How to prepare for the Queen Mary’s Grammar School 11+

The exam at a glance

For September 2028 entry, Queen Mary’s Grammar School uses the GL Assessment test through the Consortium of grammar schools in Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton. For this school, children should prepare across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with steady practice in all four areas rather than over-focusing on just one.

The test is paper based. In practice, that means children need to be comfortable reading instructions carefully, marking answers clearly and keeping a sensible pace through timed sections. Because this is a GL-style consortium test, the best preparation is broad and methodical: secure core maths and English skills, then regular short practice in verbal and non-verbal reasoning.

On the test day itself, families should expect a formal school-style assessment session rather than an interview-led process. Children are usually checked in, seated in exam rooms and guided through the papers by invigilators. The school’s admissions information for recent entry confirms that candidates may need to sit the test at a different consortium school if numbers require it, so it is worth reading the joining instructions carefully when they are issued.

For Queen Mary’s Grammar School specifically, the key point is this: balanced preparation matters. A child who is strong in maths but rusty in comprehension, or good at English but unfamiliar with reasoning question types, can lose marks unnecessarily. Build calm familiarity with all four subjects and practise working accurately under standard timed conditions.

Registration and key dates

Queen Mary’s Grammar School publishes Year 7 admissions information on its website, and recent admissions arrangements also refer parents to the Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test Registration Form. For the most recent dated cycle currently visible for September 2027 entry, registration opened on 5 May 2026, requests for access arrangements were due by 12 June 2026 at 4pm, registration closed on 26 June 2026 at 4pm, the test took place on 12 September 2026, and results were due by 16 October 2026. The local authority deadline to submit school preferences was 31 October 2026.

At the time of writing, we have not found a published set of 2028-entry dates on the school site. So for families aiming at September 2028 entry, the safest wording is that registration usually opens in May, usually closes in late June, the test is typically in September, and results are usually released by mid-October, based on the school’s published 2027-entry page.

When registration opens, complete it promptly rather than leaving it to the last week. If your child may need access arrangements, read the requirements early, because supporting evidence and school paperwork often take time to gather. Keep copies of confirmation emails and note every deadline in one place.

Where to check: the school’s admissions page first, then the consortium registration information.
What you may need: basic pupil details, parent contact information, school details and, if relevant, evidence for access arrangements.
After registration: watch for test-day instructions, venue details and the results email or letter.

If you want a simple place to track updates, our school-specific page is The Queen Mary's Grammar School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates), and parents can also sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Queen Mary’s Grammar School is a selective state school for boys in Years 7 to 11, with sixth-form entry for boys and girls. For Year 7 admissions, there is no defined catchment area. That is helpful for families because eligibility is not restricted by a formal distance boundary, but it does not mean admissions are easy: places are still allocated under the school’s oversubscription rules.

For September 2028 entry, ElevenReady’s verified admissions information confirms 180 Year 7 places. If more children qualify than there are places available, priority is given in this order:

looked after and previously looked after children;
children eligible for Pupil Premium, limited to no more than 30% of the year group, which is currently 54 places, with priority first to those attending a state-funded primary school in Walsall at the time of the test;
other children in rank order of standardised score.

The school’s determined admissions arrangements for recent years reflect this structure and also explain that a child must meet the required standard in the entrance test before oversubscription criteria are applied. What parents should take from this is that there are really two stages to think about: first, your child needs a strong enough performance in the test; second, places are then allocated according to the admissions rules if the school is oversubscribed.

The school does not publish a simple guaranteed pass mark for parents to work towards. Standardised scores, the number of children sitting, and the strength of the cohort all affect how offers are eventually made. So avoid any online claims that suggest a fixed “safe score”. For the most reliable picture each year, check the current admissions arrangements on the school website and your home local authority’s secondary transfer guidance.

A month-by-month preparation plan

For most children, the most effective approach is steady preparation through Year 5 rather than an intense last-minute push. The plan below assumes an exam in early autumn at the start of Year 6.

