What are the best preparation tips for GL exams?

The best preparation tips for GL exams are: read the exam information in advance so your child knows exactly what to expect; read every question carefully and underline key words before answering; manage time actively by checking the clock at the halfway point of each section; skip hard questions and return later rather than wasting time; always fill in a guess on multiple-choice questions because blank answers score zero; practise under timed conditions regularly using GL Assessment format papers; and stay focused on your own paper throughout the exam. 

GL Assessment papers are used in grammar school entrance exams across England. Whether your child is sitting verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths or English, these seven preparation tips will help them go into the exam feeling confident, calm and ready to perform at their best. 

GL Assessment is the exam board used by grammar schools across many areas of England, including parts of the Midlands, Kent, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Trafford and more. Their papers use a multiple-choice answer sheet, individually timed sections and specific question formats your child needs to recognise before the day itself. Here are the seven best preparation tips to give your child the strongest possible start.

GL Exams Preparation Tips

1. Read the exam information before the day

Before the exam, the school or test centre will usually send parents details about the exam day. This might include drop-off times, whether the test is on paper or computer, which subjects will be tested, how long each paper lasts and what your child is allowed to bring. Read through this information with your child well in advance. Knowing what to expect removes a huge amount of pre-exam anxiety.

Check whether GL Assessment answer sheets will be used. If so, your child needs to know how to fill them in correctly before the day. Marking the wrong bubble by accident, or forgetting to move to the next row, are easy mistakes to make under pressure, and they cost marks.

Top tip for your child: The night before the exam, lay out everything you need: pencils, an eraser, a ruler and a watch. Being ready means you go in calm, not rushed. 

2. Read every question carefully before answering

In a timed exam, the temptation to rush is real. Children who skim questions often misread what is being asked and lose marks for errors they would never make in a calm setting. Encourage your child to read each question at least twice before writing or selecting an answer. On multiple-choice questions, they should read all the options before choosing, not just the first one that looks right.

Pay special attention to questions that ask for two answers rather than one. GL Assessment papers occasionally do this, and children who miss that instruction and select only one option get no marks, even if one of their choices was correct.

Top tip for your child: Underline the key words in each question before you start answering. If the question says "choose two," circle that before you look at the options. 

3. Manage your time actively throughout each section

GL Assessment papers often have individually timed sections. This means any time your child does not use in one section is gone, it cannot be carried forward to the next. Time management is therefore one of the most important skills to practise before the exam.

Teach your child to check the clock when they are halfway through the time allowed for each section. At that point, roughly half the questions should be done. If they are behind, they need to pick up the pace. If they are ahead, they have a buffer for harder questions later. Our 11 plus mock exams are a great way to practise this skill in a real exam environment, with the same time pressure your child will face in September.

Top tip for your child: At the halfway point of each section, count how many questions you have left. That tells you straight away whether you are on track or need to speed up. 

4. Skip hard questions and come back to them

The GL Assessment 11 plus is designed to be challenging. It is meant to identify children working in the top 10 to 25 percent of their year group. This means there will always be questions your child finds difficult. That is entirely normal and does not mean they are failing.

Teach your child to put a small mark next to any question they are not sure about and move on immediately. Coming back to it at the end is always a better strategy than spending three minutes on one hard question while five easier ones go unanswered. One difficult question is worth the same mark as one simple question. Speed and accuracy together beat slow perfection every time.

Top tip for your child: Put a little dot next to any question you skip and keep moving. Once you reach the end, go back to your dots. You might find some of them easier second time around. 

5. Always fill in a guess on multiple-choice questions

GL Assessment papers use multiple-choice answer sheets. There is no penalty for a wrong answer. A blank answer scores zero. A guess gives your child a chance of scoring a mark. This means that leaving any answer blank is always the wrong choice.

If your child is genuinely stuck and has no idea which option is correct, they should eliminate any options they know are definitely wrong and then pick from what remains. Even a random guess from five options is better than no answer at all.

Top tip for your child: Before time is called, quickly scan your answer sheet for any blank spaces. Fill them all in with your best guess. An empty box definitely scores zero. A guess might not. 

6. Practise regularly under timed conditions

Everything above, reading carefully, managing time, skipping and returning, needs to become second nature before exam day. The only way to do that is through consistent timed practice. A child who has never worked under exam conditions will find the pressure on the day significantly harder to manage than one who has done it dozens of times before.

Our free 11 plus practice papers are written in the GL Assessment format and can be used at home under timed conditions from as early as Year 4. For a more structured programme closer to the exam, our 11 plus intensive summer course puts your child through full GL Assessment papers in a supervised, exam-style environment every day across the summer holidays.

7. Stay focused on your own paper throughout

The GL Assessment exam takes place in a room with other children. Some children find this distracting. Glancing around to see how quickly others are working, or feeling unsettled when someone near them turns a page, can knock concentration at a critical moment.

Remind your child that the only two things in the room that matter are the clock and their own paper. Other children's pace tells them nothing useful, every child has different strengths, different sections they fly through and different ones they slow down on. Keeping their head down and focusing purely on their own work is always the right strategy.

Top tip for your child: Think of the exam like a race with blinkers on. You can only control what you do. Keep your eyes on your paper and trust your preparation. 

Start preparation early. Exam technique is a skill, and skills take time to build. A child who begins practising GL Assessment papers in Year 4 or early Year 5 has months to get comfortable with the format, the timing and the pressure before it counts. Our 11 plus tuition builds exam technique into every stage of the preparation programme, from the very first session to the mock exam in the weeks before September. 

Final thoughts

Getting into a grammar school is not just about knowing the content. It is about performing well under pressure on a specific day. The seven tips in this guide are all about that second part, using the time well, reading carefully, making smart decisions under pressure and arriving at the exam ready rather than anxious.

The best way to make these tips stick is to practise them consistently, long before September. A child who has sat dozens of timed GL Assessment papers with our 11 plus tutors walks into the exam room knowing exactly what to do. That confidence is worth just as much as the content knowledge behind it.