The 11max blog
Plain-English guides to the 11+, grammar school admissions and practising at home, written for parents who are new to all of it.
11 plus11+ English: comprehension, SPaG and the writing task
How the English paper is built, the comprehension question types your child needs to recognise, the spelling and grammar that actually get tested, and how to plan a story in five minutes.
11 plus11+ maths: the topics that come up most, and how to build speed
What the 11+ maths paper actually covers, why speed is a separate skill from accuracy, and where marks quietly leak away in a paper your child could otherwise do.
11 plus11+ non-verbal reasoning explained: shapes, sequences and rotations
Non-verbal reasoning is the paper parents feel least able to help with. The question families, the one method that solves most of them, and how to practise without running out of fresh questions.
11 plus11+ verbal reasoning explained: why it feels alien, and how it stops
Verbal reasoning is the subject no one teaches at school, which is why it panics families first. The question types, what they are really testing, and the practice routine that turns confusion into marks.
Grammar schoolsHow to choose which grammar schools to apply to
Travel time, catchment, admissions policy and the school data that is actually worth reading. How to build a school list that gives your child the best chance of a place they will be happy in.
Grammar schoolsIs my child actually on track for the 11+?
Standardised scores explained, why a practice paper percentage tells you almost nothing on its own, and the three signals that genuinely predict how September goes.
Parents' guidesKeeping an 11-year-old going for a whole year of practice
Most 11+ preparation fails in February, not in the exam hall. What motivation actually runs on at ten years old, why reward charts stop working, and how to stop being the person who nags.
Parents' guidesThe reading habit that quietly wins the 11+
Vocabulary is the single biggest hidden advantage in the 11+, and it is built on the sofa rather than the worksheet. What to read, how much, and what to do when your child will not pick up a book.
Parents' guidesWhen to start timed 11+ papers, and how many is too many
Mock papers are for pacing, format and nerves, not for learning. When to introduce them, how often to run one, how to run it properly at home, and what to actually do with the score.
11 plusWhat is the 11+? A plain-English guide for parents
The 11+ explained without the jargon: who sets the papers, what your child will be tested on, when it all happens, and what actually matters when you start preparing.
Grammar schoolsGrammar school application timeline: key dates for 2027 entry
Every deadline that matters if your child starts secondary school in September 2027: test registration, the 11+ itself, the CAF deadline, National Offer Day and what happens after.
Parents' guidesHow to practise for the 11+ at home (without the tears)
A realistic home practice routine for the 11+: how much to do, how to cover all four subjects, why marking matters more than doing, and how to keep your child on side for a year.