January to March of Year 5

Keep it light and regular: around 1.5 to 2 hours a week in total is usually enough at this stage. Focus on core habits. In maths, strengthen number fluency, fractions, word problems and mental arithmetic. In English, build reading stamina, vocabulary and careful comprehension. Start short familiarisation work for verbal and non-verbal reasoning so the question styles do not feel strange later.

April to May of Year 5

Increase gently to around 2 to 3 hours a week. Begin working in short timed bursts rather than long sessions. One useful pattern is three or four sessions across the week: one maths, one English, one reasoning session and one mixed review. This is also a good time to register promptly once the form opens, based on the school’s usual timetable.

June of Year 5

Keep momentum steady at 3 hours a week. By now, your child should know the main question types in each subject. Start practising transitions between topics, because GL-style tests reward children who can switch quickly from one task to another without losing concentration. If access arrangements might be needed, this is the point to make sure all paperwork has been dealt with before the registration deadline.

July of Year 5

Move to 3 to 4 hours a week, still with at least one day off from 11+ work. Introduce more timed sets and the first full or near-full practice papers if your child is ready. The goal is not to chase scores obsessively, but to spot patterns: rushing, misreading instructions, weak vocabulary, careless arithmetic or slower reasoning speed.

August before Year 6

This is the key consolidation month. Aim for 4 to 5 hours a week, divided across several shorter sessions. Complete timed papers under calm conditions, then spend just as long reviewing errors. Children improve most when they understand why they lost marks. Keep one session each week for pure revision of weak areas rather than always doing another paper.

September of Year 6 up to the test

In the final weeks, keep work purposeful but not exhausting: around 3 to 4 hours a week is usually enough. Use short mixed drills, one or two final timed papers and plenty of confidence-building review. Avoid cramming the night before. Sleep, routine and emotional calm matter more at this point than squeezing in extra questions.

If your child is starting later than this, do not panic. A shorter plan can still work well if it is organised: cover the format quickly, identify weaknesses early and practise little and often rather than relying on occasional marathon sessions.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

For GL-style grammar school tests, maths preparation should focus on secure Key Stage 2 content used under time pressure. Practise arithmetic accuracy, place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, measures, area and perimeter, data handling and multi-step word problems. Many children know the method but drop marks through speed or sloppy reading, so include short timed sets and regular mental maths. A good routine is one untimed teaching session followed later in the week by a short timed recap.

English

English preparation should centre on comprehension, vocabulary and careful language use. Children need experience of reading prose confidently, finding evidence in a passage, understanding tone and meaning, and noticing how words are used. Build vocabulary steadily through reading and discussion, not by memorising random word lists alone. Short editing tasks, spelling patterns and sentence-level accuracy are useful too, because they strengthen the close attention GL-style questions often require.

Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Reasoning rewards familiarity. Children should learn the common question types they may see in GL-style practice: code and letter patterns, relationships between words, vocabulary-based tasks, sequences and logical language puzzles. The trick is not just to do lots of questions, but to group mistakes by type. If your child struggles with one pattern, teach that pattern directly, then revisit it a few days later. Vocabulary work also supports verbal reasoning, so reading and word knowledge have double value here.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning is often the least familiar subject, so begin with explicit teaching of the main visual patterns. Practise shape sequences, rotations, reflections, symmetry, codes, similarities and differences, and tasks involving the movement or combination of shapes. Encourage your child to talk through what has changed from one figure to the next. That verbal explanation often helps children see patterns more clearly and reduces guessing.

Across all four subjects, the most useful habit is this: review every mistake properly. Ask whether the error came from knowledge, method, timing, vocabulary, attention or confidence. Once you know the reason, practice becomes much more efficient.

Practice papers and mock exams

Practice papers are most useful when they are part of a routine, not just a score-chasing exercise. Start with short topic-based work, then move gradually to timed sections and finally to full papers nearer the exam. After each paper, go back through every missed question and sort errors into three groups: things your child did not know, things they knew but misread, and things they could do but took too long over. That review tells you what to do next week.

For school-specific practice, use our Free Queen Mary's Grammar School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers). These are designed to help families cover the tested subjects in a structured way. You can also bookmark The Queen Mary's Grammar School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates) and sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

If you use mock exams, choose them for familiarisation and stamina rather than drama. A mock can be helpful for learning how your child manages timings, instructions, travel and nerves in an unfamiliar setting. It is less helpful if it becomes a source of pressure or endless comparison with other children. One or two well-timed mocks are usually enough for most families.

