In Greater Manchester, the borough of Trafford keeps five grammar schools, and they share a single entrance test run by the Trafford Consortium. It is a bespoke GL Assessment paper, sat once in the September of Year 6, and used by all five schools, so one sitting covers the lot. The format is familiar GL territory: two timed, multiple-choice papers across reasoning and maths. This guide explains the papers, which schools take part, how the standardised score works, the key dates, and how to prepare. The Trafford Consortium runs its own test, and Pip is not affiliated with it.
- The Trafford 11+ is a bespoke GL test for the five grammar schools in the Trafford Consortium.
- Two multiple-choice papers, about an hour each, covering maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning.
- It is sat once in September and covers all five schools at the same time.
- Scores are standardised and age-adjusted; around 334 has been the qualifying mark, about the top 25%.
What is the Trafford 11+?
The Trafford 11+ is the shared entrance test for the Trafford Consortium of grammar schools. The schools work together and use a bespoke paper produced by GL Assessment, which means children sitting it will not meet the same paper at any other school. Like other GL tests it is multiple choice and computer-marked, and it draws on the familiar four skills of English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Its big practical advantage is that one sitting counts for every school in the consortium.
What is in the Trafford 11+
Children sit two multiple-choice papers on the same day, with a short break between them:
- The papers assess maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with English comprehension and vocabulary appearing in the verbal sections.
- The maths is pitched at the curriculum up to the start of Year 6, covering number, measurement, geometry, statistics and problem solving.
- All questions are multiple choice and computer-marked.
One test for five schools
Because GL produces a bespoke paper for Trafford, your child takes the test just once, even if you apply to several of the consortium schools. The five are Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Sale Grammar School, Stretford Grammar School and Urmston Grammar School. If your child qualifies, you then list your preferred schools on the standard secondary common application form, alongside any non-Trafford choices.
Scoring, qualifying and key dates
Each child receives a standardised score, adjusted for age so that the youngest are not disadvantaged. In recent years a score of around 334 has been the qualifying mark, set so that roughly the top 25 percent of the Trafford cohort reach it; the exact figure is recalculated each year. The test is sat in September, at the start of Year 6, and results are usually sent in mid-October, in time for the national application deadline at the end of the month. Qualifying does not by itself guarantee a place, as each school then applies its own admissions criteria. For the scale itself, see our guide to standardised scores.
How to prepare for the Trafford 11+
As a GL test covering all four skills, Trafford rewards balanced preparation: keep English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning all moving together. Because it is multiple choice and timed, practise working accurately at a steady pace, and start early, since the test arrives in the September of Year 6. A daily reading and vocabulary habit supports the verbal sections, while steady maths practice across the KS2 curriculum covers the number paper. The approach is much the same as for other GL tests, like the Kent Test and the Bucks Transfer Test.
Practise every Trafford skill, free
Pip generates unlimited questions across English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with timing built in, so the two Trafford papers feel familiar long before September.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Trafford 11+?+
The Trafford 11+ is the entrance test for the five grammar schools in the Trafford Consortium, in Greater Manchester. It is a bespoke paper set by GL Assessment, taken once in September of Year 6, and used by all five schools so a child only needs to sit it a single time.
What does the Trafford 11+ include?+
Two multiple-choice papers, each about an hour, sat on the same day with a short break. Between them they assess maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with English comprehension and vocabulary in the verbal sections. The maths is pitched at the curriculum up to the start of Year 6.
What score do you need for the Trafford 11+?+
Scores are standardised and adjusted for age. In recent years a standardised score of around 334 or above has been the qualifying mark, set so that roughly the top 25 percent of the Trafford cohort qualify. The exact mark is recalculated each year, and qualifying does not by itself guarantee a place.
Which schools use the Trafford 11+?+
The Trafford Consortium is made up of Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Sale Grammar School, Stretford Grammar School and Urmston Grammar School. One sitting of the test covers all five. See them ranked alongside the area's top independents in our best schools in Greater Manchester guide.
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