Career upgrade: Learn practical AI skills for better jobs and higher pay.
Level up
PracticeVideosBlogFlashcardsEspañol
All Practice Exams

100+ Free 11 Plus English Practice Questions

Pass your 11 Plus English (GL Assessment) Grammar School Entrance Paper exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card✓ No hidden fees✓ Start practicing immediately
100+ Questions
100% Free
1 / 100
Question 1
Score: 0/0

Find the grammar mistake: 'There is less cars on the road today than yesterday.'

A
B
C
D
to track
Same family resources

Explore More UK 11 Plus (Grammar School Entrance)

Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.

11 Plus Exam (GL Assessment)

Practice Questions

11 Plus Maths (GL Assessment)

Practice Questions

11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning (GL Assessment)

Practice Questions

11 Plus Verbal Reasoning (GL Assessment)

Practice Questions
2026 Statistics

Key Facts: 11 Plus English Exam

~50 questions

Typical length of the GL 11+ English paper

GL Assessment exam guides

~50 minutes

Approximate time allowed including practice questions

GL Assessment exam guides

100% multiple-choice

All answers are selected from options, no essay

GL Assessment

Year 6 (Sept)

When most pupils sit the paper

Grammar school consortiums

111-121+

Typical pass standardised score range

Grammar school consortiums

Score 100

Age-standardised national average

GL Assessment

Non-adaptive

Every pupil answers the same fixed paper

GL Assessment

100

Free practice questions available here

OpenExamPrep

The GL Assessment 11+ English paper is sat in September of Year 6 and is entirely multiple-choice. It has around 50 questions in roughly 50 minutes, testing reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary. Scores are age-standardised and the pass mark varies by region.

Sample 11 Plus English Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your 11 Plus English exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Choose the word that is the closest in meaning (synonym) to 'fervent'.
A.Passionate
B.Cold
C.Lazy
D.Doubtful
Explanation: 'Fervent' means showing great intensity of feeling or passionate enthusiasm, so 'passionate' is the closest synonym. The 11+ vocabulary section rewards knowledge of advanced Year 6 words like this.
2Choose the word that means the OPPOSITE (antonym) of 'generous'.
A.Kind
B.Stingy
C.Wealthy
D.Cheerful
Explanation: 'Generous' means willing to give freely, so its antonym is 'stingy', meaning unwilling to spend or give. Antonym questions test understanding of word meaning and word class.
3Which word in the sentence is an ADVERB? 'The frightened rabbit quickly darted into the hedge.'
A.Frightened
B.Rabbit
C.Quickly
D.Hedge
Explanation: An adverb describes how, when or where an action happens. 'Quickly' describes how the rabbit darted, so it is the adverb. Identifying parts of speech is a core 11+ grammar skill.
4Choose the correctly spelled word.
A.Definately
B.Definitely
C.Definitley
D.Definetly
Explanation: The correct spelling is 'definitely', with 'finite' hidden in the middle. This is one of the most commonly misspelled words and a frequent 11+ spelling target.
5Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: 'Neither the teacher nor the pupils ___ ready for the trip.'
A.was
B.were
C.is
D.be
Explanation: With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject, which is 'pupils' (plural), so 'were' is correct. This tests subject-verb agreement, a key SPaG skill.
6Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
A.My brother who is ten loves football.
B.My brother, who is ten, loves football.
C.My brother who is ten, loves football.
D.My brother, who is ten loves football.
Explanation: The relative clause 'who is ten' adds extra, non-essential information, so it must be enclosed by a pair of commas. Both commas are needed to bracket the clause correctly.
7Read the passage: 'The old lighthouse stood alone on the cliff. For decades its lamp had warned ships away from the jagged rocks below, but now its windows were dark and its door hung loose on rusted hinges.' What does the passage suggest about the lighthouse NOW?
A.It is brand new
B.It is abandoned and no longer working
C.It is full of visitors
D.Its lamp shines brightly every night
Explanation: The dark windows, loose door and rusted hinges are clues that the lighthouse is no longer used and has fallen into disrepair. This is an inference question requiring readers to draw conclusions from textual clues.
8In the sentence 'She ran towards the door', which word is a PREPOSITION?
A.She
B.Ran
C.Towards
D.Door
Explanation: A preposition shows the relationship between a noun and another word, often indicating direction or position. 'Towards' shows the direction of the running, so it is the preposition.
9Choose the word closest in meaning to 'scrutinise'.
A.Examine carefully
B.Ignore completely
C.Throw away
D.Praise loudly
Explanation: 'Scrutinise' means to examine or inspect something closely and critically, so 'examine carefully' is the correct synonym. Advanced vocabulary like this is common in the 11+ English paper.
10Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly to show possession?
A.The dogs bone was buried.
B.The dog's bone was buried.
C.The dogs' bone was buried by one dog.
D.The dogs bone's was buried.
Explanation: For a single dog owning a bone, the apostrophe goes before the 's': 'the dog's bone'. This shows singular possession correctly.

