Scroll through real-style questions from every major 11+ board. Click ‘Reveal Answer’ to check.
GL Assessment
8 Questions
GL Assessment — English · Q1
Read the sentence: ‘The explorer traversed the treacherous mountain pass despite the howling gale.’ What does ‘traversed’ most likely mean?
A) Avoided
B) Crossed
C) Discovered
D) Photographed
Answer: B) Crossed
Traversed means to travel across or through something.
GL Assessment — English · Q2
Choose the correct sentence:
A) The children was playing in the park.
B) The children were playing in the park.
C) The children is playing in the park.
D) The children are been playing in the park.
Answer: B) The children were playing in the park.
The plural subject ‘children’ requires the plural verb ‘were’.
GL Assessment — Maths · Q1
A shop sells 3 notebooks for £2.85. How much would 7 notebooks cost?
A) £5.70
B) £6.65
C) £6.95
D) £7.35
Answer: B) £6.65
One notebook costs £2.85 ÷ 3 = £0.95. Seven cost £0.95 × 7 = £6.65.
GL Assessment — Maths · Q2
What is 3/8 + 1/4?
A) 4/12
B) 4/8
C) 5/8
D) 7/8
Answer: C) 5/8
Convert 1/4 to 2/8, then add: 3/8 + 2/8 = 5/8.
GL Assessment — Verbal Reasoning · Q1
Find the word that completes both sentences: ‘She wore a diamond ___.’ and ‘He felt his ___ tighten with worry.’
A) necklace
B) belt
C) band
D) chain
Answer: C) band
A diamond band (ring) and a band tightening (a feeling of constriction).
GL Assessment — Verbal Reasoning · Q2
Which word is the odd one out? maple, oak, willow, daisy, birch
A) maple
B) willow
C) daisy
D) birch
Answer: C) daisy
Daisy is a flower; the others are all types of tree.
GL Assessment — Non-Verbal Reasoning · Q1
In a sequence of four shapes, each step adds one more side to the shape: triangle → square → pentagon → ? What comes next?
A) Hexagon (6 sides)
B) Circle
C) Octagon (8 sides)
D) Another pentagon
Answer: A) Hexagon (6 sides)
The pattern adds one side each step: 3 → 4 → 5 → 6.
GL Assessment — Non-Verbal Reasoning · Q2
Four shapes are shown. Three contain a small circle inside a larger shape. One contains a small square inside. Which is the odd one out?
A) Circle inside triangle
B) Circle inside square
C) Square inside pentagon
D) Circle inside hexagon
Answer: C) Square inside pentagon
All others have a circle inside; C has a square inside.
CEM
6 Questions
CEM — Numerical Reasoning · Q1
A train departs at 08:47 and arrives at 10:23. How many minutes is the journey?
Answer: 96 minutes
From 08:47 to 09:00 = 13 min. From 09:00 to 10:00 = 60 min. From 10:00 to 10:23 = 23 min. Total: 13 + 60 + 23 = 96 minutes.
CEM — Numerical Reasoning · Q2
In a class of 30 students, 40% chose football as their favourite sport. How many students did NOT choose football?
Answer: 18
40% of 30 = 12 chose football. 30 − 12 = 18 did not.
CEM — Verbal Reasoning · Q1
Which word from the list is closest in meaning to ‘arduous’? (easy, difficult, quick, colourful, narrow)
Answer: difficult
Arduous means requiring great effort, which is closest to difficult.
CEM — Verbal Reasoning · Q2
Complete the word: The opposite of ‘generous’ is s _ _ _ _ y.
Answer: stingy
Stingy is the opposite of generous.
CEM — Non-Verbal Reasoning · Q1
In a sequence, a shape rotates 90° clockwise each step and alternates between black and white. Step 1 is a black arrow pointing up. What does step 3 look like?
Answer: Black arrow pointing down
Step 1: black, up. Step 2: white, right (90° CW). Step 3: black, down (another 90° CW). The colour alternates and rotation continues.
CEM — Non-Verbal Reasoning · Q2
Three shapes follow a rule: each has one more dot inside than the previous. Shape 1 has 2 dots, Shape 2 has 3 dots. Shape 4 would have how many dots?
Answer: 5 dots
The pattern is +1 each time: 2, 3, 4, 5.
CSSE (Essex)
4 Questions
CSSE — English (Comprehension) · Q1
Read the passage below, then answer the question.
‘The old lighthouse keeper climbed the spiral staircase every evening, his weathered hands gripping the iron rail. At the top, he would light the great lamp and watch its beam sweep across the dark water, a silent guardian against the rocks below.’
