No, the paper is not harder. The competition is stronger, and those are different things with different answers.
Parents ask this a great deal, usually after reading something written for a different region, and the distinction genuinely matters for how you prepare.
Why harder is the wrong question
England's selective areas, London, Essex, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, all run tests aimed at the same thing: identifying roughly the same ability in roughly the same age group.
So the paper is not meaningfully harder in one region than another. Asking whether it is sends families looking for a difficulty they cannot change, instead of at the thing they can.
One provider, comparable standards
The West Midlands partnership test is set by GL Assessment, which also supplies tests to other selective regions.
That is the practical reason the difficulty is comparable. A single provider writing for multiple regions keeps its question standards broadly in line across them: the same question types, the same style, pitched at the same level. There is no regional dial marked "harder".
the partnership entrance test page sets out the format: two papers, four question types, 50% English and verbal reasoning, 25% non-verbal, 25% maths.
What actually differs
Three things vary by region, and none of them is the paper.
| What varies | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Applicants per place | A ranked list is longer where more children apply |
| The threshold each school sets | 205 at the King Edward VI schools, 180 at Queen Mary's Grammar in Walsall, both 2026 entry |
| How catchment is used | Ward-based in Birmingham, a priority circle in Warwickshire, none at all at Wolverhampton Girls' |
So two children of identical ability in different regions can get different outcomes. Nothing about that is the test being harder.
Walsall is inside the same test
Worth clearing up, because families treat these as separate processes.
Walsall is covered within the West Midlands partnership. There is no separate Walsall test. Your child sits one paper and the result can be used across all nineteen schools.
What you must do is opt in. Your result is shared with other authorities and schools only where you have said so at registration. That is a tick box in June, and missing it is the single commonest way a family loses options it already had. See our guide to applying across areas.
What this means for you
- Stop comparing regions. It changes nothing you control.
- Prepare for this format, not a generic 11+. Four question types, individually timed sections, an answer sheet.
- Ignore the national scoring model. This region reports around a median of 200, not a mean of 100.
- Work the competition instead. Thresholds and catchment differ sharply between the nineteen schools, and that is where the real variation sits.
See our guide to all nineteen schools.
See where your child stands today
Timed sections in the GL Assessment format, marked instantly, with a topic-by-topic breakdown. No sign-up to start.
It is not the paper. It is the queue
This is quite a difficult one to answer straight, because you cannot really ask whether it is harder. What you can say is that it is very competitive. Think about outside the Midlands, where you have major tests in London, Essex, Manchester and Greater Manchester.
The main board that actually produces these tests is GL. Within their capability on the 11 plus, they keep the standard of questions pretty much in line across the board with the other regions they serve. So I would not say it is harder. The difficulty should be broadly neutral across the different regions.
The other thing families get wrong is treating Walsall as separate. Walsall is covered within the Birmingham test, within the West Midlands grammar partnership. It is the same test. The results are shared with the other councils as an opt in, made by the parent when the application goes in, and that opt in is the bit people miss.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
Is the Birmingham 11+ harder than other areas?
No. The test is set by GL Assessment, which supplies several selective regions and keeps its question standards broadly in line across them, so the paper is comparable. What differs between regions is competition: applicants per place, the threshold each school sets, and how catchment is used.
Why does the Birmingham 11+ feel more competitive?
Because the number of applicants per place, the qualifying thresholds and the catchment rules all vary. The King Edward VI Foundation set 205 for 2026 entry while Queen Mary's Grammar in Walsall published 180, so the same result means different things at different schools.
Is there a separate test for Walsall?
No. Walsall sits inside the West Midlands partnership, so your child sits one paper and the result can be used across all 19 schools. You do need to opt in at registration for the result to be shared with other authorities and schools.
Can I use practice material written for another region?
Only with care. The question types are comparable because the provider is the same, but the scoring model is not: this region reports around a median of 200 rather than the national mean of 100, and material built on the national model will mislead you on what a score means.
Should I move to a less competitive area?
That is a much bigger decision than a test paper justifies. A more useful move is to look across all 19 partnership schools, since thresholds and catchment rules differ sharply between them and one test result covers them all.