What Are the Key Topics Covered in FSCE and 11 Plus Exams?

The GL Assessment 11 plus covers four subjects: English (comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, grammar), maths (full KS2 curriculum, often beyond Year 6), verbal reasoning (word-based logic not taught in school) and non-verbal reasoning (shape and pattern logic not taught in school).

The FSCE 11 plus covers three subjects: English (comprehension, vocabulary and spelling), maths (KS2 curriculum up to end of Year 5) and creative writing (an extended original writing task). The FSCE does not include verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning.

The 11 plus is not one exam. It is several and depending on which grammar school your child is applying to, the subjects tested, the question types used and the preparation needed can be very different. This guide covers every key topic tested across both the FSCE 11 plus and the traditional GL Assessment 11 plus, with a full breakdown of each subject, what each question type involves and how to prepare.

FSCE vs GL Assessment - Subjects at a glance

The most important thing to know before building a preparation plan is which exam board your target grammar school uses. This determines which subjects your child needs to prepare for. The two most common formats are GL Assessment and FSCE.

GL Assessment 11 plus

• English (comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, grammar)

• Maths (full KS2 curriculum, often beyond Year 6)

• Verbal reasoning (not taught in school)

• Non-verbal reasoning (not taught in school)

• Multiple-choice answer sheets throughout

• No creative writing paper

FSCE 11 plus

• English (comprehension, vocabulary, spelling)

• Maths (KS2 curriculum up to end of Year 5 only)

• Creative writing (extended writing with planning time)

• No verbal reasoning paper

• No non-verbal reasoning paper

• Mix of multiple-choice and free-response questions

Check your target school before you start. Not all grammar schools use the same format, even within the same region. Before building any preparation plan, confirm which exam board your target school uses and download any published familiarisation materials from the school's admissions page. Preparing for the wrong format wastes time your child could spend on content that actually matters. 

English topics in the FSCE and 11 plus

English is tested in both the FSCE and GL Assessment formats, but the way it is tested differs between them. GL Assessment English papers focus more heavily on comprehension, vocabulary and grammar in a multiple-choice format. The FSCE English papers include comprehension, vocabulary and spelling, with some schools also testing grammar and punctuation. Both formats draw on texts well above the average primary school reading level.

Reading comprehension

Comprehension is the most heavily weighted part of the English paper in both formats. Your child reads a passage, fiction or non-fiction, and answers questions that test different reading skills. These include literal retrieval (finding information stated directly in the text), inference (working out what is suggested but not directly stated), vocabulary in context (explaining what a word or phrase means given how it is used in the passage), language analysis (commenting on why the author chose a particular word or technique) and summary (identifying the main idea of a paragraph or the whole passage).

Inference questions are the ones children find hardest because the answer is not written anywhere in the passage. Your child has to read between the lines, to use clues in the text to draw a conclusion about what a character is feeling, why something happened or what the author intended. Building this skill requires regular reading and regular conversation about what has been read, not just timed comprehension drills.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is tested in multiple ways. In GL Assessment papers, vocabulary questions often appear as synonyms (find the word closest in meaning to...) or antonyms (find the word most opposite in meaning to...). In FSCE papers, vocabulary is tested through comprehension (explain what this word means in the context of the passage) and through word meaning questions in the multiple-choice section. In both formats, a strong vocabulary produces better performance across every question type, not just the vocabulary-specific ones.

Spelling

Spelling is tested directly in FSCE papers through missing-letters questions, where your child sees a word with some letters removed and must identify the correctly spelled complete word in context. GL Assessment English papers also test spelling, sometimes through identifying the incorrectly spelled word in a sentence. The most commonly tested spelling categories include words with silent letters, homophones and near-homophones, words with double letters and words with the -ible and -able suffix.

Grammar and punctuation

GL Assessment English papers test grammar and punctuation directly. Common question types include identifying the correct tense to use in a sentence, selecting the right punctuation mark, identifying whether a sentence is a statement, question, command or exclamation, spotting a grammatical error in a sentence and choosing the correct form of a word (for example, whether to use "their," "there" or "they're"). Some FSCE schools also include grammar and punctuation questions, check your target school's familiarisation guide to find out.

The single most effective English preparation habit: reading widely every day. A child who reads fiction, non-fiction, history books, science books and quality newspapers for 15 minutes a day builds comprehension, vocabulary, grammar instinct and spelling recognition simultaneously in a way that no number of comprehension worksheets alone can replicate.

Maths topics in the FSCE and 11 plus

Maths is tested in both formats. The FSCE covers the Key Stage 2 curriculum up to the end of Year 5. GL Assessment often draws on Year 6 content and sometimes beyond. Here is the full topic list that covers both.

