11 Plus Birmingham: Exam Dates, Format, Pass Marks and More

The Birmingham 11 plus exam is run by the King Edward VI Foundation, a consortium of eight grammar schools, and is set by GL Assessment. Children sit two papers, around 50 minutes each, covering English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal or Spatial Reasoning, usually in early September of Year 6. Registration opens in May and closes at the end of June, done entirely online, and there is no fixed pass mark, since a qualifying score and priority score are set fresh each year based on how that year's children performed. 

If you are trying to make sense of 11 plus Birmingham admissions, you are not alone. Here is a clear, detailed guide covering everything from Birmingham 11 plus exam dates and registration to exam format, pass mark and cut-off scores.

What is the Birmingham 11 plus exam?

The Birmingham 11 plus exam is the shared entrance test used by the King Edward VI Foundation, a consortium of eight grammar schools across Birmingham and the surrounding area. Rather than each school running its own separate test, children sit one exam, and their result can be used to apply to any or all of the participating schools.

This consortium approach genuinely helps families, since sitting a single exam opens the door to multiple schools rather than requiring several separate applications and test days. The King Edward VI Foundation includes well known schools such as King Edward VI Camp Hill for Boys and Girls, King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar and Handsworth Girls, King Edward VI Aston, King Edward VI Five Ways, Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield, and other West Midlands Partnership schools.

Birmingham 11 plus exam dates

Knowing the exact 11 plus exam date in Birmingham well in advance genuinely helps families plan preparation properly.

11 Plus Birmingham registration, how and when to apply

Birmingham 11 plus registration is a completely separate step from applying for a secondary school place, and it is genuinely one of the most important dates for families to get right.

1. Register online through the official portal

All 11 plus registration in Birmingham is completed via the West Midlands Grammar Schools portal, rather than through individual schools directly. 

2. Register within the open window

Registration typically opens in early May and closes at the end of June in Year 5, well ahead of the September exam itself.

3. Do not miss the deadline

Late registrations are not accepted under any circumstances, so submitting well before the closing date is genuinely the safest approach.

4. Apply early for reasonable adjustments if needed

A separate, earlier deadline applies for families requesting reasonable adjustments, so this should be sorted out as soon as possible after registration opens.

Birmingham 11 plus exam format

Understanding the Birmingham 11 plus exam format properly makes a genuine difference to how families approach preparation. 

Paper 1

• English, including reading comprehension

• Verbal Reasoning

Paper 2

• Maths

• Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning

One genuinely distinctive feature of the 11 plus exam in Birmingham is the inclusion of Spatial Reasoning, which tests a child's ability to visualise and manipulate shapes and objects mentally. This is not a standard feature of every regional 11 plus test, so specific practice with this question type genuinely matters for Birmingham families.

Birmingham 11 plus pass mark and cut-off scores

This is one of the most searched, and most misunderstood, parts of the whole process. There is genuinely no single, fixed Birmingham 11 plus pass mark published in advance. Instead, raw marks are combined and then age standardised, producing a Standardised Age Score, or SAS, out of a maximum of 280.

• 205: Approximate qualifying score for 2026 entry

• 224: Approximate priority score for 2026 entry

• 280: Maximum possible standardised age score

The King Edward VI Foundation sets the qualifying score and priority score fresh each year, once that year's results are in, based on how the whole cohort performed. This means Birmingham 11 plus cut-off scores genuinely shift from year to year, and a score that would have secured a place one year is not guaranteed to do so the next. 

What happens after the 11 plus exam in Birmingham

Once the exam is sat, families receive their child's standardised score by mid October. This must then feed into your Common Application Form, submitted to your home local authority by 31 October, ranking every school you would genuinely accept a place at.

National Offer Day, when an actual school place is confirmed, falls on 1 March. If your child's score meets the qualifying threshold for a particular school but a place is not offered due to oversubscription, waiting lists and, in some cases, appeals remain genuine options worth exploring.

How to prepare for the Birmingham 11 plus exam

Because the Birmingham 11 plus exam includes Spatial Reasoning alongside the more familiar English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning, preparation genuinely benefits from covering this less common question type properly, not just the standard subjects.

• Build steady, regular practice across all four tested areas, rather than focusing only on a child's strongest subject

• Give Spatial Reasoning dedicated attention, since it is less commonly taught or practised compared to standard non-verbal reasoning

• Practise under timed conditions, since two 50 minute papers require genuine pacing and stamina

• Use genuine past papers wherever possible to build real familiarity with GL Assessment's question style

Our 11+ past papers and free 11+ practice papers give children real exposure to GL Assessment style questions across every subject area tested in Birmingham.

How Pass 11 Plus Grammar helps students preparing for 11 plus Birmingham

With registration deadlines, exam format, and unpredictable cut-off scores all to navigate, many Birmingham families find genuine value in structured, local support.

1. Build a proper, structured plan

Our 11 plus tuition programmes cover English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning together, matching exactly what the Birmingham exam demands.

2. Get local, experienced guidance

Our 11 plus tutors in Birmingham understand the King Edward VI Foundation exam inside out, including its Spatial Reasoning component.

3. Build up to realistic exam conditions

Our 11 plus mocks recreate genuine timing and pressure, so your child feels calm and prepared come exam morning.

Our 11 plus intensive summer course packs focused, structured practice into the school holidays, ideal for a concentrated push before September.

Whatever stage your family is at, our team is here to help your child approach the Birmingham 11 plus exam with genuine, well founded confidence.

Final thoughts

The Birmingham 11 plus exam genuinely rewards families who plan ahead, from registering on time, to understanding the exam's distinctive Spatial Reasoning component, to knowing that cut-off scores shift every single year. With a clear grasp of the dates, format, and process laid out in this guide, families can approach the whole journey with far more confidence and far less last minute stress.

Whatever stage your child is at, we would love to help them prepare properly for the 11 plus in Birmingham, one subject at a time. Get in touch with us today.