There is no single 11+ pass mark that applies across the country. Each school, or each group of schools that shares one test, sets its own threshold, and that threshold moves a little every year. As a rough guide, a standardised score of about 110 or higher is often enough to be competitive. The real cut-off is simply the score of the last child who was offered a place. If you have a raw mark and want a rough sense of what it converts to, try our 11+ score calculator.
- There is no national 11+ pass mark. Each school or consortium sets its own each year.
- A standardised score around 110 or above is often competitive, though it varies by area.
- The threshold shifts yearly because it depends on places available and the cohort's scores.
- Clearing the mark qualifies your child. On its own it does not guarantee a place.
Is there a national 11+ pass mark?
No. There is no fixed number that counts as a pass everywhere. Grammar schools and consortia each decide their own standard, so a score that wins a place in one area can fall short in another.
Two systems are common. Some schools use a qualifying mark: clear it and your child is eligible, then places are allocated by other rules. Others, often called super-selective, rank every child by score and offer places from the top down. In those schools the effective bar is much higher, which is one reason a child can pass and still miss out on a place. It also helps to know how raw marks become a score in the first place.
What is a standardised score in the 11+?
Almost every 11+ result is reported as a standardised score rather than a raw mark. Standardisation puts every child on the same scale, with the average set at 100 and most scores falling between about 69 and 141. A few areas use a wider range; Buckinghamshire, for example, runs its scale from 60 to 170. The key point is that 100 is the middle of the cohort, not a pass.
Because the scale is fixed, a standardised score lets schools compare children who sat different papers in different years on equal terms. For the full breakdown, see what a standardised score actually means.
How is the 11+ score calculated, step by step?
Most providers turn the test into a final score in three stages:
- Raw score. The number of questions your child answered correctly across each paper.
- Age standardisation. The raw mark is adjusted for your child's exact age in years and months on the day of the test, so younger and older children are compared fairly.
- Standardised score. The adjusted mark is converted onto the common scale where the average is 100. Where there are several papers, they are often weighted and combined into one total.
A simplified way to picture the maths is: standardised score equals 15 times the gap between the raw score and the cohort average, divided by the standard deviation, plus 100. Treat that as an illustration only. GL Assessment and Cambridge, formerly CEM, use their own confidential conversion tables rather than a public formula, and they standardise in slightly different ways. Our guide to how the 11+ is scored and marked walks through it in plain English.
Why are younger children's scores adjusted?
Children in the same school year can be almost a full year apart in age. A child born in September has had up to eleven more months of schooling than a classmate born the following August, which is a real advantage at ten or eleven years old. Age standardisation evens this out by comparing each child only against others who are the same age in months.
In practice that means a summer born child can earn a higher standardised score than an autumn born child who got the same number of raw marks. It does not hand out extra marks so much as set a fair expectation for each age. It narrows the gap rather than removing it completely, but it is one of the fairest parts of the system.
Raw score vs standardised score vs age-standardised score
These three terms cause a lot of confusion, so it helps to separate them:
- Raw score: the plain number of marks out of the total available.
- Standardised score: that raw mark placed on the common scale where 100 is the average.
- Age-standardised score: a standardised score that has also been adjusted for age. In the 11+, when people say "standardised score" they almost always mean the age-standardised one.
This is why a high raw percentage does not automatically mean a high standardised score. Scoring 80 percent on a gentle paper sat by strong children can still land near the average, while the same percentage on a hard paper might sit well above it.
What 11+ score is usually competitive?
A standardised score of roughly 110 or above is the figure most often quoted as competitive for grammar entry. Treat it as a guide rather than a promise, because the bar shifts by school and by year.
It helps to know that 100 is the average score, not the pass mark. Marks are adjusted for your child's age and usually run from about 69 to 141, so understanding what a standardised score actually means makes the 110 figure far less mysterious.
A standardised score of 100 sits right in the middle of all children who sat the test. Grammar entry usually needs more, often around 110, but the exact figure depends on the school and the year.
What counts as a good 11+ score?
Because 100 is only the average, parents often ask what a genuinely strong score looks like. The table below maps standardised scores to roughly where a child sits in the cohort. Treat the percentiles as a guide based on the standard scale, not a promise, because real 11+ entrants are a self-selecting group who tend to score above the national average.
| Standardised score | Roughly where it sits | What it means for grammar entry |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 50th percentile, the average | Middle of the pack, usually below the bar |
| 110 | Top 25 percent | Above average, competitive for some schools |
| 115 | Top 16 percent | Strong, in range for many grammars |
| 120 | Top 10 percent | Very strong, competitive at most grammars |
| 130 | Top 2 percent | The super-selective zone |
| 140 | Top 1 percent | Near the ceiling of the scale |
The honest answer is that a good score is one that clears your target school's bar, and that bar varies hugely by area. A score of 118 might win a place comfortably in one county and fall short at a super-selective school in another.