The maths questions in both FSCE and GL Assessment often require more than one step to solve. Your child will need to identify which operation to use, apply it correctly and check the answer all within a limited time. Building the habit of working quickly and accurately on multi-step problems is one of the most effective things you can do across the preparation period. Our free 11 plus practice papers include full maths sections covering all the topic areas above under timed conditions. 

Verbal reasoning topics - GL Assessment only

Verbal reasoning is one of the most important subjects in GL Assessment 11 plus exams and one of the subjects most parents know least about before they start preparing. It is not English. It uses words, letters and language patterns to test logical thinking, and it is not taught anywhere in the standard primary school curriculum.

This is why early preparation makes such a big difference. A child who sees verbal reasoning question types for the first time in a timed practice paper will find them confusing and slow to answer. A child who has been exposed to all the main types over months of gentle practice will answer them with speed and confidence.

GL Assessment verbal reasoning papers include around 21 distinct question types. Here are the most important groups.

Synonyms and antonyms

Choose the word closest in meaning to a given word (synonym) or most opposite in meaning (antonym) from a set of options.

Example: Choose the word most similar in meaning to "tenacious": stubborn / fragile / cheerful / hasty

Odd one out

Identify the word that does not belong in a group. The connection between the other words might be meaning, category, spelling pattern or letter structure.

Example: Which word is the odd one out? resolute / steadfast / timid / determined / tenacious

Letter codes

Work out the rule that connects one word to a coded word, then apply the same rule to a new word. The rule might shift letters forward or backward in the alphabet.

Example: If CAT = ECV, what does DOG become using the same code?

Number codes

Similar to letter codes but using numbers instead of letters. Work out the relationship between numbers and letters to crack and apply the code.

Example: If 1234 = SHIP, what number represents HIPS?

Word connections

Find the word that completes a pair of word pairs where the relationship between each pair is the same. Also called word analogies.

Example: Book is to library as painting is to ___?

Hidden words

Find a hidden word concealed across the boundary of two or more words in a sentence. The hidden word is always a real English word.

Example: Find the hidden word: "The doctor came after noon." (Answer: RAFT — doctoR AFTer)

Moving letters

Move a letter or letters from one word to another to make two new words. The moved letters must create two real words.

Example: Move one letter from PLANT to LACE. (Answer: Remove P: LANT becomes PLANT minus P, LACE becomes PLACE)

Word sequences

Identify the next word or letter in a sequence that follows a logical pattern, or select the pair of words that completes a given pattern.

Example: What comes next in this sequence: AZ, BY, CX, ___?

Verbal reasoning needs a different preparation approach from English and maths. It cannot be learned by reading or doing maths. Each question type needs to be learned individually, practised until it feels automatic and then rehearsed under timed conditions. Our 11 plus tutors introduce verbal reasoning question types one at a time, building familiarity before adding any time pressure, which is the most effective way to build genuine confidence in this subject.

Non-verbal reasoning topics - GL Assessment only

Non-verbal reasoning tests visual logic using shapes, patterns and diagrams. Like verbal reasoning, it is not taught in school, and most children have never encountered these question types before they start 11 plus preparation. This makes early, gentle exposure particularly valuable.

The core skill in non-verbal reasoning is spotting a rule or pattern and applying it. Your child might need to find the rule that governs a set of shapes and identify which shape does not follow it, or work out how a sequence of shapes is changing and select the next one.

Shape sequences: Identify how a sequence of shapes is changing and select the next shape in the sequence. Changes might involve rotation, size, shading or the number of sides.

Odd shape out: Identify which shape does not belong in a group. All the other shapes share a common feature: number of sides, shading pattern, rotation, symmetry, that the odd one out does not have.

Visual matrices: A grid of shapes with one shape missing. Work out the pattern governing rows and columns and select the shape that completes the grid.

Shape analogies: One shape is to another as a third shape is to _? Work out how the first shape was transformed to produce the second, then apply the same transformation to the third shape.

Nets and 3D shapes: Identify which net (unfolded 3D shape) folds into a given 3D shape, or which 3D shape a given net would create when folded. Tests spatial awareness and mental rotation.

Reflection and rotation: Identify what a shape looks like when reflected in a given mirror line, or when rotated by a specified number of degrees. Tests ability to mentally transform shapes.

Finding the missing piece: A large shape has a section cut out. Choose from five options to find which piece fits exactly into the gap. Tests spatial reasoning and precision of visual analysis.

Cube views: A cube with different symbols, colours or patterns on each face is shown from one angle. Identify what the cube looks like when rotated to a different position.