About the 11 Plus English Exam

The 11 Plus English paper from GL Assessment is a selective entrance test used by many state grammar schools and independent schools across England (including Kent, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, parts of Birmingham and others). Pupils sit it in September of Year 6 (ages 10-11). The all multiple-choice paper covers reading comprehension of literary and non-fiction passages, spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary, with results standardised against the national age-cohort.

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

Approximately 50 minutes including instructions and practice questions

Passing Score

Varies by region — typically a standardised score of 111+ (often 121+ in selective areas); the pass mark is set by each grammar school consortium

Exam Fee

Free for state grammar schools (registration through Local Authority); coaching and mock tests are paid (GL Assessment)

11 Plus English Exam Content Outline

50%

Reading Comprehension

Literal retrieval, inference, vocabulary in context, sensory and figurative language, and identifying literary devices in literary and non-fiction passages around two pages long

16%

Spelling

Choosing the correct spelling, spotting misspelled words, suffix and doubling rules, and distinguishing homophones such as their/there/they're

16%

Punctuation

Commas in lists and clauses, apostrophes for possession and contraction, speech marks, capital letters for proper nouns, colons, semi-colons and end punctuation

18%

Grammar and Vocabulary

Word classes, verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, sentence types and clauses, comparatives and superlatives, synonyms, antonyms, definitions and cloze sentence completion

How to Pass the 11 Plus English Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Varies by region — typically a standardised score of 111+ (often 121+ in selective areas); the pass mark is set by each grammar school consortium
  • Exam length: 100 questions
  • Time limit: Approximately 50 minutes including instructions and practice questions
  • Exam fee: Free for state grammar schools (registration through Local Authority); coaching and mock tests are paid

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

11 Plus English Study Tips from Top Performers

1Read widely across both fiction and non-fiction so comprehension passages feel familiar; discuss what characters feel and why to build inference skills
2Build vocabulary daily — the paper rewards children who know advanced Year 6 words such as 'fervent', 'scrutinise', 'frugal' and 'monotonous'
3Learn synonym and antonym pairs in sets, and practise choosing the word that best fits the meaning of a cloze sentence
4Drill the common spelling traps (necessary, separate, definitely, mischievous) and homophones (their/there/they're, your/you're)
5Master core punctuation rules: commas in lists and around clauses, apostrophes for possession versus contraction, and speech marks in direct speech
6Practise GL-style multiple-choice answer sheets under timed conditions so filling the correct bubble quickly becomes automatic

Frequently Asked Questions

What is on the 11 Plus English paper from GL Assessment?

The paper is entirely multiple-choice and covers reading comprehension of literary and non-fiction passages, spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary (including synonyms, antonyms and cloze sentence completion). Comprehension is typically the largest section.

How long is the GL Assessment 11+ English test?

The English paper usually allows around 50 minutes, including time for instructions and practice questions, and contains roughly 50 questions. Some regions combine English with other subjects in one timed sitting.

When do children sit the 11 Plus English exam?

Most regions sit GL Assessment 11+ papers in September of Year 6, a few weeks into the school year. Results are released in October and used for grammar school applications, which usually close on 31 October.

How is the 11 Plus English paper scored?

Raw marks are converted into an age-standardised score that adjusts for the pupil's exact age in months, so younger pupils are not disadvantaged. A standardised score of 100 is the national average; most grammar schools require 111+ and selective areas require 121+.

Is the GL Assessment 11+ English test adaptive?

No. GL Assessment 11+ papers used by grammar schools are paper-based and non-adaptive, so every pupil answers the same questions and the difficulty does not change based on previous answers.

Which regions use the GL Assessment 11+ English paper?

GL Assessment is the most common 11+ provider, used in Kent, Medway, Lincolnshire, Buckinghamshire, parts of Birmingham, Lancashire, Cumbria, Wirral, Wiltshire, Trafford and many independent schools. The CEM board was the other major provider until CEM 11+ was discontinued in 2024.