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Parent Guides

Clear, source-led guidance on 11+ tests, applications and decisions for families.

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The guide that frames the rest of this topic.

What is the 11+? A practical parent guide to tests, subjects and applications

Understand what the 11+ is, why formats differ by area, which subjects may appear and how testing fits into the grammar-school application process.

  • 5 min read

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Parent Guides guides

The CAT4 Test: What Schools Use It For and How Practice Helps

GL Assessment advises against CAT4 practice while prep sites sell it. The contradiction dissolves once you know whether your child is sitting a diagnostic CAT4 or an admissions one.

Read15 minPublished

The ISEB Common Pre-Test: Format, Timing and How to Prepare

A source-led explainer of the ISEB Common Pre-Test: the current timings, how the adaptive engine really works, free sample questions for all four sub-tests, and why parents never see the score.

Read13 minPublished

What Is the FSCE 11 Plus Exam? Format, Skills and Preparation

FSCE runs four named papers across eleven Key Stage 2 subjects, with audio instructions and no authorised past papers. Here is what the official Familiarisation Guides actually say.

Read13 minPublished

11 Plus Results Day: Understanding the Letter and Your Options

A region-by-region guide to 11 plus results dates and qualifying scores, and the full sequence from the results letter to the 31 October application deadline, National Offer Day and grammar school appeals.

Read10 minPublished

GL Assessment, CEM and ISEB: Which 11 Plus Exam Will Your Child Sit

Most 11+ guides explain GL Assessment and stop there. This one compares all five boards UK parents actually meet, and shows how format changes the way you prepare.

Read13 minPublished

The 11 Plus Exam: What It Is, Who Sits It and How It Works

The 11 plus is not one exam. It is roughly fifteen different tests sharing a name, and which one your child sits depends entirely on your postcode. Here is how to find yours.

Read13 minPublished

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The free diagnostic covers Maths, English, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning. No card is required.