What Is GL Assessment?
GL Assessment is the UK's largest provider of 11+ entrance exams, producing the test sat by the majority of state grammar school applicants in England each year. If your child is applying to a grammar school, there's a good chance "GL" is the exam board behind the paper they'll sit.
GL Assessment's 11+ tests cover up to four subjects — English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning — set at a level above the standard Key Stage 2 curriculum. The papers are paper-based (not computer-based) and non-adaptive, meaning every child answers exactly the same questions rather than the test adjusting to each answer. That consistency is one of the main reasons GL Assessment is considered more predictable, and more coachable, than some of the alternatives.
Key Takeaways
- GL Assessment is the dominant 11+ provider in England, used by most state grammar schools.
- It grew further after 2023, when CEM withdrew from paper-based grammar testing and most former-CEM areas switched to GL.
- Tests up to four subjects — English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning — usually in separate papers.
- Scoring is age-standardised around a mean of 100, with most grammar schools requiring 110–121+ to qualify.
- Format is consistent year to year, which is why structured practice with real question types works well for GL specifically.
History — From NFER to GL Assessment
GL Assessment's roots go back to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), a long-established UK educational research body. In 2001, NFER's testing and assessment arm was acquired by the media company Granada Learning — which is where the "GL" in GL Assessment comes from. NFER itself continued as, and remains today, a separate, independent research charity; it no longer produces the 11+ test.
GL Assessment is now part of the Renaissance Learning group, alongside other assessment and education-technology products. Despite changing ownership over the years, the 11+ testing side of the business has kept a broadly consistent approach — separate subject papers, a defined question bank, and officially published familiarisation materials — which is a large part of why families and tutors alike find it easier to prepare for than some newer, less predictable formats.
Which Schools and Regions Use GL Assessment?
GL Assessment papers, or GL-style tests run under a local name, are used across most of England's grammar school regions. The table below covers the main areas, though schools and local authorities can and do change providers, so always confirm directly with your target school.
| Region | Notes |
|---|---|
| Kent | The "Kent Test" — one of the largest fully selective areas, around 32 grammar schools |
| Buckinghamshire | 13 grammar schools; automatic entry with an opt-out system |
| Birmingham & West Midlands | King Edward VI Foundation schools (Aston, Camp Hill, Five Ways, Handsworth and others) |
| Warwickshire | Full GL Assessment format across the county's grammar schools |
| Lincolnshire | GL Assessment, though not every subject is tested in every area |
| Trafford & Greater Manchester | GL Assessment across Trafford's grammar schools |
| Sutton, Wirral, Medway | GL Assessment or GL-based local tests (Medway Test) |
| Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire | GL Assessment used across selective schools in these counties |
| Slough, Shropshire, Walsall, Wolverhampton | Former CEM areas — switched to GL Assessment following CEM's 2023 withdrawal |
Note: Arrangements do change. Bexley, for example, moved away from GL Assessment to Quest Assessments for 2026 entry — a reminder to confirm the current provider with your specific target school rather than relying on last year's information, or a sibling's experience from a few years ago.
GL Assessment Exam Format
GL Assessment 11+ papers are almost always multiple-choice, with answers marked on a separate answer sheet using pencil and processed by Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) scanning — some regions and independent schools use a "standard format" instead, where answers are written directly into a small box. Each subject paper typically runs 45–50 minutes, and a full testing session — covering however many subjects your target school tests — usually takes somewhere between 2.5 and 4 hours including breaks, spread across one morning or, in some areas, two separate sittings.
There is no negative marking on GL Assessment papers. A blank answer scores zero, while a guess always has a chance of being right — so children should be taught to attempt every question, even under time pressure, rather than leave gaps.
Because papers are drawn from a defined, published question bank and each subject is tested separately, the format itself changes very little from year to year. This is the single biggest practical difference from CEM-style testing, and it's why genuinely representative practice papers make such a measurable difference for GL Assessment specifically.
Subjects Tested in GL Assessment
Not every school or region tests all four subjects — the exact combination is set locally — but between them, GL Assessment papers cover:
📖 English
Reading comprehension plus spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG).
- A comprehension passage, roughly two pages long
- "Complete the sentence" and "spot the mistake" SPaG questions
- Often a word-choice / vocabulary section
- Around 50 minutes, ~80 questions typical
🔢 Mathematics
Key Stage 2 curriculum, including some Year 6 content, with problem-solving.
- Around 50 questions in 50 minutes
- Number questions are the most frequent type
- Measurement, data handling, geometry
- Multi-step word problems
🗣️ Verbal Reasoning
Word- and language-based logic, largely untaught in primary school.
