The 11 Plus Is Getting Harder: What It Means for Your Child

By Russell Greenhill

Founder & CEO @ Greenhill Academics

Oxford Master’s Graduate • 8+ Years Tutoring Experience

The 11 plus exam has not changed. The number of places at grammar and selective independent schools has not changed. What has changed is the number of families competing for those places — and that shift has made the effective pass mark significantly higher in a short period of time.

If you are preparing your child for the 11 plus in 2026 or 2027, the approach that worked for a sibling five years ago may not be enough today. This post explains what has driven the change, what it means in practice, and what families who succeed are doing differently.

Why the 11 plus is more competitive in 2026

Grammar schools are free. That has always made them attractive. What changed in January 2025 is that the cost of the alternative — independent schools — increased sharply when VAT was applied to school fees. A family paying £15,000 per year for an independent school place now pays closer to £18,000. Over seven years of secondary education, that is a meaningful difference, and many families have concluded that the more sensible option is to try harder for a grammar school place rather than absorb the extra cost.

The families entering this competition are not starting from scratch. Many were already considering independent schooling, which means their children are often well-prepared, academically engaged, and from households that take education seriously. Grammar schools report higher numbers of applications and higher average test scores among applicants. The effective score required to secure a place — not the official pass mark, but the score that actually gets a child offered — has risen at many schools.

Which schools are most affected

The effect is most pronounced in areas where grammar schools and independent schools serve the same families. London and the surrounding counties — Essex, Kent, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Hertfordshire — are seeing the most significant increases in competition. Grammar schools in these areas have always been competitive. In 2026, they are more competitive than at any point in recent history.

Grammar schools in less densely populated areas, or in regions with fewer nearby independent schools, have seen smaller increases. But the trend is national. Parents preparing children for any selective school in 2026 should assume higher competition than previous cohorts faced.

What this means for how you prepare

The 11 plus itself has not changed. The question types, the timing, the marking — these are the same. What has changed is the standard required to pass in a competitive field. Three things follow from this.

Start earlier

The preparation timeline that was adequate five years ago is no longer adequate for competitive schools. Starting in Year 5 is still the right time for most families — but starting at the beginning of Year 5 rather than the middle matters more than it used to. For families targeting the most oversubscribed schools, starting in the second half of Year 4 gives the preparation time needed to be genuinely competitive.

This does not mean drilling a nine-year-old with practice papers from the first week of Year 4. It means introducing topics like verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and problem-solving Maths gradually, at a pace that builds understanding rather than anxiety. A tutor who works with younger children understands this balance.

Prepare more thoroughly, not just more intensively

The children who are now competing for grammar school places are not just well-prepared — they are thoroughly prepared. They have worked through multiple practice paper sets. They are fluent in all the major question types. They can maintain accuracy under timed conditions. They have practised handling difficult questions they cannot immediately answer, rather than freezing or leaving them blank.

If your child’s preparation has consisted mainly of working through a CGP book and doing a few practice papers, that is probably not enough for a competitive school in 2026. The preparation needed is more structured and more specifically targeted at the exam formats your child’s target schools use.

Choose target schools carefully

Not all grammar schools have become equally more competitive. A family who was borderline for a highly oversubscribed school five years ago may now need to rethink their target schools, or significantly increase their preparation. A good tutor who knows the regional landscape can give an honest assessment of which schools are realistic targets for your child based on where they currently are.

This is not a reason for pessimism. It is a reason for realism. A child who prepares thoroughly for a realistic set of target schools has an excellent chance of securing a place. A child who prepares moderately for schools that are now out of reach is likely to be disappointed. Honest target-setting is one of the most useful things a tutor can provide early in the preparation process.

What good preparation looks like in a more competitive field

The fundamentals of 11 plus preparation have not changed. Content knowledge, question familiarity, and speed under timed conditions are still the three things that determine performance. What has changed is the level of each required to be competitive.

Content knowledge needs to go beyond the primary school curriculum in Maths and English. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning need to be practised until the question types are genuinely familiar, not just vaguely recognisable. Speed needs to be built gradually over months, not rushed in the final weeks. And mock exams need to be used diagnostically — identifying specific weaknesses — rather than just as confidence builders.

The children who secure places at the most competitive grammar and independent schools in 2026 are not necessarily more intelligent than those who do not. They are better prepared. That distinction is the most useful thing to understand about the current landscape.

Meet some of our 11 plus tutors

Murray

Murray is reading Materials Science at Oxford (MEng, expected First), having achieved A* in Maths, Chemistry, and Physics at A Level. With over 150 hours of tutoring experience, Murray tutors 11 plus Maths alongside GCSE and A Level subjects. He works online using an interactive whiteboard, which is particularly effective for the visual and spatial problems that appear in 11 plus Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning papers.

Clemmie

Clemmie read Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at Trinity College Cambridge (First Class), having attended the City of London School for Girls. She tutors 11+ Maths and English alongside GCSE and A Level subjects. Her research background gives her a precise approach to identifying where a child is struggling and what needs to change, and she is effective at working with younger students building confidence alongside exam technique.

Martin

Martin holds an MSc in Mathematical Sciences from Oxford (Distinction) and is completing a PhD in Applied Maths at Cambridge. He tutors Private School Admissions Maths across 7+, 11+, and 13+ levels. During a teaching placement he raised a Year 12 class’s pass rate by 54 percentage points. Martin is particularly effective at building the problem-solving speed that 11 plus Maths demands — precisely the skill that separates competitive applicants in 2026.

Ready to prepare properly for the 11 plus?

In a more competitive field, preparation that was adequate a few years ago may not be enough. Get in touch and we will match your child with a specialist 11 plus tutor who can give an honest assessment of where they stand and build a plan that gives them a real chance.

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