GL vs CEM vs CSSE: which 11+ exam board does your grammar school use?
· 8 min read
A side-by-side comparison of the three main 11+ exam boards — GL Assessment, CEM, and CSSE — with region-by-region coverage and preparation implications.
The short answer
GL Assessment is used by most English grammar-school regions (Kent, Buckinghamshire, Trafford, Wirral, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, much of Northern Ireland). CEM is used by a shrinking number of areas following its withdrawal from paper-based primary testing in 2023 — check each target school's current admissions page. CSSE is used only by the ten Consortium schools in Essex. If your child is applying to schools in more than one region, you may be preparing for more than one board. The differences matter — picking the wrong practice materials is the single most expensive avoidable mistake in 11+ preparation.
What are GL, CEM, and CSSE?
None of these are 'exam boards' in the AQA/Edexcel sense — they are assessment providers commissioned by local authorities, school consortiums, or individual schools. GL Assessment is the largest; it publishes question types, offers official practice papers, and has run 11+ tests for decades. CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, originally at Durham University) was designed to be 'tutor-proof' with less predictable formats; it withdrew from paper-based primary testing in 2023, and many former CEM areas have since moved to GL. CSSE (Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex) writes its own bespoke papers for its ten member schools and uses a written free-response format rather than multiple choice.
GL Assessment: format and characteristics
GL papers test some combination of English, Mathematics, Verbal reasoning, and Non-verbal reasoning — which combination is decided by each authority. Papers are typically 45-50 minutes each, multiple-choice, with separate answer sheets. There are approximately 21 verbal reasoning question types and a similar count of non-verbal types; the full set is published and practice materials are abundant. Because formats are predictable, targeted practice produces measurable gains. Regions using GL include Kent, Buckinghamshire, Trafford, Wirral, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, Medway, and much of Northern Ireland.
CEM: what remains, and what it looks like
CEM papers were deliberately designed to resist drilling. They typically blend verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and English comprehension into two mixed-format papers of 45 minutes each, rather than separate subject papers. Vocabulary tested is often well above Year 5/6 expected level, making broad reading the most reliable preparation. CEM does not publish past papers or disclose question formats in advance. Since the 2023 paper-based withdrawal, remaining CEM areas are limited — always verify with the target school's current admissions page before buying CEM-style materials. Gloucestershire is one area whose consortium has historically used CEM; formats may have shifted.
CSSE: Essex-specific, free-response
CSSE is used exclusively by the ten Essex selective schools (King Edward VI Chelmsford, Colchester Royal Grammar, Chelmsford County High, Westcliff High, Southend High, and others). Unlike GL and CEM, CSSE uses written free-response papers: a ~75-minute English paper (reading comprehension plus creative writing) and a ~60-minute Maths paper requiring pupils to show their working. CSSE does not test verbal or non-verbal reasoning at all. CSSE papers are sat on a Saturday at a designated venue, not at each child's primary school. See our Essex 11+ region guide for the full format.
Side-by-side summary
Format: GL is multiple choice. CEM is multiple choice. CSSE is free response. Subjects: GL and CEM test reasoning + English + Maths in varying combinations. CSSE tests English + Maths only. Predictability: GL is the most predictable; CEM is deliberately less so; CSSE is well-documented via its past papers. Time pressure: all three are tight on time, but CSSE's free-response format means slow-writers are disadvantaged in a way they wouldn't be on multiple-choice papers. Preparation materials: GL has the most abundant material; CSSE has a purpose-sold set of past papers from CSSE itself; CEM has the thinnest material base, especially post-2023.
What this means for preparation
If your child is sitting only GL exams, focus on GL question types and timed multiple-choice practice. If they are sitting only CSSE, focus on depth in Maths and timed written English — reasoning drill is largely wasted. If they are sitting CEM or a mixed CEM-GL region, prioritise vocabulary and reading comprehension over format-specific drilling. If they are sitting tests across two different boards (e.g. Kent + Essex, or Bucks + Birmingham KEVI), plan for two overlapping preparation tracks — children who drill only one format perform notably worse on the other.
How to confirm which board your school uses
Check the school's own website first — every grammar school publishes its admissions arrangements for the coming year, usually by the spring of Year 5. Then cross-check with the local authority's admissions page and the consortium's website (if the school is in a consortium). The Eleven Plus Exams Forum has active regional discussion threads that often flag any changes. Avoid relying on third-party tutoring websites for the current year's board — these are sometimes out of date.
What if the board changes between now and test day?
Boards do occasionally change — the most visible recent example was the post-2023 shift of several former CEM areas to GL. Schools and consortiums announce these changes publicly, usually in the spring before the test year, and they are never retroactive: your child will sit whichever board is announced for their specific test date. The practical safeguard is to check the target school or consortium admissions page every term, not just once at the start of preparation. If a change is announced, pivot quickly: GL-to-CEM transitions require more vocabulary and less format drill; CEM-to-GL transitions require introducing the ~21 GL question types your child may never have seen before. Most adaptive platforms (GrammarPrep included) re-configure automatically if you update your target region.
Where GrammarPrep fits
GrammarPrep's adaptive practice is built primarily around GL Assessment question types (the majority of English grammar-school regions), with region-specific configuration for Kent, Bucks, Trafford, Wirral, Lincolnshire, and Warwickshire. For CSSE-specific preparation, we complement the platform with depth-focused Maths and English practice rather than reasoning drill. Start with our free diagnostic to see which board matches your child's test — grammarprep.uk/onboarding. Parents sitting more than one region's test can set two profiles, one per region, so the adaptive engine doesn't mix GL practice into what should be CSSE preparation. See our Lincolnshire guide for a GL reasoning-only example, and our Essex guide for the contrasting CSSE-only approach.