What is the Kent 11+ Test?

A student focused on the Kent 11 Plus test in a classroom setting

The Kent Test, often referred to as the Kent 11+, is the selection test used by Kent County Council (KCC) to determine whether a child is eligible to apply for a place at one of Kent’s grammar schools. There are upward of 30 grammar schools in Kent, and passing the Kent Test confirms grammar school suitability.

The test is typically taken by children in Year 6, during their final year of primary school. Registration opens in June and closes in early July, with results released in mid-October, before secondary school applications are submitted. Most children take the test at their primary school, although children from outside Kent and those who are home educated can also sit the test by registering directly with Kent County Council.

The Kent Test is administered by Kent County Council, while the exam papers are written by GL Assessment. The assessment consists of two written papers. The first paper tests English & maths. The English section focuses on reading comprehension and a combination of spelling proofreading, punctuation proofreading and grammatical decision making; the maths section is based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum. The second paper tests reasoning skills and includes both verbal reasoning & non-verbal reasoning. These are combined into a single reasoning score.

All Kent Test scores are standardised. This means that a child’s raw marks are converted into standardised scores based on the overall performance of the cohort. Age is taken into account as part of this process, so scores are adjusted according to a child’s age at the time of the test.

In addition to the written papers, children complete a creative writing task. This task does not usually contribute to the overall score and is generally only reviewed in borderline cases, such as when a headteacher provides supporting evidence.

To pass the Kent Test, a child must achieve a minimum overall score, and also pass a specific score in each of English, maths and reasoning. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are scored together. Passing the test confirms grammar school eligibility but does not guarantee a place at a particular grammar school. Places are allocated separately through the secondary school application process, using each school’s oversubscription criteria.