When to start 11+ preparation: a parent timeline by school year
· 7 min read
A school-year timeline showing exactly when to start 11+ preparation, what to cover in Year 3, 4, 5, and 6, and how to taper into the exam without burnout.
The short answer
Start light foundation work in Year 3, introduce 11+-specific content (verbal and non-verbal reasoning) at the start of Year 4, and intensify through Year 5 for a September Year 6 exam. This gives 18-24 months of structured preparation — the window consistently found to produce the strongest results without risking burnout. Starting earlier rarely helps. Starting later is possible but compresses the timeline uncomfortably.
Year 3 (ages 7-8): foundations, not preparation
Year 3 is too early for formal 11+ papers or workbooks. What matters is building the raw capacities that 11+ preparation will later leverage: daily reading (fiction and non-fiction, to build vocabulary and comprehension), mental-maths fluency (number bonds, times tables up to 5x5 by the end of Year 3), and general curiosity through puzzles, strategy games, and real-world problem-solving. If your child enjoys logic puzzles (Sudoku, Rush Hour, set-building games), they will later learn verbal and non-verbal reasoning question types faster — but don't force it. The goal is to make learning feel normal, not stressful.
Year 4 (ages 8-9): introduce 11+ content
Year 4 is when structured 11+ preparation starts. Use a diagnostic assessment in September or October to identify starting levels across the four subject areas. Then introduce verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning gently — 15-20 minutes, three or four days a week. These subjects are NOT taught in school, so exposure to question types is the main goal of Year 4. Maths practice should run parallel, covering the Year 5 curriculum roughly a term ahead of school. Keep English practice integrated with daily reading — no child benefits from hours of isolated comprehension drill in Year 4.
Year 5 (ages 9-10): the core preparation year
Year 5 is when preparation becomes systematic. Increase to 20-30 minutes daily, five days a week. The focus shifts from introducing question types to building speed, accuracy, and exam technique. By the end of the autumn term, children should be comfortable with every GL/CEM/CSSE question format (depending on target region) when working untimed. From the spring term onwards, introduce timed practice — single papers at first, then paired papers to simulate the real test cadence. By the summer term of Year 5, your child should be sitting monthly mock exams under realistic conditions. If mock scores are consistently above the likely threshold, you're in good shape. If they're consistently below, narrow practice to the two weakest topic areas.
Summer between Year 5 and Year 6: stay steady
This is the most-abused window in 11+ preparation. Resist the urge to cram. Keep sessions light (15-20 minutes, four days a week, with two full days off). Introduce mixed-topic mock papers once a week. Make sure your child has at least a one-week genuine holiday with no 11+ work — they will come back sharper, not rustier. Daily reading continues throughout the summer; it's the single habit that pays off most on the Reasoning and English papers.
Year 6 (ages 10-11): September and beyond
The test is in September of Year 6 in most regions. Preparation should be essentially complete by the end of August. In the final week before the test, cut practice to 10-15 minutes a day and focus on exam-day logistics (answer-sheet navigation, skipping and returning to hard questions, checking Maths working). Sleep matters more than cramming. On test day, your child should feel calm and prepared, not stressed. After the test, prepare for the possibility of appeal windows and secondary applications — the exam is not the end of the admissions process, just its biggest single event.
What if you're starting later?
Starting in Year 5 (not Year 4): compress the timeline. Skip the gentle Year 4 introduction and move straight to structured daily practice from October of Year 5. You will need to cover more ground more quickly, which is doable for motivated children but unforgiving of illness or wobbles. Starting in Year 6: focus purely on GL question-type familiarity and timed mock papers. Don't try to teach new curriculum content. If your child is naturally strong in Maths and English, a late start can still produce a qualifying score — but the margin for error is narrow.
Regional variations in timing
Most English grammar-school regions (Kent, Bucks, Trafford, Wirral, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire) test in September of Year 6. London super-selectives (including Sutton, Wilson's, Nonsuch) often add a second-stage test in October of Year 6. Essex CSSE also sits in September. Northern Ireland's AQE and GL Transfer tests typically run in November. Check your specific target region carefully — a difference of a month in test date materially changes your preparation peak.
Common timing mistakes
Starting at the beginning of Year 6 and trying to cram. Starting in Year 2 or 3 with formal 11+ workbooks (too early — undermines motivation). Buying practice papers before understanding question types. Going into the summer holiday with the attitude 'we'll really knuckle down now' (this is when children burn out). Booking a full-price tutor six months before the test as a panic measure. None of these are fatal individually, but they compound quickly.
A simple rule of thumb
Good 11+ preparation looks like steady 20-25 minutes a day, five days a week, for 12-18 months, with daily reading throughout. If your child is spending more than 45 minutes a day on 11+ work, you're probably over-tutoring. If they're spending less than 15 minutes on school days, you're probably under-preparing. The sweet spot isn't hard to find — it's the discipline to stay in it that matters.
Where GrammarPrep fits into the timeline
GrammarPrep's adaptive engine is designed to absorb the planning burden: it decides what to practise next based on your child's current mastery, so parents don't have to design a topic rotation or guess when to advance difficulty. Start with the free diagnostic at grammarprep.uk/onboarding at the start of Year 4, then run 20-minute daily sessions through to September of Year 6. Regional configuration for Kent, Bucks, Trafford, Wirral, Warwickshire, and Lincolnshire ensures the right question types and paper mix appear at each stage. For Essex and super-selective Sutton, pair platform practice with the board-specific materials described in our region guides.