boroughs with grammar schools. Always check the specific dates and requirements published by your local authority or target schools rather than relying solely on general guides like this one.

Wondering what to focus on at your child's age? Read: 11+ Vocabulary by Age: What to Focus on at 8, 9, and 10

Curious how GL and CEM-style papers test vocabulary? Read: What Vocabulary Is Actually Tested in the 11+?