Building non-verbal reasoning at home naturally. For younger children in Year 3 and 4, puzzles, Lego, building toys, tangrams and pattern games all develop the underlying spatial and visual reasoning skills that non-verbal reasoning tests. These activities are effective, age-appropriate and feel nothing like revision. By Year 5, more structured question-type practice with our free 11 plus practice papers builds the specific exam skills your child needs. 

Creative writing - FSCE only

Creative writing is a dedicated paper in many FSCE schools, and it is where the FSCE differs most dramatically from every other 11 plus format. It is the only part of the exam that rewards imagination, originality and voice. And it is also the only part that is assessed in a two-stage process, the creative writing paper is only marked for children who have already met the eligible score on the academic papers.

Structure

• A clear beginning, middle and end

• Purposeful paragraphing throughout

• Ideas that develop logically

• A satisfying ending that closes the piece

Creativity and content

• Original, imaginative ideas

• Engaging characters or setting

• Controlled tone and atmosphere

• A response that goes beyond the obvious

Vocabulary

• Precise, ambitious word choices

• Varied verbs and descriptive language

• Sensory detail beyond just sight

• Show emotions through actions, not labels

Accuracy

• Correct spelling throughout

• Accurate punctuation

• Varied sentence structures

• Grammatically correct sentences

The exam always provides planning time before the writing begins. The plan is not marked, only the writing on the answer sheet is assessed. But children who use the planning time consistently produce far stronger, more structured writing than those who dive straight in. Make planning a non-negotiable habit in every practice session. For full guidance on creative writing technique, our 11 plus intensive summer course includes dedicated creative writing sessions every day across the summer, with individual feedback on each piece. 

Broader KS2 subjects - some FSCE schools from 2025

From September 2025, some FSCE schools' papers may draw on a wider range of Key Stage 2 subjects beyond English and maths. These can include art and design, computing, design and technology, geography, history, languages, music, physical education and science. Nothing goes beyond what children will have covered in primary school by the end of Year 5.

Reading School's four-paper format already does this, the Adventure Paper includes multiple-choice questions across English, maths, science, geography and history alongside core English and maths. The broader subject element rewards children who are genuinely curious about the world and well-read across different topics, rather than narrowly drilled in exam technique.

How to prepare across all topics

The right preparation approach depends on which exam your child is sitting. Here is a clear, practical guide by format.

If your child is sitting the FSCE 11 plus

Focus on three areas: English (reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling), maths (all KS2 topics up to end of Year 5, see the table above), and creative writing (planned, timed writing practice with feedback on every session). Read widely every day. Secure the times tables and mental arithmetic. Practise creative writing at least once a week with planning time built in. Download and work through the familiarisation guide published by your target school.

If your child is sitting GL Assessment

Cover all four subjects: English (comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and spelling), maths (the full KS2 curriculum, see the topic table above, all rows), verbal reasoning (all major question types, see the grid above) and non-verbal reasoning (all types listed above). Start verbal and non-verbal reasoning as early as possible since these are not taught at school and take the longest to learn. Use timed practice papers regularly from at least six months before the exam.

If your child is applying to both FSCE and GL Assessment schools

Prepare the FSCE curriculum (English and maths to Year 5), then add verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning on top for the GL Assessment schools. The English and maths preparation overlaps significantly. The only additional subjects needed for GL Assessment are verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Our 11 plus tutors regularly help children prepare for both formats simultaneously and can build a joined-up plan that covers both efficiently without doubling up.

Start in Year 4 or early Year 5. Both exam formats test skills that take months to build properly. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning need 12 to 18 months of consistent practice to feel natural. Maths topics taught in Year 5 need time to consolidate. Reading habits need time to develop into genuine fluency. Our 11 plus tuition is designed around exactly this preparation timeline, starting with foundations in Year 4 and building systematically to exam-ready performance in Year 6. 

For regular timed practice across all topics covered in this guide, our 11 plus mock exams put your child through full papers in real exam conditions, with a detailed performance breakdown covering every topic area so you always know which sections to focus on next. 

Final thoughts

The most important thing any parent can do before starting 11 plus preparation is find out which exam format their target school uses. The subjects tested, the preparation needed and the time required are all different between FSCE and GL Assessment. A child preparing for FSCE does not need verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning preparation. A child preparing for GL Assessment does. Mixing up these formats wastes preparation time that your child cannot afford to lose.

Use this guide as a reference throughout your child's preparation. Check each topic area off as it is mastered. Use timed practice papers to test performance under exam conditions. And start early enough to cover everything properly without rushing, because the families who find Year 6 manageable are almost always the ones who started in Year 4.