The Kent Test 2024

The Kent Test

Guide to Kent grammar schools and the Kent Test (11+) in September 2024

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Contents

General information

Subject information

What is the Kent Test?

English

Which schools use the Kent Test?

Example English questions

Details for Kent grammar schools

Maths

Key dates for 2024–2025

Example maths questions

What is the format of the Kent Test?

Verbal reasoning

Kent Test scoring and pass marks

Example verbal reasoning questions

How hard is the Kent Test?

Non-verbal and spatial reasoning

Top tips to prepare for the Kent Test

Example non-verbal and spatial reasoning questions

Tailored Kent Test preparation

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What is the Kent Test?

The Kent Test is an 11 plus exam used by grammar schools in Kent. All of the grammar schools within the Kent County Council area use the Kent Test. This means that your child will only need to take the test once, regardless of how many grammar schools in Kent they're applying to. The test papers are provided by GL Assessment. The test is designed to be challenging; grammar schools use it to select children working in the top 25% of their year group. Watch the video on the right to learn more about the Kent Test from Hannah, Customer Success Manager at Atom Learning.

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Which schools use the Kent Test?

There are 32 grammar schools within the Kent County Council area. All of these schools use the Kent Test to assess potential pupils. More details about these schools are available on the next page. Your child will only need to take the test once, regardless of how many grammar schools in Kent you are applying to. If your child is applying for a grammar school in Bexley or Medway, they will need to take a separate exam. You can find out about these exams here:

Medway

Bexley

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Grammar schools in Kent

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Key dates for the Kent Test

2024–2025

Year 5

Year 6

14th–15th September 2024

12th September 2024

2nd September 2024

17th October 2024

31st October 2024

1st March 2025

1st July 2024

3rd June 2024

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What is the format of the Kent Test?

The Kent Test consists of two papers. Each paper has a total time limit of one hour. All the questions in both papers are multiple-choice. For each paper, children have a question booklet and an answer sheet. They will need to mark the correct answer for each question on their answer sheet. This is marked electronically using an Optical Mark Reader (OMR). Click the buttons below to have a look at how the timings work for each paper.

Children also have a writing exercise in addition to the two multiple-choice papers. The writing exercise is a creative writing task and lasts 40 minutes, including 10 minutes of planning time. The writing exercise is only marked if a headteacher panel needs to use it for a borderline case or an appeal.

Paper 2

Paper 1

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English

The English section consists of a reading comprehension exercise. Children will read a passage of text and answer questions to demonstrate their understanding of what they have read. There are also some questions which assess skills such as grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. Question types can vary, but might include things like:

• choosing the best words to complete a sentence
• finding synonyms and antonyms
• spotting mistakes in sentences

On the next few pages, you'll see some examples of English questions in a typical Kent Test.

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Read the passage below then answer the questions on the following pages.

They look so downbeat and dreary and dour,As if they were eating something really quite sour, They sit in their offices working all day and night We aliens can see that it isn't quite right! They should get on their spaceships and set off from hereAnd learn about life beyond their own atmosphere. They know so little about the planets and the stars Only travelled to their moon – not even Mars! We aliens know how to live and have fun, We zap and we zig and zoom close to the Sun, We jump from planet to planet and star to star And only go home when we have gone too far! If humans left Earth, they could zap and zoom too, They would rejoice so much more than they already do. I know now what I will do when I land on this ground, I will teach humans about all the fun to be found!"

Worlds Collide

Zoe Osterloh

"Oh crikey," said the alien as he descended to land. "My adventures off Zogitron have gotten out of hand! For now I am nearing this strange place called Earth; I hope that the people there don't treat me with mirth – I know I have three fingers and seventeen toes, But these things they call ears – what on earth are those? Where are their antennae, their tentacles, their suction pods? How do they walk using those odd lanky fleshy rods? I want to teach these humans about the great universe; They could learn such a lot if we could converse. I could help them discover the secrets of the sky; No more looking upwards and wondering why –

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English question 1

Review the text

See answer explanation

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English question 2

Review the text

See answer explanation

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English question 3

Nancy brushed the

horse's mane. Meanwile,

Sema combed

its glossy tail.

