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EXAM AREA / SEPTEMBER 2027 ENTRY

West Midlands 11+

Shared testing across Birmingham, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

GL AssessmentYear 6 test → Year 7 entry

Official sources checked 28 Sept 2026

HOW TO APPLY

Test registration & school applications

Test registration and your school application are two separate steps.

01 · TEST REGISTRATION

Register for the test

Through West Midlands Grammar Schools

2027 entry registrationClosed 26 June 2026, 4pm
Registration & access arrangements

Keep the registration acknowledgement and allocated test-centre details. The shared portal covers the partnership schools.

Birmingham’s reasonable-adjustments deadline was 12 June at 4pm, earlier than the general registration deadline. Follow the requirements given by your test organiser.

Official registration details
02 · SCHOOL APPLICATION

Choose your schools

On your home council’s CAF

School application deadline31 October 2026
How do I apply for a place?

Use the Common Application Form (CAF) for the council where you live, including when applying across council boundaries. List schools in your genuine preference order.

Check each school’s admissions policy and any supplementary form. Taking the test does not secure a place.

How to order your schools

TEST FORMAT

Two papers, four skill areas

GL Assessment · About 50–60 minutes per paper, including instructions and examples

SKILLS TESTED

English & verbal reasoning

English
Verbal reasoning
What skills are tested?
English
Read closely, understand vocabulary and use the information in a passage.
Verbal reasoning
Recognise relationships between words, letters and information.
SKILLS TESTED

Maths & spatial reasoning

Maths
Non-verbal reasoning
What skills are tested?
Maths
Number fluency, calculations and applying maths to unfamiliar problems.
Non-verbal reasoning
Identify patterns, shapes and spatial relationships.

Across the test, English/verbal reasoning contributes 50%, maths 25% and non-verbal/spatial reasoning 25%. Questions are multiple choice; there is no written composition.

ONE TEST, DIFFERENT POLICIES

There is no single West Midlands pass mark

  • Qualifying standardUse the relevant school’s minimum eligibility rules.
  • Priority scoreSome policies distinguish a qualifying score from a higher score used for specific priority categories.
  • Offer cut-offThe lowest score offered in a previous allocation can differ by school and category. It is not a future promise.
Understand your result

Official guidance: Partnership test format.

SEPTEMBER 2027 ENTRY

Dates to keep track of

Tests take place in 2026, for children starting Year 7 in September 2027. Follow your invitation for your child’s session.

  1. Registration

    The Birmingham timetable gives a 4pm registration deadline and an earlier 12 June adjustments deadline.

  2. Birmingham entrance test

    The Foundation publishes this date. Use your allocated centre’s invitation for the session and any other partnership arrangements.

  3. Birmingham results

    The Foundation timetable gives this release date. Check the relevant organiser for other partnership results arrangements.

  4. Submit your school application

    Name your preferred schools on your home council’s CAF. Send any school supplementary forms separately by their published deadlines.

  5. National Offer Day

    Your home council confirms the school place offered. Read the acceptance and waiting-list instructions in the offer.

Official timetable: Birmingham Foundation timetable. Check the school’s instructions for late, exceptional or additional testing.

THE PRACTICE LIBRARY

Get to know the questions

Official examples for the partnership test’s English, maths and reasoning skills.

Start with the official guidanceLocal instructions, sample questions & answer sheets

Work with separate answer sheets and practise changing sections only when instructed. The official guide explains the audio instructions and permitted stationery.

SCHOOLS & ADMISSIONS

Find your school

The partnership includes 18 grammar schools below and selective places at Ashlawn. Admissions priorities differ across the local groups.

Year 7 intake

18 of 18 schools

Year 7 intake shown · sixth forms may differ

Compare up to 4 schools side by side.

BEFORE YOU APPLY

Three school-specific checks

  1. Find the school’s policy, not a regional threshold

    Birmingham Foundation, other Birmingham schools, Warwickshire and the northern partnership schools use different allocation rules.

  2. Check catchment and priority evidence

    Read the relevant boundary, address date and pupil-premium requirements. Being eligible to test is different from having priority.

  3. Distinguish day and boarding places

    Haberdashers’ Adams has separate considerations for boarding. A boarding application is not a substitute for a day-place application.

KEEP READING

Help with your next decision

Understanding your result

Read scores alongside eligibility, school priorities and the allocation of places.

Read the guide If your preferred school has no place

Understand the difference between a test result, a waiting list and an admission appeal.

Read the guide

GOOD TO KNOW

A few common questions

Does one West Midlands test mean one admissions policy?

No. Testing is shared, but schools keep their own criteria for allocating places.

Is the same pass mark used everywhere?

No. Read the qualifying and priority provisions for the school and entry year.

Is creative writing tested?

The partnership describes multiple-choice English, verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal/spatial reasoning, with no writing section.

Can I apply across local authority boundaries?

Yes. List the schools on your home council’s CAF, then check each school’s geographic and other priorities.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

Checked 28 Sept 2026. Follow the current school policy and your child’s test invitation for individual arrangements.