Independent vs Grammar School: 11+ Choice
· 8 min read
How families decide between a state grammar school and an independent school at 11+ — costs, exam-format differences, and how to prepare for both routes.
What's the actual difference between grammar and independent at 11+?
State grammar schools and independent (private) schools are both academically selective at 11+, but the similarities mostly end there. Grammars are state-funded and tuition is free; their selection test is set by GL Assessment, CEM, CSSE or a school-set consortium paper, and admissions are governed by local-authority rules that include catchment, siblings and rank-order scoring. Independent schools charge tuition fees, set their own entrance exams, and admit purely on the school's judgment of suitability — typically a written exam plus an interview. The preparation overlap is real but partial: both routes test Maths and English at a level above the standard Year 5 curriculum, but independent schools usually require longer written compositions and most state grammars test verbal and non-verbal reasoning that independent schools generally do not. Families considering both routes need to plan a hybrid preparation rather than assuming one set of practice papers covers both. Where grammar schools are scarce (much of England has none locally), independent schools become the only academically selective option; in heavily-grammared regions like Kent or Essex, they are a parallel choice.
Costs: state grammar is free; independent typically £6k-25k per year
The headline cost gap is enormous. State grammar schools, like any maintained secondary, are free at the point of use — funding comes from the Department for Education and the local authority. Independent day-school fees range broadly: smaller regional schools sit around £6,000-12,000 per year, while well-known senior schools in London and the south-east can reach £20,000-25,000 per year, with boarding adding more on top. Over seven years from Year 7 to Upper Sixth, fees alone can total £50,000-£175,000 per child, before uniform, trips and extras. Bursaries and scholarships exist at most independent schools — academic, music, sport and means-tested — and a competitive 11+ candidate may secure a 10-100% fee remission. These awards are genuinely worth applying for if money is the only blocker, but they are themselves competitive: a child who passes a grammar at, say, the 90th percentile may need to be at the top of the independent applicant pool to win a meaningful bursary. Run the realistic numbers — including possible scholarships — before assuming one route is unaffordable.
Exam format: how the tests actually differ
State grammar tests are usually multiple-choice and machine-marked, with verbal and non-verbal reasoning alongside Maths and English. The format is predictable year to year and rewards fast, accurate paper technique — see our 11+ exam boards comparison for what GL, CEM and CSSE actually test. Independent school exams typically include longer written sections: an extended English composition (often 30-45 minutes) and Maths papers with open-answer working that earns method marks. Many independents also interview shortlisted candidates and may set a problem-solving or creative-thinking element designed to test ability beyond drilled exam technique. The practical implication is that pure grammar-school preparation (heavy on multiple-choice reasoning) does not by itself prepare a child for independent-school exams, and pure independent-school preparation (heavy on extended writing and open Maths) misses the verbal- and non-verbal-reasoning question types that decide grammar entry. Families preparing for both routes need to plan both kinds of practice from the start of Year 5 at the latest.
Can you prepare for both at the same time?
Yes — and many families do — but it takes a clear plan rather than just doubling the workload. The overlap is significant: strong reading and comprehension, secure Maths above Year 5 level, and structured writing all serve both routes. Add to that the format-specific layers each route demands: multiple-choice verbal and non-verbal reasoning for the grammar test, and extended composition plus open-answer Maths for the independent exam. Practically, this looks like a weekly rhythm with two streams: a multiple-choice reasoning session and a written-composition session each week, with shared Maths and reading running across both. Confirm what each target school actually tests — independent-school formats vary widely and a quick look at a sample paper saves hours of wasted preparation. If your child is sitting both within a few weeks of each other in the autumn, plan rest days in between and avoid running mock exams back-to-back. Our guide on using practice papers well applies to both routes and is a sensible starting point for the weekly rhythm.
Which route is right for which child?
Test type is rarely the deciding factor — fit is. Consider three honest questions. First, academic level: does your child sit comfortably in the upper portion of mock results, or are they straining to reach the qualifying mark? Independent schools span a wide ability range, so a strong-but-not-top-percentile child may have more independent options than grammar options. Second, environment: large state grammars (often 800-1500 pupils) and smaller independent senior schools (often 400-900) feel quite different day to day. Visit each shortlisted school on a working day rather than only at an open evening to see the real culture. Third, what your child actually wants: by Year 5, most children have opinions about classmates, journeys and the kind of school they imagine — and those preferences matter, both for engagement during preparation and for the outcome being right for them. Note that super-selective grammars sit closer to top-tier independents in academic stretch than they do to standard grammars — for that decision, see our super-selective grammar schools guide. Our free diagnostic at grammarprep.uk/onboarding gives an early read on where your child sits across the four 11+ subjects, which is a useful input to the right-fit question.
Common Entrance and the 13+ alternative
A handful of independent schools — particularly traditional senior schools — still admit primarily at 13+ via the Common Entrance examination rather than at 11+. If your child does not get a place at the grammar or independent school you wanted at 11+, it is worth checking whether your preferred independent option offers 13+ entry, because two extra years of academic development can change a child's standing in the applicant pool dramatically. Common Entrance exams have a different structure to either grammar or 11+ independent tests, and the prep schools that prepare children for 13+ run their own dedicated programmes. For families weighing 11+ versus 13+ alongside the grammar question, our companion article on 11+ vs Common Entrance sets out the trade-offs in full. The headline: 11+ funnels you toward state grammars and senior independents; 13+ keeps doors open to a different set of independent schools and a longer prep-school path. Neither route is universally better — both produce excellent outcomes when matched to the right child.