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A complete, original practice paper written in the style of the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test, and weighted like the real STTS: verbal skills for half the marks, with maths and non-verbal reasoning a quarter each. 30 multiple-choice questions, a printable answer sheet and a worked answer key. Free, no sign-up.
The Secondary Transfer Test, which most parents still call the 11+, is the shared entrance test for all 13 Buckinghamshire grammar schools. It is administered by The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS), a company set up by the schools themselves, and the papers are set and marked by GL Assessment. Children need a Secondary Transfer Test Score (STTS) of at least 121 to be considered qualified for a Bucks grammar school.
One test covers English and verbal reasoning. The other covers mathematics and non-verbal reasoning. Each takes around an hour, including practice sections and instructions.
Every question is multiple choice, answered on a separate sheet that a computer reads. Answers are marked with a thin horizontal line through a box, not a filled bubble.
Raw marks are standardised for age so younger children are not disadvantaged, then weighted by section to produce the STTS.
This is the part that changes how you should prepare. The STTS is not a raw mark: it is an age-standardised, weighted score, and the three skill areas do not count equally.
| Skill area | Share of the STTS | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal | 50% | English comprehension, spelling, punctuation, sentence completion and verbal reasoning |
| Mathematical | 25% | Key Stage 2 maths applied to unfamiliar problems |
| Non-verbal | 25% | Series, classes like, codes, hidden shapes and figure analysis |
The practical takeaway: verbal skills are worth as much as maths and non-verbal reasoning combined. If your child has limited practice time, vocabulary, comprehension and verbal reasoning give the highest return. That is exactly why the paper on this page is built to the same 50/25/25 split rather than an even one.
The 121 qualifying score and the standardise-then-weight process are stated by Buckinghamshire Council. The precise 50/25/25 split is widely reported by tutors and prep providers rather than published as a headline figure by TBGS, so treat the exact percentages as the well-established convention and check TBGS's current familiarisation guidance before relying on them.
Thirty questions across the same families the real test uses, in the same multiple-choice format, marked on a thin-line answer sheet like the real one.
A reading passage with comprehension questions, spelling (including a no-mistake option), punctuation and vocabulary, then verbal reasoning: hidden words, word relationships and letter series.
Division, decimals, fractions, ratio and rate, perimeter and area, time, and a bar chart with two questions built on it. No calculator.
Series, classes like, codes and rotation. Every non-verbal answer is machine-checked to have exactly one defensible solution, so there are no ambiguous questions.
Dates below are Buckinghamshire Council's published timetable for 2027 entry. Bucks republishes these each year, so check the council's page before relying on them.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 May to 2 June 2026 | Registration window. Children at a state-funded Buckinghamshire primary are entered automatically and do not need to register. |
| By 7 August 2026 | Families who registered receive a test invitation by email. |
| 8 September 2026 | Practice test, shorter than the real thing and not compulsory. |
| 10 September 2026 | The Secondary Transfer Test itself. |
| 9 October 2026 | Results released, emailed to most parents after 4pm. |
| 31 October 2026 | Deadline to submit your secondary school application. |
Getting an STTS of 121 or more means your child is assessed as qualified for grammar school. It does not by itself secure a place: each of the 13 grammar schools is its own admissions authority and applies its own oversubscription criteria, which usually turn on catchment or distance once children are qualified.
Print it, give your child about 35 minutes and no calculator, and use the answer sheet rather than writing on the questions. The mechanics matter: marks are lost every year to sheet errors, not knowledge.
Every answer has a worked explanation. Read the explanation for anything wrong, and for anything guessed correctly, which is where the real gaps hide.
Because verbal is half the STTS, put half your practice time there. Vocabulary built steadily over months is the single highest-value thing you can do.
Pip gives your child fresh, adaptive 11+ practice across English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, marks every answer instantly and explains it. Free forever, no ads, no sign-up.
The Secondary Transfer Test, often still called the 11+, is the entrance test used by all 13 Buckinghamshire grammar schools. It is administered by The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) and the papers are set and marked by GL Assessment. There are two tests, each with its own booklet: one covers English and verbal reasoning, the other covers mathematics and non-verbal reasoning. Every question is multiple choice and answers are marked on a separate, computer-read answer sheet.
Children need a Secondary Transfer Test Score (STTS) of at least 121 to be considered qualified for a Buckinghamshire grammar school. Buckinghamshire Council states this directly. Reaching 121 makes a child eligible, it does not guarantee a place: each grammar school is its own admissions authority and applies its own oversubscription criteria after that.
Each child's raw marks are age-standardised, so younger children in the year group are not disadvantaged, and then weighted across the three skill areas. The weighting is widely reported as 50% verbal, 25% mathematical and 25% non-verbal, which is why verbal skills carry the most weight in Bucks. Buckinghamshire Council confirms that scores are standardised for age and then weighted by section, so verbal practice is the highest-value preparation.
For 2027 entry, results are released on 9 October 2026 and most parents are told by email after 4pm that day. The test itself is sat on 10 September 2026, with a shorter, non-compulsory practice test on 8 September 2026. The deadline to submit your secondary school application is 31 October 2026. Always check the council's current timetable, as dates move each year.
Verbal skills cover reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation and sentence completion, plus verbal reasoning types such as hidden words, word relationships and letter series. Mathematical and non-verbal skills cover Key Stage 2 maths and non-verbal reasoning families including series, classes like, codes, hidden shapes and figure analysis (paper folding). Our free paper covers the same families in the same multiple-choice style.
No. This is an original Pip practice paper written in the style of the Secondary Transfer Test. It is not produced by, endorsed by or affiliated with GL Assessment, TBGS or Buckinghamshire Council, and it contains no questions from any official paper. It follows the published format and the same STTS weighting so that practice feels realistic.
The full parent guide: what is in each paper, why verbal reasoning carries half the marks, the 121 score and how to prepare.
Read the guideFree practice questions and papers by subject for Buckinghamshire, covering English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning.
Practise by subjectEvery Buckinghamshire grammar school, with results, catchment and why the shared test makes catchment the real differentiator.
See the schoolsPip is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to GL Assessment, The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools or Buckinghamshire Council. This practice paper is original material written in the style of the published test format and contains no official questions.