Direct answers to common 11+ questions

Sometimes, but it depends on your local authority, the timing and whether the application deadline has passed. Treat the submitted CAF as final unless your council clearly says changes are allowed.

Putting a grammar school first does not make lower preferences ignore your application. Each school considers your child against its admissions rules; the local authority then offers the highest preference that can offer in that scenario.

Putting a grammar school first only helps if it is genuinely the school you want most and it can offer under its admissions rules. It does not make the school ignore qualification, score, distance, priority area or oversubscription criteria.

You can list a grammar school if it is genuinely one of your preferred schools, but do not let it crowd out realistic options. If the school cannot consider your child because the test result or admissions rules do not fit, the local authority moves to the next school on your CAF that can offer.

You may be able to use a review process or appeal route, but the exact route depends on the area and the school. Appeals are normally against a refusal of a school place, while some areas also have a selection review or result process before allocation.

Sometimes an outcome can change after a formal review or appeal process, but parents should not assume the numerical score itself will be recalculated. Each route sets its own process, evidence rules and deadlines.

A score of 121 is the published qualifying score for Buckinghamshire grammar school consideration. It means the child is considered qualified, but the final offer still depends on the named schools, available places, preferences and admissions criteria.

No, not always. A pass, qualifying score, or grammar assessment usually means the child can be considered for selective admission; the offer still depends on the named school, places, preferences, and oversubscription rules.

A Bexley 11+ score is part of the Bexley Selection Test result. It helps show whether the child is selective for Bexley grammar school consideration, but it does not by itself guarantee a place at a named school.

A Kent Test result tells you whether the child has been assessed suitable for grammar school in the Kent process and may include standardised scores. It does not guarantee a place at any particular Kent grammar school.

A standardised score is a converted test score. It is designed to put children on a common scale, often taking account of the test cohort and sometimes the child's age. It is not the same as the number of questions answered correctly.

Age standardisation is a scoring adjustment used by some test providers or routes to reduce the effect of age differences within the school year. It does not mean younger children automatically pass, and it does not remove the need to meet the route or school rules.

Qualifying means the child has met the academic standard for a route or school. Being offered a place means the admissions authority has applied preferences, places, and oversubscription rules and that school is the highest preference able to offer.

A score is the result number produced by the test process. A rank places children in order against other candidates. Some schools use a qualifying score, some use rank order, and some combine score with distance, priority area or other criteria.

Some schools publish historic allocation scores or last-offered information, but many do not publish a simple cut-off because offers depend on the year's applicants, places, preferences, categories, distance and tie-breaks.

Yes, children who live outside Kent can usually register for the Kent Test, but they must follow Kent's registration process and still apply for schools through their home local authority. A Kent Test result does not remove school-level admissions rules.

Often yes, a child may be registered for both Bexley and Kent if the family follows each route's registration rules and the test dates work. The routes are separate, so one registration does not cover the other.

Yes, a child can often sit more than one 11+ exam if the routes are separate and the family registers on time. The question is whether the extra route leads to schools you would genuinely name on the CAF, with a journey and admissions position you have checked.

Yes, in some shared routes one 11+ test can be used for several schools. But the result is only valid for the schools covered by that route, and each school can still apply its own admissions criteria.

No. Some grammar routes include creative writing or extended writing, some use it only in a second stage, and some do not use it at all. Check the official route or school admissions page for the test format.

More than one route can be sensible, but every route should be attached to schools you would actually name after checking travel, admissions rules, and school fit. If a route only exists because it is selective and nearby on a map, it may be too much.

A grammar school consortium is a group of selective schools that share part or all of the admissions test process. A single registration or test route may cover several schools, but each school can still have its own admissions policy.

A second-stage test is an additional assessment taken after an initial screening test. Some selective schools invite only children who reach a first-stage standard, and the second stage may use different papers or scoring rules.

GL, CSSE and SET are different testing routes or test providers, not interchangeable labels. GL Assessment supplies tests used in many areas, CSSE is the Essex selective schools consortium, and SET usually refers to Sutton's Selective Eligibility Test route.

Some grammar schools share a test through a local authority, consortium, or common route, but there is no single national 11+ test. You need to check the official route for the area and then the admissions policy for each school.

