When the result arrives
Results come about a month after the test, in the middle of October, and they arrive by email rather than by post. For 2026 entry, the King Edward VI Foundation stated that parents would receive their child's test score by Friday 17 October.
They do not all land at the same moment. Emails go out across the week rather than in one batch, so a neighbour hearing before you means nothing at all. Check your spam folder before you assume anything has gone wrong.
What the number actually is
The score is not a percentage and not a raw mark. It is an age-standardised score, built around a median of 200 across the partnership, according to Queen Mary's Grammar School in Walsall.
Age standardisation matters more than most parents realise. the partnership states that each section is standardised to take account of differences in age, so that younger children are not disadvantaged against classmates who may be nearly a year older. A summer-born child and an autumn-born child answering identically will not receive identical scores.
Two things the Foundation does not publish: the number of marks available, and the range of the scale. It says explicitly that it does not release raw scores. So if you see a claim that the scale runs from a particular number to another, treat it as guesswork.
It is also not the national GL scale built around a mean of 100. That model, with entry around 111, applies elsewhere and is a different scale entirely. Applying it here is the most common error parents arrive with.
205 and 224, and what each one buys
For 2026 entry, the King Edward VI Foundation set two figures for its Birmingham grammar schools:
| Score | What it is | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| 205 | The Qualifying Score. Below it, a child is not considered | Does not guarantee a place |
| 224 | The Priority Score, used in the Foundation's allocation | Still sits behind each school's own criteria |
The word that does the work is qualifying. Reaching 205 means your child is in the pool. It says nothing about whether there is room in the pool.
Why 205 is not a pass mark
This is the conversation I have most often in the fortnight after results, and it is worth being blunt. There is no pass mark. There is a threshold to be considered, and then an allocation process which depends on how many children scored what, at which schools, from which addresses, in that particular year.
A score that secured a place last year may not this year, because the score is not the criterion. The criterion is where your child sits relative to everyone else applying to that specific school.
Catchment is the part parents cannot hold in their heads
If there is one concept that causes more confusion than any other at this stage, it is catchment. Parents grasp the score quickly. The idea that two children with identical scores can get different outcomes because of where they live takes far longer to land.
The King Edward VI schools operate ward-based catchment areas, and they differ school by school. A family can be inside one school's catchment and outside another's while living in the same house. Sorting this out before results day is what turns the fortnight after into a decision rather than a scramble.
Our guide to Foundation catchment and priority scores sets out how the wards work.
If you are not applying in Birmingham
205 and 224 are King Edward VI Foundation figures, for its Birmingham schools. They do not apply across the partnership.
Queen Mary's Grammar School in Walsall publishes a Minimum Qualifying Score of 180 for 2026 entry, with the lowest score actually offered a place at around 200 and the lowest score on the waiting list at 225. Note that those are three different things: the threshold to be considered, the outcome of that year's competition, and the waiting list position. Quoting the middle one as "Walsall's qualifying score" is wrong, and common.
The fortnight that follows
Results arrive mid-October. The local authority preference form is due by 31 October. That gives you roughly two weeks to convert a number into a ranked list of schools.
- Check the score against each school separately, not against a general idea of what is good.
- Check catchment for each school, by ward, not by distance.
- Look at last year's figures as context, not as a target.
- Do not drop a school because of one or two marks. Waiting lists move.
For how to build that list, see our guide to ranking your preferences.
Papers are coming
GrammarPath practice papers for the West Midlands test are on the way, written to the real two-paper format. Join the list and we will email you the moment they launch.
Parents understand the number quickly. Catchment is what they cannot hold
The results normally come out by the second week of October, about a month after the test. They used to come by post and now they come by email, which is more efficient. From my recollection the last two years they were received by the Wednesday of that second week, though some parents get theirs first thing on the Monday and others later in the week. There are a lot of students taking the test every year, so they do not all arrive together.
I give advice to parents about scores every year, and most of them already understand roughly what mark needs to be achieved. The qualifying score still does not guarantee a place, and that is the first thing to say plainly.
The genuinely difficult thing, and where the majority of the problem lies when I am explaining it, is catchment. Parents grasp the score. Getting them to grasp the concept of catchment, and that two children with the same mark can end up in different places because of where they live, is the part that takes the longest.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
When do 11+ results come out in Birmingham?
About a month after the September test, in the middle of October, by email rather than post. For 2026 entry the King Edward VI Foundation stated that parents would receive their child's score by Friday 17 October. Emails go out across the week rather than in one batch.
What does my child's 11+ score actually mean?
It is an age-standardised score built around a median of 200 across the partnership, not a percentage or a raw mark. Each section is standardised for age so younger children are not disadvantaged. The Foundation does not publish the number of marks available or the range of the scale, and does not release raw scores.
Is 205 a pass mark for Birmingham grammar schools?
No. For 2026 entry 205 was the Qualifying Score for the King Edward VI Foundation's Birmingham schools, meaning a child below it is not considered. Reaching it puts a child in the pool; it says nothing about whether there is room. There is no pass mark, only a threshold and then an allocation process.
What is the difference between the qualifying score and the priority score?
For 2026 entry the Foundation set a Qualifying Score of 205 and a Priority Score of 224 for its Birmingham grammar schools. The qualifying score is the threshold to be considered at all. The priority score is used in allocation, and even that sits behind each individual school's own oversubscription criteria.
Do the same scores apply across the West Midlands?
No. 205 and 224 are King Edward VI Foundation figures for its Birmingham schools. Queen Mary's Grammar School in Walsall publishes a Minimum Qualifying Score of 180 for 2026 entry, with the lowest score offered a place around 200 and the lowest on the waiting list at 225. Those are three different measures and are easily conflated.
Why do two children with the same score get different outcomes?
Because the score is a threshold, not the criterion. Allocation depends on how many children scored what, at which schools, from which addresses, in that year. Catchment is usually the deciding factor, and the King Edward VI schools use ward-based catchments that differ school by school, so one address can be inside one and outside another.