How to prepare for the Queen Mary's High School 11+

The exam at a glance

Queen Mary's High School is part of the West Midlands Grammar Schools partnership for Year 7 entrance testing. For September 2028 entry, ElevenReady's verified information is that the test is a GL Assessment exam taken through the West Midlands Grammar Schools process.

The format for 2028 entry is a single GL Assessment paper covering Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The safest preparation approach is balanced practice across all four areas, with steady work on accuracy as well as pace.

The partnership familiarisation materials explain that GL-style questions are multiple-choice and that children record answers on a separate answer sheet. In practice, that means pupils need more than subject knowledge: they also need confidence with short timed sections, careful answer-marking and quick recovery if one question feels difficult.

The exact delivery arrangements for 2028 entry are not yet confirmed on the sources checked. Parents should watch the school's admissions page and the West Midlands Grammar Schools registration page for the test venue, session arrangements and any instructions for the day.

Board: GL Assessment via West Midlands Grammar Schools
Format: one GL paper covering four areas
Areas to prepare: Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning
Question style: multiple-choice, with separate answer sheet in familiarisation materials
Best prep focus: broad coverage, secure basics, then timed practice

Registration and key dates

For Queen Mary's High School, registration for the entrance test is handled through the West Midlands Grammar Schools process rather than by a separate school-only test form. The partnership's registration page is the main place to check when applications open, what information is required and how to request access arrangements.

For children starting Year 7 in September 2028, the school's own 2028 admissions page was available, but at the time of research the detailed key dates for that cycle were not fully published. Because of that, the most helpful approach is to use the typical timing shown by the partnership and the dates already verified in ElevenReady's directory, then check the official pages regularly for confirmation.

Registration usually opens: in May 2027 for September 2028 entry (TBC on official pages)
Registration usually closes: in June 2027 (TBC)
Reasonable adjustments deadline: usually June 2027 (TBC)
Main test date: typically 11 September 2027
Results: due no later than October 2027 (TBC on official pages)
CAF deadline: 31 October 2027 via the local authority
Late test registration: usually opens in December 2027 (date TBC)
Late test: usually in March 2028 (TBC)

In most years, parents should expect to complete an online registration form and give the child's personal details, current school information and any relevant supporting evidence for access arrangements. The partnership pages should be treated as the first source to check for the live form and instructions.

If you want a simple way to keep track, use Free email alerts for this school's key dates. For a quick overview page, see The Queen Mary's High School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Queen Mary's High School is a selective grammar school for girls and forms part of the West Midlands Grammar Schools testing partnership. The school admissions information makes clear that the schools within the partnership can have different admission criteria.

On the pages checked for this guide, no separate catchment area for Queen Mary's High School was stated. That means parents should not assume there is one, but should read the school's full admission arrangements each year in case priority rules are updated.

Walsall Council's admissions information confirms the broad process after testing: families still need to submit their local authority secondary school preference form by the national closing date. Sitting the test does not by itself count as a school application.

The school website also confirms that Queen Mary's High School is an academy grammar school for girls aged 11 to 18. If you are checking eligibility for a son, you would need to look at the linked boys' grammar option rather than Queen Mary's High School.

Specific figures such as the number of places, any cut-off score, the lowest qualifying rank or a distance criterion were not clearly published on the pages fetched for this article. Because those details can change and are easy to misstate, parents should check the current admission arrangements on the school website before relying on older summaries.

A month-by-month preparation plan

For most children, the best plan is calm and steady rather than intense. The test is broad, so consistency matters more than cramming. The outline below works backwards from a September test date in Year 6.

Month	What to do
January-April, Year 5	Build core skills gently. Aim for 1 to 2 hours a week split across short sessions. Focus on arithmetic fluency, reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling patterns and first exposure to verbal and non-verbal reasoning types.
May-July, Year 5	Increase to 2 to 3 hours a week. Once registration information appears, make sure you know the format. Start doing mixed practice so your child gets used to changing between subjects. Keep sessions short and upbeat.
Summer holidays before Year 6	Work steadily for 3 to 4 hours a week. This is a good time for technique: using answer sheets carefully, checking work quickly and moving on from hard questions. Introduce timed mini-sections, not full papers every day.
Late August	Start full mixed papers under realistic conditions once or twice a week. Review mistakes properly. The goal is not just a score but knowing why errors happen: rushed reading, weak method, vocabulary gap or answer-sheet slip.
Early September	Reduce volume slightly and protect confidence. Do brief warm-ups, a small amount of timed work and lots of routine. Avoid last-minute overload.

A good rule of thumb is to keep one session each week for untimed teaching and error review. Children improve fastest when they understand patterns in their mistakes. Timed work matters, but only after methods are secure.

If your child is busy with clubs and schoolwork, do not worry about very high weekly hours. A realistic routine done for months is far more effective than occasional long sessions.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

For a GL-style grammar school test, maths preparation should centre on secure Key Stage 2 skills used at speed. Practise arithmetic fluency, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, simple algebraic thinking, perimeter, area, measures, data handling and multi-step word problems.

Because the paper is mixed, children should also learn to identify the quickest sensible method. Encourage short working, estimation to sense-check answers and the habit of moving on if one problem is taking too long.