Several London grammar schools use separate school or consortium routes. A Sutton route result, a Bexley result, a Redbridge result, a Tiffin result and a Queen Elizabeth's Barnet process should not be treated as interchangeable.

Often yes, but you apply through your home local authority and must still meet the test, school, and oversubscription rules for the grammar school you name. Living outside the borough can matter if the school's policy uses distance, priority areas, or local categories.

Usually yes. The 11+ registration puts your child into the test route; the CAF is the local authority school application. Passing or sitting the test does not normally replace the need to name the school on your secondary application.

A qualifying result may allow the school to consider your child, but distance or priority rules can still decide who receives an offer. If the school is oversubscribed, children who meet the admissions criteria more closely may be offered first.

No. Super-selective schools can have very strong academic results, but that does not automatically make them better for every child. Check the admissions route, pressure, travel, curriculum, support and the child's temperament.

Compare the two schools on the factors that can change the decision: admissions chance, journey, curriculum, results, pastoral support, clubs, open-day evidence and whether your child could see themselves there.

Too far is the point where the daily journey becomes unreliable, tiring or incompatible with the child's week. Do not judge it only by miles; test the morning route, return journey, after-school options and backup plan.

Shortlist enough schools to cover realistic grammar options, but not so many that you stop checking policies properly. A good shortlist usually separates test registration options from final CAF preferences.

Neither measure is simply better. Attainment 8 shows average GCSE achievement across a set of subjects; Progress 8 compares progress from pupils' starting points. For grammar schools, read both with caution because selective intake can affect how results look.

Choose by the specific school, not by a stereotype about boys', girls' or mixed education. Check admissions, subjects, pastoral support, clubs, sixth-form arrangements, travel and how your child responds to the school.

No ranking should choose the school for you. Rankings can help you discover strong schools, but the final choice should also check admissions rules, daily travel, school type, subject fit, pastoral context, and whether the school is realistic for your child.

Usually yes. If grammar outcomes are uncertain, include at least one realistic non-selective school you would accept. A CAF made only of unlikely grammar choices can leave the local authority allocating a school you did not name.

Ofsted Outstanding is a strong inspection judgement, but it should not be treated as the whole school decision. Check the inspection date, the report detail, admissions rules, results, journey and whether the school suits the child.

Ask questions that test the everyday school experience: admissions route, journey, homework, pastoral support, clubs, subject choices, behaviour, SEND support and what happens when a child struggles.

Grammar school waiting lists are usually ordered by the school's published admissions criteria, not by who joined first. A child's position can move up or down as other children are added, withdraw, move address or receive offers.

Keep proof of test registration, result letters, CAF submission, offer emails, admissions-policy notes, address evidence and any correspondence with schools, councils or consortiums. If a review or appeal becomes necessary, organised evidence matters.

On secondary National Offer Day, the local authority sends the school place offer for Year 7. You normally receive one offer: the highest preference school able to offer under the coordinated admissions process.

Act immediately, but do not assume a late registration will be accepted. Some routes are strict, some allow limited late testing for specific circumstances, and the official route or school admissions team is the only safe source.

Read the result, then move quickly from score reaction to school checks. Confirm what the result means for each route, read the admissions policies for named schools, test the journey, and prepare the CAF before the deadline.

After the exam, note the result date, keep school research moving, visit schools where possible and prepare the CAF options. Do not assume the result will leave enough time to start from scratch.

Before the CAF deadline, confirm the preference order, check each school's admissions policy, include realistic options, save the submission confirmation and make sure test registration and school application records are not confused.

One month before the test, confirm the test notice, venue, timings, allowed items, travel plan and result date. Keep preparation steady and make sure the child knows the format without turning every day into a mock exam.

Before summer, Year 5 parents should confirm test registrations, route dates, target schools, travel, open events and the CAF deadline. Do not wait until results day to read admissions policies.

Formal admission appeals usually happen after a school place has been refused, often after National Offer Day for Year 7 entry. The admission authority sets the timetable, and parents must follow the deadline in the refusal or offer letter.

Year 4 is usually a time for route research, reading, maths foundations and light familiarisation, not a full exam routine. The right start depends on the child, target routes and how much test format differs from normal schoolwork.