Wirral Admissions Test
The Wirral Admissions Test is the council-administered selective assessment for the four non-Catholic Wirral grammars. From the September 2026 sitting (Sept 2027 entry) the test is provided by Quest Assessments, replacing GL. Two same-day papers cover verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths; results are age-standardised and the qualifying standard is set after marking.
Exam board
Quest Assessments (switched from GL Assessment for September 2027 entry)
Test duration
105 min
Papers
2
Year 7 places
1,197
Across consortium
Applicants per place
2.0×
Typical competition
Test format
Two GL Assessment papers. Max score: 282 (2 × 141). Switched from CEM to GL in 2021.
Selection methods used
Subjects tested
- English
- Mathematics
Competition (latest)
2,633 applicants chasing 1,197 places · 2.0× per place
Paper-by-paper breakdown
Paper 1
≈ 60 minutesMultiple-choice across verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics.
Paper 2
≈ 60 minutesSame subject mix as Paper 1; sat the same day with a short break.
Annual timeline
Confirm exact dates each year on the council pageRegistration opens
Spring 2026 (via Wirral Council)
Registration deadline
Noon, 1 June 2026
Test window
Tuesday 15 September 2026
Results release
Mid-October
How to prepare
- Use Quest Assessments' official familiarisation materials at questassessments.com — the format differs from previous GL papers.
- Free Quest practice resources are available to children eligible for free school meals.
- Build maths fluency to Year 5/6 KS2 level alongside VR and NVR practice.
- Practise answering on OMR (optical-mark-recognition) sheets at pace.
- Avoid heavy tutoring built on old GL / CEM material — the Quest format is new.
Important to know
- Only FOUR grammars use this council test: Calday Grange Grammar, West Kirby Grammar, Wirral Grammar for Boys and Wirral Grammar for Girls.
- St Anselm's College (Catholic) and Upton Hall School FCJ (Catholic) run their own separate entrance arrangements and are NOT part of the consortium.
- The provider switched from GL Assessment to Quest Assessments for the September 2027 entry cycle. The earlier CEM-to-GL switch was 2020/2021.
- The assessment can only be taken once — no resit.
- Access arrangements must be submitted by 7 June 2026; confirmed by 17 July 2026.
- Parents are notified of the test venue by end of August 2026.
- Meeting the qualifying standard does NOT guarantee a place — individual school oversubscription criteria still apply.
- Late registrations only accepted if the family moved into Wirral after the deadline.
About the qualifying score: Wirral Council does not publish a fixed pass mark — the qualifying standard is set each year after marking. Independent guides target roughly the top 25% of the cohort. Always check the latest threshold on the council's admissions arrangements before applying.
Official links
Sources used on this page
- wirral.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/.../assessment-grammar
- calday.co.uk — admissions / 11+ information
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.