English

For English, focus on careful reading and precise language. Practise comprehension with short passages, inference, vocabulary in context, grammar, punctuation, spelling patterns and sentence-level accuracy. Regular reading is one of the most useful long-term tools here.

Build vocabulary naturally: discuss unfamiliar words while reading, keep a small word notebook and revisit roots, prefixes and suffixes. In timed work, train your child to read the question carefully before diving back into the passage.

Verbal Reasoning

Verbal reasoning rewards familiarity with recurring question types. Children should practise vocabulary-based tasks, letter and number codes, relationships between words, sequences, classifications, hidden-word styles and other common GL-style patterns.

The key is not to race through random questions. Instead, learn one type at a time, understand the rule, then mix types together. A child who can recognise the pattern quickly saves valuable time in the real test.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Non-verbal reasoning usually tests visual patterns and transformations. Practise shape sequences, rotations, reflections, symmetry, codes, similarities and differences, and problems involving more than one rule at once.

For many children, this improves fastest when they talk through the pattern out loud first: shape change, position change, shading change and number change. That step-by-step habit makes harder items much more manageable.

Practice papers and mock exams

Use practice papers in stages. Start with short untimed practice to learn each question type. Move next to timed sections. Only once your child is comfortable with the format should you use full mixed papers regularly.

After every paper, spend longer reviewing than testing. Sort errors into three groups: didn't know it, knew it but rushed and misread or mis-marked. That tells you what to do next week.

It is also worth practising the practical side of a GL-style test: working on a separate answer sheet, keeping place accurately and leaving a difficult question rather than freezing on it.

If you use a mock exam, treat it as a diagnostic tool rather than a verdict. One useful mock, followed by careful review, is often more valuable than repeated high-pressure testing.

On the day

Keep the morning simple. Aim for a normal breakfast, comfortable clothes and plenty of time to arrive without rushing. The biggest practical help you can give is calm routine.

Check the official instructions the night before.
Pack anything requested by the organisers.
Avoid last-minute teaching on the journey.
Remind your child that one hard question is normal.
Encourage careful answer-sheet marking and steady pacing.

A helpful script is: read carefully, do the ones you can, move on if needed, and come back only if there is time. That keeps attention on process rather than nerves.

After the test, try not to conduct a full post-mortem in the car. Most children benefit from a change of scene and a normal afternoon.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

After testing, families receive the outcome from the admissions process in time to help with school preferences. For 2028 entry, the verified expectation is that results will be available no later than October 2027, though the exact date should be checked on the official pages once published.

Whatever the test result, parents must still complete their local authority secondary application by 31 October 2027. This is the step that names Queen Mary's High School on your preference form.

National offer day then follows the usual secondary admissions timetable through your home local authority. If a child is not offered a place, families can usually choose whether to remain on the waiting list and whether to appeal. Appeal arrangements should be read from the school's own admissions or policy pages for the relevant year, because procedures and deadlines are specific.

If your child misses the main test for an accepted reason, the partnership also refers to a late test, usually registered from December and sat in March. Check the live West Midlands Grammar Schools guidance for who is eligible and how late testing works.

What has changed recently

For the 2028 entry information currently available, Queen Mary's High School continues to be shown as part of the West Midlands Grammar Schools testing partnership. ElevenReady's verified directory states that for 2028 entry the format is a GL Assessment paper across Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

On the sources checked for this article, I did not find a separate official announcement from the school stating a new catchment rule, a newly published cut-off score or a published change in the number of places for Queen Mary's High School within the last two years. Parents should therefore treat the current admissions pages as the authority and check again when the 2028 arrangements are fully updated.

Frequently asked questions

Is Queen Mary's High School part of the West Midlands Grammar Schools test?

Yes. The school's admissions information links Queen Mary's High School to the West Midlands Grammar Schools entrance test process.

What subjects should my child prepare for?

For 2028 entry, prepare across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. A balanced approach is important because the test is mixed.

Does Queen Mary's High School have a catchment area?

On the pages checked for this guide, no separate catchment area for Queen Mary's High School was stated. Always read the latest admission arrangements in case priority rules change.

When should my child start preparing?

A gentle start in Year 5 is sensible for most children. Begin with core skills and question-type familiarity, then increase timed practice over the summer before Year 6.

Do I apply to the school and the local authority?

You normally register for the test through the West Midlands Grammar Schools process, and you must also submit your local authority secondary school application by the CAF deadline. Sitting the test alone is not the same as applying for a place.

Are pass marks or cut-off scores published?

I did not find a clearly published current cut-off or pass mark on the fetched pages for this guide. Check the school's official admissions information for the latest position.

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Sources

Queen Mary's High School - Year 7 September 2028 entry: School's 2028 admissions page exists; Queen Mary's High School is selective and part of the admissions information for 2028 entry.
Queen Mary's High School website: Queen Mary's High School is a girls' grammar school for ages 11-18.
West Midlands Grammar Schools: Queen Mary's High School uses the West Midlands Grammar Schools process; registration is handled through the partnership.

Preparing for other schools in Walsall

Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 20 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.