Free 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers and Answers

Prepare for the 11 Plus with free practice papers and expert preparation advice from The Exam Coach. Browse papers by school, subject and exam board; identify the key skills your child needs to improve before exam day.

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1. 11 Plus Free Practice Papers Starter Set

2. This Week’s Free 11+ Practice Paper

3. Free 11 Plus Practice Paper Marking Service

4. How To Use 11 Plus Practice Papers

5. 11+ Revision Packs

6. 11+ Past Papers

7. 11+ Mock Exam Conditions Guidance

8. Find More 11+ Practice Papers and Recommendations For Your Target School

A new 11 Plus practice paper is sent out every Friday via our email newsletter. You can sign up for a new test paper weekly below.

11 Plus Free Practice Papers Starter Set

We’ve gathered together a selection of our own 11 Plus practice papers to help your child build confidence across the core 11 Plus subjects. These papers are designed to introduce the key question types commonly found in grammar school and independent school entrance exams.

11 Plus English Comprehension & Creative Writing

11+ Independent Style English Paper 3

11+ Independent Style English Paper 3 Model Answers

11+ Independent Style English Paper 3 Mark Scheme

11 Plus Verbal Reasoning

11+ ISEB Common Pre-Test Verbal Reasoning Paper 4

11+ ISEB Common Pre-Test Verbal Reasoning Paper 4 Answering Booklet

11+ ISEB Common Pre-Test Verbal Reasoning Paper 4 Answers

11 Plus Maths

11+ CEM Mathematics Paper 8

11+ CEM Mathematics Paper 8 Answering Booklet

11+ CEM Mathematics Paper 8 Answers

This Week’s Free 11 Plus Practice Paper

Every week we release a new free 11 Plus practice paper on our website. These papers are updated regularly based on student performance and the latest exam trends to ensure they remain realistic and challenging.

Enter your email below to receive our latest free paper each week.

11+ GL Mathematics Paper 6

11+ GL Mathematics Paper 6 Answering Booklet

11+ GL Mathematics Paper 6 Answers

Free 11 Plus Practice Paper Marking Service

We provide a free marking service when your child completes our 11 Plus English Readiness Check.

If your child is preparing for an 11 Plus English comprehension, verbal reasoning or creative writing exam, having a specialist marker review their work can make a huge difference.

With maths, parents can often use mark schemes to identify mistakes and skill gaps. English is much more difficult to assess independently. Many mark schemes are subjective, making it hard to pinpoint the exact skills preventing a child from reaching a higher score.

That’s where we help. 11 Plus English is our specialist area.

Enter your email above to receive a free 11 Plus English Readiness Check today.

How To Use 11 Plus Practice Papers

Practice papers are one of the most effective ways to prepare for the 11 Plus — but only when used strategically and thoughtfully. Here are the most common questions parents ask.

What age should preparation begin?

• Most children begin light preparation in Year 3 or early Year 4.

• More focused exam preparation usually starts in Year 4 or Year 5 depending on the target schools.

• The earlier years should focus on reading, vocabulary and confidence rather than endless testing. 

When should my child start doing practice papers?

• Full practice papers are usually most useful around 6 to 12 months before the exam.

• Before this, shorter skill-building exercises are often better.

• Starting papers too early can lead to burnout and children memorising question styles without developing real 11 Plus skills. Strong skills and 11 plus exam technique will help your child adapt if the exam day paper presents questions slightly differently.

How many papers should my child do each week?

• Quality matters far more than quantity.

• For most children:

  • 1 paper weekly is enough early on.

  • 2–3 papers weekly is common in the build up to the exam.

• Children also need time to review mistakes from each practice paper properly to derive the full benefit from that paper. 

Are papers from other schools or counties useful?

• Yes — they can be extremely useful.

• Different schools and exam boards often use slightly different question styles and formats.

• Exposure to a wider variety of questions helps children become more adaptable and resilient.

• It also prevents children from becoming too dependent on one exact paper style.

• There is never a guarantee that the real exam will look exactly the same as previous papers.

• Practising with papers from other areas can help prepare children for surprises on exam day.

• The key is balancing familiar target-school papers with broader practice from other reputable sources.