Use easier material first to learn the method.
Move to timed sections before full papers.
Do not sit full papers every weekend for months; review matters more than volume.
Keep a simple error log by subject and question type.
Repeat weak question types until they become familiar.

On the day

Keep the morning simple. Lay out everything the night before, allow extra travel time and aim for an unhurried start. Children usually do best when the atmosphere is calm and ordinary: breakfast, water, a quick reminder to read carefully, then off you go.

Tell your child they do not need to get every question right. In selective tests, composure matters. Encourage them to listen closely to instructions, keep an eye on time without panicking and move on if a question is sticking. A steady paper is usually better than a frantic one.

Because recent school guidance says some candidates may be tested at another consortium school, check the confirmation details carefully rather than assuming the venue will be Queen Mary’s Grammar School itself. If there are any special arrangements in place, confirm them in advance and keep the relevant paperwork handy.

After the exam, try not to conduct a full post-mortem in the car. Most children find that unhelpful. Praise effort, provide food and downtime, and wait for the official result rather than analysing individual questions from memory.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

For the most recent published cycle on the school website, test results for September 2027 entry were due by 16 October 2026. Families then needed to complete their local authority secondary preference form by 31 October 2026. That sequence is typical: children sit the test first, receive the result before the national preference deadline, and parents then list their preferred schools through their home local authority.

A qualifying or strong test result does not by itself guarantee an offer. Parents must still submit the school on the local authority preference form, and final allocation depends on the admissions rules and how many eligible children apply. National Offer Day then follows in the spring through the normal coordinated admissions process.

If a child is not offered a place, parents may have the right to join a waiting list and to appeal. The practical process is usually explained by the admission authority and the local authority after offers are made. For appeals, keep expectations realistic and base any case on clear evidence rather than general frustration. The school’s admissions information and your home local authority’s admissions pages are the right places to check the current steps and deadlines when the time comes.

What has changed recently

For recent admissions cycles, Queen Mary’s Grammar School has published Year 7 entry information through the consortium route, with registration handled via the shared grammar schools’ entrance test process. We found no newly announced change on the school’s currently available admissions pages to the core test format for the upcoming cycle beyond the published use of the consortium entrance test arrangements for recent entry.

The main recent point parents should notice is the school’s published 2027-entry timetable on its admissions page, which gives a clear indication of the usual annual pattern: registration in May and June, testing in September and results in October. The school’s determined admissions arrangements for recent years also continue to reflect the oversubscription structure that includes a Pupil Premium priority category capped at 30% of the year group.

If the school later publishes separate 2028-entry dates or any change to the consortium process, those newer official pages should be treated as the authority to follow.

Frequently asked questions

What exam board does Queen Mary’s Grammar School use for 2028 entry?

For 2028 entry, Queen Mary’s Grammar School uses GL Assessment through the consortium of grammar schools in Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

What subjects are in the Queen Mary’s Grammar School 11+?

Children should prepare for Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

Is the test computer-based?

No. For 2028 entry, the test format is paper based.

Does Queen Mary’s Grammar School have a catchment area?

No. The school has no defined catchment area, although places are still allocated using the school’s oversubscription rules.

How many Year 7 places are available?

There are 180 Year 7 places.

When do registrations usually open?

The school has not yet published 2028-entry dates on the pages we found. Based on the published 2027-entry page, registration usually opens in May and closes in late June.

Do I need to put the school on the local authority preference form if my child does well in the test?

Yes. A strong result does not automatically create an offer. You still need to submit your preferences through your home local authority by the stated deadline.

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Sources

Queen Mary’s Grammar School – September 2027 Entry: 2027-entry timetable facts: registration opened 5 May 2026; SEN/access arrangements deadline 12 June 2026 at 4pm; registration closed 26 June 2026 at 4pm; test date 12 September 2026; results by 16 October 2026; local authority preference deadline 31 October 2026; candidates may be tested at another

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Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.