What is the difference between GL, CEM and ISEB 11+ exams?

There are two main exam boards for the 11+ exam: GL Assessment and CEM, developed by the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (Durham University). Which exam board your child takes will depend on your chosen school’s location. However, some schools in the same general location may still administer different papers.

CEM is perceived, by some, to be the more difficult, but is also thought to be more closely based on the National Curriculum for Key Stage 2.

GL Familiarisation Booklets

You can download these from the GL assessment website.

https://11plus.gl-assessment.co.uk/free-materials/

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CEM Familiarisation Booklets

You can download these from the school website.

These guides tell you about the different types of questions asked when taking the test for real. It will also help understand how to use an answer sheet correctly. You may print copies of this book, for your own use, to practise answering questions and marking your answers on the answer sheet.

Whilst grammar schools mainly use GL assessment, the ISEB common pre-test is also created by GL.

ISEB, Independent Schools Examinations Board, tests are designed to identify potential as well as attainment. The test is taken online and is adaptive: children who answer correctly can be given more challenging questions.

Recently, due to COVId-19, some schools have decided to conduct their assessments online, using ISEB, rather than have their pupils sit in an exam hall with the GL or CEM assessments.

The ISEB Pre-test is mainly multiple choice and comprises of the same four sections as GL Assessment and CEM: English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning.

The tests take about two and a half hours to complete. Familiarity with the question types and some knowledge of what to expect gives your child a better chance:

· Students should view the ISEB familiarisation tests before they sit the exam