Blog 1: Can brain training help with 11+ exam preparation?
The 11+ exam structure and boards
The 11+ tests four core domains: verbal reasoning (VR), non-verbal reasoning (NVR), mathematics, and English. Schools choose which combination to include. Two exam boards dominate:
GL Assessment (used by 80%+ of grammar schools) delivers paper-based, multiple-choice tests with 40–50 questions per 45–50 minute paper across separate subject papers. GL is used in Kent, Buckinghamshire, Birmingham, Dorset, Lancashire & Cumbria, Lincolnshire, Medway, Northern Ireland, and Warwickshire.
CEM (Cambridge University Press & Assessment) was designed to be more "tutor-proof" and does not publish past papers. It delivers two mixed 45-minute papers combining English/VR and Maths/NVR with a stronger vocabulary focus. CEM is used in Berkshire, Bexley, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. Mixed GL/CEM areas include Devon, Essex, Hertfordshire, Trafford, Wiltshire, Wirral, and Yorkshire.
Scores are age-standardised to a mean of 100 with a standard deviation of 15. A standardised age score (SAS) of 121+ is typically required to qualify for grammar school entry, placing successful candidates in roughly the top 10% of the cohort. Competition at super-selective schools reaches 6.5 applicants per place.
How many children sit the 11+ annually
- ~100,000–150,000 children sit the 11+ annually in England (Schools Week; AchieveLearning.co.uk; TRAK.org.uk)
- CEM disclosed testing 57,281 children in 2016, claiming ~40% of the commercial market, implying ~143,000 total commercial tests
- 163 grammar schools in England and ~67 in Northern Ireland (~230 UK-wide)
- England has ~29,500 Year 7 grammar school places available annually
- In 2023: 29,452 qualifiers (11.3%) from a 261,000 cohort — the highest since 2015 (DfE data)
- In Kent: ~17,000 children sat the test for ~5,000 places
- Grammar schools constitute just 5% of all secondary schools in England
- Approximate pass rate among test-takers: ~30%
Parent spending on 11+ tutoring
- The Sutton Trust "Shadow Schooling" report values the UK private tuition market at up to £2 billion per year
- Sutton Trust Private Tutoring 2026 report (February 2026): 29% of secondary school students in England and Wales have had private tutoring (up from 18% in 2005). In London, that figure rises to 45%. Among Black pupils: 64%, Asian pupils: 50%, White pupils: 20%
- Average cost of 11+ tutoring: £41.12/hour (Tutorful, 2025). Range: £25–50/hour. Online averages £31/hour
- Typical 11+ tutoring runs weekly for 9–12 months, costing ~£2,500+ for professional tutoring (ElevenPlusExams.co.uk)
- Home preparation materials cost approximately £200
Which UK regions use the 11+
| Region/County | Grammar Schools | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kent & Medway | 38 | Largest grammar school area; uses Kent Test (GL) |
| London | ~19 | Various boroughs |
| Lincolnshire | 15 | VR and NVR only |
| Buckinghamshire | 13 | GL Assessment |
| Birmingham | 8 | King Edward's Foundation schools |
| Essex | 8 | CSSE papers |
| Berkshire | 6 | CEM; all Ofsted "Outstanding" |
| Trafford | 5 | Mixed GL/CEM |
| Other areas | Various | Devon, Dorset, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Wirral, Wolverhampton, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Walsall, Bexley, Sutton, Hertfordshire |
Kent holds less than 4% of England's population but has more than 23% of its grammar schools. The DfE identifies 11 local authorities as "highly selective" (>25% of students attend grammar schools). Nearly 98% of grammar schools are rated "Good" or "Outstanding" by Ofsted. No grammar schools exist in Scotland, Wales, or North East England.
Research linking cognitive abilities to 11+ performance
Deary, Strand, Smith & Fernandes (2007) — "Intelligence and Educational Achievement," Intelligence, Vol. 35, pp. 13–21. Five-year longitudinal study of 70,000+ English children. Correlation between general intelligence (g) at age 11 and educational achievement at age 16: r = 0.81. General intelligence explained 58.6% of variance in Mathematics and 48% in English. At the mean level of g, 58% achieved 5+ GCSEs at A*–C; one standard deviation increase raised this to 91%.
Brown (2019) — "How valid are 11-plus tests? Evidence from Kent," British Educational Research Journal. Found KS2 and Kent Test scores shared nearly 80% of variance, questioning the added value of pure ability testing.
Alloway & Alloway (2010) — "Investigating the predictive roles of working memory and IQ in academic attainment," Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 106, pp. 20–29. Working memory at school entry was a stronger predictor of literacy and numeracy outcomes 6 years later than IQ alone. The study concluded WM "represents a dissociable cognitive skill with unique links to learning outcomes."
St Clair-Thompson & Gathercole (2006): WM correlates with maths and reading in 11–12 year olds. Gathercole et al. (2004): WM predicts maths/science achievement in adolescents.
Non-verbal reasoning and spatial awareness in the 11+
NVR tests logic, spatial awareness, and pattern identification through shapes, diagrams, and pictures. It is not taught on the national curriculum — children encounter it for the first time during preparation (Atom Learning; Explore Learning). Question types: series/sequences, analogies, odd-one-out, matrices, codes, reflection, rotation, nets/cubes, paper folding.
Weighting varies by region. A typical GL paper structure: Maths 75 marks, English 60 marks, VR 45 marks, NVR 50 marks. In Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire, children only sit VR and NVR. In the Kent Test, English, Maths, and Reasoning (VR+NVR combined) count equally.
The CAT4 (Cognitive Abilities Test, 4th Edition) by GL Assessment — widely used in UK schools — tests four batteries: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, and Spatial Ability. NVR essentially measures fluid intelligence and abstract reasoning capacity.
Working memory training evidence (critical for Senwitt's angle)
Fehr, Schunk et al. (2025) — Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 133. RCT with 6–7 year olds found substantial gains in WM capacity with positive spillover effects on geometry, fluid IQ, and inhibitory control. Three years later, treated children were 16 percentage points more likely to enter an advanced secondary school track. This is the strongest positive evidence to date.
Sala & Gobet (2017) — Developmental Psychology: Meta-analysis (33 studies) showed WM training produced significant near-transfer (g = 0.46) but limited far-transfer (g = 0.12). Their 2020 follow-up (41 studies, N = 2,375) reinforced this finding for generic brain training.
The distinction matters for Senwitt: generic brain training shows limited transfer, but domain-relevant cognitive skills development — particularly reasoning exercises aligned to 11+ question types — shows stronger results.
Google SERP and People Also Ask
Page 1 for "brain training 11 plus exam preparation UK": ElevenPlusExams.co.uk, 11PlusEhelp.co.uk, Pass11PlusGrammar.co.uk, ExploreLearning.co.uk, AtomLearning.com, EducationQuizzes.com. No dedicated cognitive training platform ranks — clear content gap for Senwitt.
People Also Ask: "How can I help my child prepare for the 11+?" · "What does the 11+ exam test?" · "Is the 11+ test an IQ test?" · "Can you improve non-verbal reasoning skills?" · "How long should you prepare for the 11+?" · "What is a good score on the 11+?" · "Does brain training actually work?"
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