- Around 21 published GL question types
- Word codes, analogies, letter sequences
- Synonyms, antonyms, hidden words
- Rewards learning a method per question type
🧩 Non-Verbal Reasoning
Pattern, shape and spatial logic.
- Sequences, matrices and codes
- Shape rotation and reflection
- Odd-one-out and pattern spotting
- Rewards familiarity over raw ability alone
How GL Assessment Scoring Works
GL Assessment uses a Standardised Age Score (SAS) rather than reporting raw marks. Here's what that actually means:
- Raw marks are converted onto a standardised scale centred on 100 (the national average), with a standard deviation of 15.
- An age adjustment is applied based on the child's exact age in months, so a summer-born child isn't disadvantaged against an autumn-born classmate who is, in effect, up to a year older.
- Scores typically range from around 60 to 141, with 141 representing roughly the top 1% of the cohort nationally.
Because every school and consortium sets its own qualifying threshold, there is no single national "pass mark". As a rough guide: 110–115 is often the minimum needed for grammar school entry, 120+ is a stronger target for most areas, and some super-selective schools require 130 or above. The Kent Test, for instance, combines scores across three papers with its own overall threshold, while other consortia set a single-paper cutoff. Always check your target school's specific published admissions criteria rather than relying on a general rule of thumb.
Worth knowing: Most families only receive a pass/qualify indication rather than a detailed mark breakdown, and in many areas a qualifying score doesn't guarantee a place if the school is oversubscribed — it simply makes your child eligible to be considered.
GL Assessment vs CEM — What Changed in 2023
For years, GL Assessment and CEM (the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, based at Durham University) were the two dominant 11+ providers, and a lot of older advice online still frames them as ongoing, roughly equal alternatives. That's now out of date.
CEM withdrew from paper-based grammar school 11+ testing in 2023. Areas that previously used CEM — including Slough, Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton — have since moved to GL Assessment or, in a small number of cases, other providers. CEM continues to exist, but now offers only an online computer-based assessment (Cambridge Select Insight), used by a limited number of independent schools rather than state grammar admissions.
| GL Assessment | CEM (historically) | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Separate paper per subject | Mixed subjects within one timed paper |
| Predictability | Consistent, defined question bank | Deliberately varied year to year |
| Practice materials | Official familiarisation papers published | Never published past papers |
| Status in 2026 | Dominant provider for state grammar admissions | Withdrew from paper-based grammar testing in 2023 |
The practical takeaway: if your family has older CEM-focused practice materials from an older sibling, or advice from a few years ago naming CEM as your local area's provider, it's worth double-checking with the school directly — the ground has genuinely shifted since 2023, and your child is now considerably more likely to be sitting GL Assessment than the CEM-style test that older resources describe.
Key Dates for GL Assessment 2026 Entry
Exact dates vary by region and consortium, but the pattern below holds for most GL Assessment areas:
| Stage | Typical timing |
|---|---|
| Registration opens | Spring/summer term of Year 5 (around May–July) |
| Registration closes | Late summer — some areas have short windows |
| Exam sat | First two weeks of September, Year 6 |
| Results released | Mid-October |
| Secondary application (CAF) deadline | 31 October |
| National Offer Day | 1 March 2027 |
You register either directly with the grammar school or through your local authority's consortium arrangement, depending on the area. Because registration windows can be tight and are easy to miss, confirm the exact dates for your specific target schools during the spring term of Year 5 rather than waiting until the summer holidays.
How to Prepare for GL Assessment
GL Assessment rewards structured, well-paced preparation more reliably than any other 11+ format, precisely because its question types are consistent and well documented. A practical approach:
- Confirm the format with your target school. Check exactly which subjects are tested locally — not every GL area tests all four.
- Build foundations first (Year 4 / early Year 5). Secure times tables, daily reading and a strong core vocabulary before introducing reasoning question types.
- Learn the Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning question types systematically. With around 21 published VR formats alone, working through each one until it's instantly recognisable pays off far more than generic practice.
- Practise little and often. Three or four short, focused sessions a week beat occasional long ones, and help avoid burnout well before exam day.
- Introduce timed papers from the Year 5 summer term. Build speed and stamina gradually, starting with generous time limits.
- Sit full mock exams and review every mistake. Understanding why an answer was wrong — not just marking it wrong — is what drives real improvement.
For a broader month-by-month plan across all subjects, see our complete 11 plus preparation guide, and try 11 plus mock exams under timed conditions before the real thing. When you're ready to start targeted GL-specific practice, ExamTutor's GL Assessment practice papers come with tutor-led video walkthroughs for every question — covering English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning across all the regions above.