What impression does the writer create of the lighthouse keeper? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
Model Answer:
The writer creates an impression of the lighthouse keeper as a dedicated, experienced and protective figure. ‘Weathered hands’ suggests he has done this for many years, while ‘silent guardian’ implies he watches over and protects sailors from danger. The routine of climbing ‘every evening’ shows his commitment and reliability.
CSSE — English (Creative Writing Prompt) · Q2
Write the opening paragraph of a story with the title ‘The Door at the End of the Corridor.’ Your writing should create a sense of tension and atmosphere. (In the real exam, you would write 1–2 pages.)
Example opening:
‘The corridor stretched ahead of me, impossibly long, its walls pressing closer with every step. At the far end, barely visible in the flickering light, stood a door — ancient, iron-studded, and slightly ajar. A cold draught crept through the gap, carrying with it a sound I couldn’t quite name.’
Strong openings use sensory detail, short sentences for tension, and raise unanswered questions.
CSSE — Maths · Q1
A rectangular swimming pool is 25 metres long and 10 metres wide. A path 1.5 metres wide surrounds the pool on all sides. What is the total area of the path? Show your working.
Answer: 114 m²
Pool area = 25 × 10 = 250 m². Outer rectangle = (25 + 3) × (10 + 3) = 28 × 13 = 364 m². Path area = 364 − 250 = 114 m².
CSSE — Maths · Q2
A shop offers a ‘Buy 2, get 1 free’ deal on pens that cost £1.20 each. Sarah wants to buy 7 pens. What is the least amount she could pay?
Answer: £6.00
In the ‘buy 2 get 1 free’ deal, for every 3 pens you only pay for 2. Seven pens = 2 groups of 3 (pay for 4) + 1 extra (pay for 1) = 5 pens paid. 5 × £1.20 = £6.00.
ISEB Common Pre-Test
8 Questions
ISEB — English · Q1
Read: ‘The forest floor was carpeted with a thick layer of auburn leaves.’ What does ‘auburn’ mean?
A) Reddish-brown
B) Bright green
C) Pale yellow
D) Dark blue
Answer: A) Reddish-brown
Auburn is a warm reddish-brown colour.
ISEB — English · Q2
Which of the following is a compound sentence?
A) Running through the park, she tripped.
B) She ran through the park and he followed behind.
C) The tall boy in the blue coat.
D) After the rain stopped.
Answer: B) She ran through the park and he followed behind.
A compound sentence joins two independent clauses with a conjunction (‘and’).
ISEB — Maths · Q1
If 5x − 3 = 22, what is the value of x?
A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 6
Answer: C) 5
5x = 22 + 3 = 25. x = 25 ÷ 5 = 5.
ISEB — Maths · Q2
A shape has exactly 4 lines of symmetry and 4 sides. What is the shape?
A) Rectangle
B) Rhombus
C) Square
D) Parallelogram
Answer: C) Square
A square has 4 equal sides and 4 lines of symmetry. A rectangle has only 2.
ISEB — Verbal Reasoning · Q1
Finger is to hand as toe is to ___.
A) Leg
B) Foot
C) Shoe
D) Ankle
Answer: B) Foot
A finger is part of a hand; a toe is part of a foot.
ISEB — Verbal Reasoning · Q2
Rearrange these letters to make a word: CIANOP. The word means a large musical instrument.
A) CANOPI
B) ICON
C) PIANO
D) PANIC
Answer: C) PIANO
The letters C-I-A-N-O-P rearrange to spell PIANO.
ISEB — Non-Verbal Reasoning · Q1
A figure shows a pattern: large circle with a small triangle inside, then large square with a small circle inside. Following this pattern (the inner shape becomes the outer shape), what comes next?
A) Large triangle with a small square inside
B) Large circle with a small square inside
C) Large triangle with a small circle inside
D) Large square with a small triangle inside
Answer: A) Large triangle with a small square inside
The inner shape becomes the next outer shape. Circle → Triangle (inner), Square → Circle (inner). So next: Triangle (outer) with a new shape (square) inside.
ISEB — Non-Verbal Reasoning · Q2
Five figures are shown. Four have an even number of dots, one has an odd number. Which is the odd one out?
A) 4 dots
B) 6 dots
C) 2 dots
D) 5 dots
Answer: D) 5 dots
5 is odd; all others (4, 6, 2) are even.
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GL Assessment
Most grammar school areas
CEM
Birmingham, Bucks, Yorkshire
CSSE
Essex grammar schools
ISEB
Independent/private schools
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