What Is the 11+ Exam? A Parent’s Guide to Getting Started 

If you have a child approaching secondary school age in Chester or the Wirral, you may already have heard other parents talking about the 11+.

But what exactly is it? What does your child need to learn? And when should you start thinking about preparation?

For families considering a grammar school or selective independent school, understanding the process early can make the whole experience feel much less overwhelming.

At OwlPath Academy, we support children in Years 3, 4 and 5 across Chester and the Wirral with structured 11+ preparation, starting from each child’s individual ability rather than following a one-size-fits-all programme.

What is the 11+?

The 11+ is an entrance assessment used by selective secondary schools to help determine whether a child is suited to the academic environment of the school.

Children usually take the assessment during Year 6, although preparation often begins earlier.

The exact format depends on the school or area your child is applying to. Assessments can include areas such as:

• Mathematics
• Verbal reasoning
• Non-verbal reasoning
• English and reading comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Problem solving
• Applying knowledge under timed conditions

This is why it is important to prepare for the specific schools and assessment your child will be applying for, rather than simply working through generic 11+ papers.

How does the 11+ work in the Wirral?

The Wirral’s non-faith grammar schools have recently moved to Quest Assessments as their 11+ assessment provider.

At the time of writing, the published Wirral assessment information lists verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics within the test. The assessment consists of two papers taken on the same day.

The four non-faith Wirral grammar schools work together as a consortium for the assessment process:

• Calday Grange Grammar School
• West Kirby Grammar School
• Wirral Grammar School for Boys
• Wirral Grammar School for Girls

Upton Hall School FCJ and St Anselm’s College have separate testing arrangements.

Assessment formats can change between cohorts, so parents should always check the latest admissions information for the year their child will be applying.

OwlPath’s tutors are experienced with Quest, GL Assessment, CEM and ISEB-style preparation, allowing us to support children applying to grammar and independent schools across Chester and the Wirral.

Does my child need to be taught things they don’t learn at school?

Some 11+ preparation builds directly on skills children are already learning in primary school, particularly maths and English.

However, children may have had much less experience with areas such as verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, advanced vocabulary and completing unfamiliar questions against the clock.

There is also an important difference between knowing how to answer a question and being able to answer it accurately and confidently in an examination environment.

Good 11+ preparation therefore isn’t simply about completing as many practice papers as possible.

It should build:

• Strong underlying maths and English skills
• Vocabulary
• Logical and analytical thinking
• Verbal and non-verbal reasoning
• Problem-solving ability
• Exam technique
• Time management
• Confidence

When should 11+ preparation begin?

There isn’t one correct starting age for every child.

Some children begin developing their foundations in Year 3, while others start structured preparation in Year 4 or Year 5.

At OwlPath, our programmes are divided by stage rather than expecting every child to begin from the same point.

Year 3 — Foundation

Year 3 preparation is deliberately low pressure.

The focus is on developing strong foundations through vocabulary, reading comprehension, early reasoning skills and number confidence.

Starting at this stage gives children plenty of time to develop skills gradually.

Year 4 — Foundation

Year 4 is a popular point to begin more structured 11+ preparation.

Children start developing across the different areas required for selective entrance exams while identifying and strengthening any weaker areas well before the exam year.

Year 5 — Advanced

Year 5 is the key preparation year for many students.

Preparation becomes more focused on advanced reasoning, curriculum knowledge, exam-standard questions, timed work and eventually mock exam conditions.

The most important thing isn’t simply when your child starts.

It is knowing where they are starting from.

Start with an assessment, not a guess

One of the biggest challenges for parents is knowing what their child actually needs help with.

A child may be excellent at maths but struggle with vocabulary.

Another may understand the material but lose marks because they work too slowly.

Another might have strong English skills but have never encountered non-verbal reasoning before.

That’s why every OwlPath 11+ student starts with a free 30-minute diagnostic assessment.

The assessment covers:

• English
• Maths
• Verbal reasoning
• Non-verbal reasoning

Parents receive a score in each area, a more detailed breakdown of individual skills and a personalised study roadmap.

You then have a free consultation with your child’s tutor to discuss the results and decide what type of preparation would suit them best.

What does 11+ tutoring involve?

At OwlPath, children can study through one-to-one or small-group tutoring, either online or in person.

Weekly 60-minute sessions are supported by targeted Smart Assignments between lessons, helping children continue developing the skills covered with their tutor.

Parents can also follow progress through the OwlPath Parent Dashboard, with quarterly assessments providing measurable checkpoints throughout the programme.

Rather than simply trying to complete more questions each week, the aim is to continually answer one question:

What does this child need to work on next?

Vocabulary matters too

Vocabulary can sometimes be overlooked in 11+ preparation.

However, a strong vocabulary supports verbal reasoning, comprehension and a child’s ability to understand increasingly challenging questions.

OwlPath’s Vocabulary Mastery programme complements weekly tutoring through short daily activities at home.

It includes 500+ words from the Quest Assessments vocabulary list, using daily missions, weak-word revision and XP-based rewards to encourage children to build their vocabulary consistently.

Thinking about the 11+?

If your child is currently in Year 3, Year 4 or Year 5 and you are considering grammar or independent schools in Chester or the Wirral, you don’t need to know exactly which tutoring programme they need before getting started.

The best first step is simply finding out where they are now.

Book a free OwlPath 11+ Diagnostic Assessment and receive a personalised study roadmap showing your child’s strengths, gaps and recommended next steps.