What's Actually in the GL Assessment? A Subject-by-Subject Guide

If your child is sitting the Kent Test or another GL Assessment exam, knowing exactly what's in it is the first step to preparing effectively. The GL Assessment covers four subjects, each with its own question types, timing and preparation strategies. Here's a clear breakdown of what your child will actually face.

How the GL Assessment is structured

The GL Assessment 11 plus consists of four separate timed papers:

• Maths

• English

• Verbal Reasoning

• Non-Verbal Reasoning

Each paper is sat separately and timed independently. All questions are multiple choice, answered on a separate answer sheet using a pencil. The total testing time varies slightly by area, but each paper is typically between 40 and 50 minutes.

Results are standardised — meaning they're adjusted for age so that a child born in August is not disadvantaged compared to one born in September. Final scores are reported as a standardised age score (SAS), and grammar schools set their own threshold scores for entry.

Maths

The Maths paper tests the KS2 curriculum but at a higher level of complexity and speed than children typically experience at school. It's not about knowing unusual content — it's about applying familiar concepts quickly and accurately under time pressure.

Topics covered include:

• The four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) including with decimals and fractions

• Fractions, percentages and ratios

• Algebra and simple equations

• Area, perimeter and volume

• Angles and properties of 2D and 3D shapes

• Data handling — reading charts, tables and graphs

• Number sequences and patterns

• Time, money and measures

• Word problems requiring multi-step reasoning

  
  

The word problems are where many children lose marks. They require careful reading as well as mathematical ability — a child who rushes or misreads the question will get it wrong even if they know the method.

How to prepare: Regular timed practice is essential. Children need to be able to work quickly without sacrificing accuracy. Focus on any topics where your child consistently loses marks rather than drilling everything equally.

English

The English paper has two components: comprehension and spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG).

Comprehension

Children read one or more passages and answer questions about them. These include:

• Literal questions (finding information directly stated in the text)

• Inferential questions (working out meaning that isn't directly stated)

• Vocabulary questions (the meaning of words in context)

• Questions about the author's language choices and effects

The passages are typically between 300 and 600 words and may be fiction, non-fiction or poetry. Children who read widely and regularly are significantly advantaged here — not because they'll have read the same texts, but because wide reading builds vocabulary, comprehension speed and the ability to infer meaning from context.

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)

This section tests:

• Punctuation — commas, apostrophes, speech marks, colons, semicolons

• Grammar — parts of speech, tenses, sentence structure, subject-verb agreement

• Spelling — common spelling rules, homophones, prefixes and suffixes

• Vocabulary — synonyms, antonyms, word meanings

How to prepare: Reading widely is the single most effective preparation for English comprehension. For SPaG, systematic revision of punctuation rules and common spelling patterns is more effective than general reading alone.

Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Reasoning is the subject that surprises most families — it doesn't appear in the school curriculum, so many children encounter it for the first time during 11 plus preparation. It tests the ability to think logically about words and language.

There are around 20 standardised question types in the GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning paper. These include:

• Word codes — working out a code and applying it to a new word

• Letter series — identifying the next letter or letters in a sequence

• Analogies — completing word relationships (e.g. hot is to cold as light is to ?)

• Odd one out — identifying the word that doesn't belong in a group

• Hidden words — finding a smaller word hidden within a sentence

• Compound words — combining two words to make one

• Number sequences — identifying the rule and continuing a sequence

• Missing letters — completing a word with letters removed

• Anagrams — rearranging letters to find a word

  
  

The good news is that these question types are entirely learnable. Once a child understands the format and logic of each type, performance improves quickly with practice. The bad news is that children who haven't seen these question types before will struggle on the day — which is why dedicated Verbal Reasoning practice is non-negotiable.

How to prepare: Work through each question type systematically. Don't try to cover all 20 types at once — introduce them gradually, practise each one until it's familiar, then move on. Speed builds naturally with repetition.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) tests the ability to think logically about shapes, patterns and spatial relationships rather than words or numbers. It's often described as a test of raw reasoning ability, though like Verbal Reasoning it responds well to targeted practice.

Question types include:

• Series — identifying which shape comes next in a sequence

• Analogies — completing shape relationships (shape A is to shape B as shape C is to ?)

• Odd one out — identifying the shape that doesn't belong

• Codes — working out a code applied to shapes and applying it to a new example

• Nets — identifying which 2D net folds to make a given 3D shape

• Reflection and rotation — identifying shapes after transformation

• Matrices — completing a grid of shapes by identifying the rule

  
  

NVR is the subject many parents feel least equipped to help with at home, because it doesn't map to familiar school topics. However, the question types are consistent and learnable — children who practise them regularly develop both the pattern-recognition skills and the speed needed to perform well.

How to prepare: Visual, hands-on practice works best. Go through each question type methodically, and encourage your child to verbalise their reasoning — explaining why they chose an answer helps cement the underlying logic.

The question that matters most: which areas need most work?

Every child is different. Some are strong at Maths and struggle with Verbal Reasoning. Others find Non-Verbal Reasoning intuitive but lose marks in English comprehension. The most effective preparation is targeted — identifying the specific areas of weakness and directing practice time accordingly.

A proper assessment at the start of preparation (whether through a tutor or through scored mock exams) tells you where to focus. Practising everything equally is less efficient than doubling down on the areas that will move the score most.

YoungLearners covers all four GL Assessment subjects with over 20,000 questions organised by topic. The progress dashboard shows exactly which areas your child is performing well in and where the gaps are — which makes it much easier to direct practice time productively. Full timed mock exams are available for subscribers, covering all four papers in realistic exam conditions.

Young Learning Tuition provides expert 11 plus tuition in Sevenoaks and the surrounding Kent area, with specialist knowledge of the GL Assessment format. Get in touch to discuss how we can support your child across all four subjects.