Warwickshire 11+ (West Midlands Grammar Schools Partnership)
Warwickshire's six grammar schools use the West Midlands shared 11+ — the SAME test sat by King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham candidates. Two multiple-choice papers (~60 min each) cover English Comprehension, VR, Maths and NVR/Spatial Reasoning, weighted 50% English+VR / 25% Maths / 25% NVR. Each school sets its own Automatic Qualifying Score (AQS) annually — there is no single county-wide pass mark.
Exam board
GL Assessment
Test duration
180 min
Papers
2
Year 7 places
269
Across consortium
Applicants per place
3.0×
Typical competition
Test format
Two GL Assessment papers. Max score: 282 (2 × 141). Part of the West Midlands Grammar Schools Partnership.
Selection method used
Subjects tested
- Verbal Reasoning
- Non-Verbal Reasoning
Competition (latest)
901 applicants chasing 269 places · 3.0× per place
Paper-by-paper breakdown
Paper 1
≈ 60 minutes (including instructions)Individually-timed sub-sections across English Comprehension, VR, Maths and NVR/Spatial Reasoning. Multiple choice.
Paper 2
≈ 60 minutes (including instructions)Same four disciplines, multiple choice. Separate answer sheets marked electronically.
Annual timeline
Confirm exact dates each year on the council pageRegistration opens
7 May
Registration deadline
30 June
Test window
Two days in mid-September (e.g. 12–13 September 2026)
Results release
16 October 2026
How to prepare
- Prepare GL Assessment-style materials across all four areas (English Comprehension, VR, Maths, NVR/Spatial).
- Weight practice by section: 50% English/VR, 25% Maths, 25% NVR — verbal skills dominate the composite.
- Practise individually-timed sub-sections, not one long block — the actual paper is structured that way.
- Familiarise children with separate multiple-choice answer sheets — answers on the question paper are not marked.
- Calibrate targets to the specific school: Lawrence Sheriff/Rugby High require ~212, but KE VI Stratford Boys and Stratford Girls' need 226–233.
Important to know
- SIX schools in Warwickshire's selective offering, not three: Lawrence Sheriff (boys, Rugby), Rugby High (girls), King Edward VI School (boys, Stratford), Stratford Girls' Grammar, Alcester Grammar (mixed), Ashlawn (mixed, partially selective).
- The shared test is the SAME paper as the King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham test — children sit it once and can apply across both groups.
- Each school sets its own annual AQS via its Committee of Reference based on cohort performance and places available; there is no single fixed county-wide AQS.
- Lawrence Sheriff and Rugby High additionally operate Eastern Area catchment priority.
- The test runs across TWO consecutive days, not a single Saturday.
- Both the partnership registration AND the LA's CAF must be submitted; CAF deadline 31 October.
About the qualifying score: Per-school AQS set annually. Recent values: Lawrence Sheriff 212, Rugby High 213 (2025), Stratford Girls' Grammar 226, King Edward VI Stratford Boys 233 (2025), Alcester Grammar 220, Ashlawn 208. Always check the latest threshold on the council's admissions arrangements before applying.
Official links
Sources used on this page
- warwickshire.gov.uk/grammar-schools-11-test
- lawrencesheriffschool.net/admissions/11-information-for-parents
- kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk/the-test
Schools using this test(2)
Where to go next
- Each school sets its own qualifying score and oversubscription rules — open a school page above for the per-school detail.
- Use the Chances Calculator with your postcode to see your likelihood at every school in this consortium.
- Council and school admissions pages are the authoritative source for registration deadlines and test dates.