What GL tests
GL Assessment sets the 11+ for most grammar school catchments outside the FSCE regions. It's the pattern most parents mean when they say “the 11+”:
- Paper 1 — English and Verbal Reasoning (typically 1 hour, ~50 questions)
- Paper 2 — Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning (typically 1 hour, ~50 questions)
Answers are multiple-choice on a separate sheet. Content is based on the national curriculum up to the beginning of Year 6, with additional vocabulary, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning content that isn't directly taught in primary school.
How Keystral prepares your child
- Four-subject daily plan. Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, each paced to your child's actual mastery.
- Full-mock fidelity. Two-paper GL-shaped mock exams with proper section timing, not just timed question blocks.
- Pattern library. Every major VR and NVR type — cloze, analogies, codes, matrices, folded shapes, hidden shapes, reflections — with scaffolded hints and explanations.
- Writing that gets marked. Even where GL doesn't formally test writing, good comprehension depends on good writing; our rubric-based feedback helps on both sides of the paper.
Other exam formats
If your child's target schools use a different provider, we also support FSCE, used by Reading School, Chelmsford CCHS, the West Yorkshire cluster and the Gloucestershire G7 from 2027.