11+ pass marks by region
Some areas publish a clear qualifying score, while others rank children and never fix a number. The table gathers the figures parents most often look up. Every one of these is set fresh each year and can move, so always confirm the current standard with your local authority or school before you rely on it.
| Area | Test | How it works | Commonly cited mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckinghamshire | Secondary Transfer Test | Single qualifying score | 121 |
| Kent | Kent Test | Aggregate of papers | Both required: total 332 or more, and no paper below 108 (2026 entry) |
| Essex | CSSE | Combined standardised score | Around 303 |
| Trafford | Trafford Consortium | Aggregate, varies by school | Around 333 |
| Birmingham | King Edward VI consortium | Ranked, no fixed mark | Places offered by rank |
| Sutton | SET and selective tests | Super-selective, ranked | Score of the last place offered |
| Super-selective London | Own two-stage tests | Ranked top down | Typically 130 and above to compete |
For a deeper look at the test in your area, see our guides to the Kent Test, the Buckinghamshire Transfer Test, CSSE in Essex, the Trafford Consortium and Sutton.
What is a super-selective 11+ score?
Super-selective schools, such as the best known grammars in London and Birmingham, set no fixed pass mark at all. They rank every child who sits the test and offer places from the highest score downwards until the seats run out. The effective cut-off is simply the score of the last child offered a place, which is why it can land at 130 or higher.
This is the clearest example of why a pass is not the same as a place. A child can score well above 110, clear what looks like a comfortable mark, and still miss out if hundreds of others scored higher. If a super-selective school is your target, aim for the top of the scale and apply widely.
Why does the pass mark change every year?
Places are limited, so the mark is set by demand. In practice it lands at the score of the last child offered a seat, which is why it drifts up or down depending on how strong that year's group was.
A tougher cohort or more applicants pushes the threshold higher, while fewer strong scores pull it down. This is also why last year's number is only a clue. It can hint at the level your child needs, but it is never a target you can rely on, and it says nothing about how many children pass overall.
What happens if your child just misses the pass mark?
First, keep it in perspective. A near miss on one test on one morning is not a verdict on your child's ability or their future. Plenty of children who just miss a grammar place go on to thrive at a strong comprehensive or independent school, and many overtake peers who passed.
Practically, you have options. You can accept a place at another school on your list, look at high performing comprehensives nearby, consider an independent school with a bursary, or lodge an appeal if you believe something affected the result on the day. The worst response is to treat one number as the final word.
Can you appeal an 11+ result?
Yes. There are usually two routes: a non-qualification appeal, arguing your child should have reached the standard, and an admission appeal for a place at an oversubscribed school. Both are heard by an independent panel and work best with evidence, such as strong classroom attainment or a clear reason the test day did not reflect your child's ability.
Be realistic. Borderline appeals without firm evidence rarely succeed, and success rates vary by area. Our full guide to appealing an 11+ result covers the timing and what makes a strong case.
Does passing the mark guarantee a place?
No, and this catches many families out. Clearing a school's threshold makes your child eligible, but popular schools often receive more qualified applicants than they have seats.
When that happens, places are decided by oversubscription rules such as distance, siblings, or children in care. So your child can pass and still be offered a place at one school while missing out at another. Applying to more than one school is the usual way to keep options open.
How do I find my school's pass mark?
Start with the school's own admissions page, which usually explains how it selects and sometimes lists recent thresholds. An open day is another good moment to ask directly about typical entry scores.
Treat any past figures as background, not a finish line. The most useful preparation is steady, broad practice so your child is ready for whatever the paper holds, which starts with understanding what the 11+ actually is and following a clear plan, set out in our step by step guide to passing the 11+. A few minutes of daily practice with Pip keeps maths, English and reasoning sharp without turning the whole year into a grind.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good standardised score in the 11+?+
A standardised score of around 110 to 115 is above average and competitive for many grammar schools. About 120 puts a child in roughly the top 10 percent, and 130 in the top 2 percent, which is the level the most selective schools look for. The highest scores are usually around 140 to 141.
What percentage do you need to pass the 11+?+
There is no fixed pass percentage. Results are reported as standardised scores, not raw percentages, so the often quoted figure of 80 percent is a myth. A standardised score around 110 or above is the more reliable guide.
What is the highest score in the 11+?+
On the most common scale the top score is around 140 to 141. A few areas use a wider scale, for example Buckinghamshire runs from 60 to 170, so the ceiling depends on the test your child sits.
What is the 11+ pass mark in Buckinghamshire?+
Buckinghamshire uses a single qualifying score of 121 on its Secondary Transfer Test. Children who reach 121 qualify, and the council expects roughly 37 percent of children to do so.
What score do you need to pass the Kent Test?+
The Kent Test is reported as an aggregate of three papers: English, maths and reasoning. For 2026 entry, Kent County Council set the grammar school threshold at a total of 332 or more and no single paper below 108. Both conditions have to be met, and this is the part parents most often miss: a child who totals 340 but scores 107 on one paper does not get a grammar assessment. Kent's own threshold statement is explicit that falling short on either the aggregate or any single paper results in a high school assessment. These are exact published figures, not approximations, so 107 is not "near enough".
The per-paper minimum does move between years, which is why the exact figure matters more than a rough one. It was 106 for 2025 entry and 108 for 2026 entry, while the 332 aggregate stayed the same. Individual paper scores run from 69 to 141, so the highest possible total is 423. Kent publishes each year's threshold in October, so check the current statement rather than relying on last year's number.
Why do younger children get adjusted scores?+
Through age standardisation. Each child is compared only with others of the same age in months, so a summer born child is not disadvantaged against an older classmate who has had more time in school.
Arielle handles SEO and AEO growth at Pip, with over 10 years in the digital marketing space working with brands and founding her own projects.
