GL Assessment writes the entrance test the 19 West Midlands grammar schools share. The schools, not GL, decide what score gets your child in.
Keeping those two apart explains most of the confusion parents run into online.
Who GL Assessment is
GL Assessment is an educational assessment publisher. Among many other things, it produces 11+ entrance tests used by selective schools across England, including the shared test used by the West Midlands partnership.
It is a supplier to the schools. It does not run admissions, does not set thresholds, and has no say in who is offered a place.
What GL decides, and what schools decide
| Decided by GL Assessment | Decided by the schools |
|---|---|
| The questions | The qualifying score |
| The format and timings | The priority score, where there is one |
| The marking and standardisation | Catchment and oversubscription criteria |
| The answer sheet | How many places exist |
| Who actually gets an offer |
The right-hand column is where places are won and lost. A child can clear GL's test comfortably and still not get a place, because the left column was never the hard part. See our guide to catchment.
What the West Midlands version looks like
Per the partnership entrance test page:
- Two papers, sat on one morning in September of Year 6.
- English and verbal reasoning worth 50% of the marks.
- Maths 25%, non-verbal reasoning 25%.
- Multiple choice, on a separate answer sheet.
- Age standardised around a median of 200.
- One test, 19 schools. Sit it once and several schools can consider the result.
That last point is worth more than it sounds. In some parts of the country a child sits three or four different tests. Here it is one morning.
Why national GL advice misleads you
This is the practical reason to understand any of this.
Most GL advice online describes the national GL model: scores around a mean of 100, grammar entry at roughly 111 and above, a range of about 69 to 141. It is written for other areas and it is wrong for here.
The West Midlands partnership standardises around a median of 200, which is why local thresholds are numbers like 180, 205 and 224. If you read that your child needs 111, you are reading about a different test on a different scale.
Two more differences that catch people:
- CEM does not apply. See our guide to GL versus CEM.
- No maximum, range or marks total is published. The King Edward VI Foundation states it does not release raw scores or the number of available marks, so a national "out of" figure does not transfer either.
What this means for preparation
- Use West Midlands material, or at least check the weighting matches. A paper that splits the marks evenly across four subjects is the wrong shape.
- Weight the English and verbal work, because it is half the marks and the half most families underprepare.
- Do not skip non-verbal. A quarter of the marks and the easiest to improve from a standing start.
- Practise the answer sheet, not just the questions.
- Ignore any score advice built on a mean of 100.
See our complete guide to the West Midlands 11+ and try the free mock test in the same format.
GrammarPath is an independent tutoring company and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to GL Assessment.
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GL writes the test, the schools decide who gets in
Parents mix these two up constantly, and it matters. GL Assessment writes the questions, the format, the timings and the marking. The schools set the qualifying score, the catchment and the oversubscription criteria. A child can do perfectly well on GL's test and still not be offered a place, because the score was never the whole decision.
The other thing I would correct early is the scoring. If you read online that your child needs 111, that is the national GL model and it is a different scale. Here the results are standardised around a median of 200, which is why the numbers people quote locally are 180, 205 and 224.
And the English and verbal side is half the marks. That is where I see families underprepare most, because maths feels more measurable, so it gets the hours. Half the paper is reading.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
What is GL Assessment?
An educational assessment publisher that writes 11+ entrance tests used by selective schools across England, including the shared test the 19 West Midlands grammar schools use. It is a supplier to the schools and does not run admissions or set thresholds.
Does GL Assessment decide who gets into a grammar school?
No. GL writes the questions, the format and the marking. The schools decide the qualifying score, any priority score, catchment and oversubscription criteria, and who is offered a place. A child can clear the test comfortably and still not get in.
Why does GL 11+ advice online not match the West Midlands?
Because most of it describes the national GL model, with scores around a mean of 100 and entry at roughly 111. The West Midlands partnership standardises around a median of 200, which is why local thresholds are numbers like 180, 205 and 224.
What does the West Midlands GL test contain?
Two papers sat on one morning in September of Year 6: English and verbal reasoning worth 50% of the marks, maths 25% and non-verbal reasoning 25%. Multiple choice, on a separate answer sheet, age standardised around a median of 200.
Do I have to sit a different test for each school?
No. The 19 partnership schools share one test, so a child sits it once in September of Year 6 and several schools can consider the result. That is unlike some other parts of the country where children sit three or four separate tests.