What is the difference between independent school and grammar school 11 Plus exams?

• The biggest difference is usually the format of the questions rather than the underlying skills being tested.

• For example:

  • Many grammar school English exams use multiple choice comprehension questions.

  • Many independent school exams use written comprehension answers.

• Independent school papers may also place greater emphasis on:

  • creative writing

  • longer written responses

  • deeper vocabulary use

• Grammar school papers are often:

  • more speed-focused

  • heavily timed

  • structured around quick-answer formats

• However, the core skills tested are extremely similar across both:

  • comprehension

  • vocabulary

  • inference

  • problem solving

  • mathematical reasoning

• This is why broad exposure to different paper styles is so important.

• Children who practise a range of question formats are more adaptable and confident on exam day.

When should we begin timing papers?

• Start untimed first so your child can practise completing the paper without pressure.

• Introduce gentle timing once accuracy improves.

• Full exam timing is usually introduced a few months out before the real exam.

What are the most common mistakes parents make?

• Starting practice papers too early.

• Doing too many papers every week.

• Focusing only on scores instead of understanding mistakes and developing strong all round ability.

• Ignoring vocabulary development.

• Creating constant pressure around results.

• Comparing children to others.

• Not taking the time to build strong exam technique before intense practice paper usage.

• Not using any other practice papers other than those for their target school.

Rather than focussing on scores, focus on the mistakes your child made in the paper and in which topic or question type the mistake occurred. Then, this can be worked on and improved in a targeted way through revision of the topic or targeted tuition. The score will then take care of itself. 

A wide variety of 11+ practice papers can be hugely beneficial in building strong skills. All 11 Plus papers test a similar set of skills, each exam board or school just presents questions in a slightly different way. Children should learn to have a flexible, skills-based approach in order to adapt to any changes on exam day.

How do we avoid burnout?

• Keep preparation consistent rather than too intense to begin with.

• Protect free time, hobbies and family time.

• Take breaks during holidays when needed.

• Celebrate progress, not just scores.

How important is vocabulary?

• Vocabulary is one of the biggest predictors of 11 Plus success.

• Strong vocabulary improves:

  • comprehension

  • creative writing

  • verbal reasoning

• Daily reading and discussion often matter more than endless worksheets.

How many papers should my child complete in total?

• There is no magic number.

• Some children may complete 20–30 high-quality papers.

• Others may complete far more or slightly less.

• What matters most is:

  • reviewing errors

  • improving weak areas

  • building exam confidence

• After each paper, going through the topics or question types where the mistakes occurred is the most important thing. This can be done through self-guided revision or tuition.

Can my child pass without tutoring?

• Yes — many children do.

• Success depends on:

  • the child’s academic level

  • consistency

  • parental support

  • access to good materials

  • current level of provision in school

  • exam technique

• Some families use tutoring for structure, accountability and expert guidance. The 11 Plus is an exam which many schools do not intensively or purposefully prepare children for. Primary and independent prep schools often focus on the development of the entire year group in line with the national curriculum rather than preparing them for specialised competitive exams. This is why many parents do end up using tuition services when the competition for places is so high. 

Are old papers still useful?

• Yes. Older papers are still extremely valuable for:

  • technique practice

  • vocabulary exposure

  • timing practice

  • exam stamina

  • question format variation (great for curve balls on exam day)

• Just make sure your child also sees more recent question styles where possible.

What score is needed to pass the 11 Plus?

• Every school is different.

• Grammar schools often standardise scores, so raw marks alone do not determine outcomes.

• Competitive schools may require extremely high scores depending on:

  • the region

  • number of applicants

  • the difficulty of the paper

• Focus on steady improvement rather than chasing a single percentage target. Run your own race. 

• Try to ensure your child feels comfortable with every topic and question type.

11+ Revision Packs

11 Plus (11+) Past Papers

11 Plus (11+) Mock Exam Conditions Guidance

We provide papers for CEM, GL, ISEB, Kent, Sutton, and Independent School exams.

11 Plus (11+) Practice Papers for Grammar and Independent Schools

Search for more 11 Plus practice papers and recommendations by typing in the name of the school you are applying for.