See answer explanation

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Maths

In the maths section, your child will be tested on the topics they have learnt in school up to the start of Year 6. Your child should be comfortable with their times tables, and have an age-appropriate knowledge of:

• the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)
• fractions and decimals
• percentages and ratio
• geometry, including area, perimeter and measurements
• statistics

The questions might be more difficult than your child is used to. This is so that they can demonstrate the skills they have already learned to solve different kinds of problems. On the next few pages, you'll see some examples of maths questions in a typical Kent Test.

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Maths question 1

See answer explanation

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Maths question 2

See answer explanation

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Maths question 3

See answer explanation

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Verbal reasoning

Verbal reasoning is a test of how well you can think and solve problems using written information. This includes letters, words, symbols and numbers. For example, your child might need to look at the relationship between numbers to predict the next number in a sequence. Some common types of questions include:

• identifying synonyms and antonyms
• unscrambling words or sentences
• finding missing words or letters
• joining or morphing words
• solving codes and sequences with letters, numbers and/or symbols

On the next few pages, you'll see some examples of verbal reasoning questions in a typical Kent Test.

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Verbal reasoning question 1

(adaptable bent accessible)

(capable changing flexible)

See answer explanation

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Verbal reasoning question 2

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

EJ HI KH NG [?]

See answer explanation

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Verbal reasoning question 3

hal [?] utile

cal [?] oster

See answer explanation

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Non-verbal and spatial reasoning

The final subject on the Kent Test is non-verbal reasoning. This includes spatial reasoning questions. Non-verbal reasoning tests how well you can solve problems using visual information, such as shapes, diagrams and pictures. Your child will need to look at the similarities and differences of shapes and identify changes between shapes in a sequence. Spatial reasoning is similar to non-verbal reasoning. However, this measures how well you can manipulate shapes and space in your head. Types of non-verbal and spatial reasoning questions include:

• choosing a shape to complete a sequence
• choosing a shape that's different to a group
• selecting the correct image to complete a matrix

On the next few pages, you'll see some examples of non-verbal and spatial reasoning questions in a typical Kent Test.

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Non-verbal reasoning question 1

See answer explanation

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Non-verbal reasoning question 2

See answer explanation

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Spatial reasoning question

See answer explanation

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Kent Test scoring and pass marks

03

01

02

Scoring

Marking

Standardisation

Your child will need to meet the pass mark for each section, plus one total overall score.

Your child's test papers are marked using Optical Mark Recognition.

Your child's raw scores are converted into age-standardised scores.

+ More information

+ More information

+ More information

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How hard is the Kent Test?

The Kent Test is designed to be challenging. Like most 11+ exams, grammar schools use it to select children working at the top of their year group's ability range. In 2023, 17,037 sat the Kent Test for 5,801 available places. 5,050 (29.6% of the total number of children who took the test) were assessed as being suitable for grammar school. These children achieved a score of 107 or higher in each section, plus an overall score of at least 332.

Children who qualified

Children who did not qualify

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Top tips to prepare for the Kent Test

Read widely

Build knowledge

Test technique

Celebrate progress

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Tailored Kent Test preparation

Learn, test and track with Atom Home – the award-winning learning platform for ages 7–11.

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The Skinners' School

• Gender: boys
• Number of pupils: 1,100+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 160
• Priority area: Badgers Mount, Bidborough, Brasted, Brenchley, Capel, Chevening, Chiddingstone, Cowden, Dunton Green, Edenbridge, Goudhurst, Hadlow, Halstead, Hever, Hildenborough, Horsmonden, Ightham, Kemsing, Knockholt, Lamberhurst, Leigh, Otford, Paddock Wood, Pembury, Penshurst, Plaxtol, Riverhead, Rusthall, Seal, Sevenoaks, Sevenoaks Weald, Shipbourne, Shoreham, Southborough, Speldhurst, Sundridge with Ide Hill, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Westerham

11+ entry guide

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test. Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement. With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.

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Explanation

• The correct answer is A.
• The use of the phrase 'rejoice so much more than they already do' would suggest that the alien may have seen some evidence of the humans 'rejoicing' or having some sort of fun, it is just that they could be having more fun with the alien's help.
• This line adds some positivity and shows that humans are not just 'downbeat and dreary and dour' people who work 'all day and night'.

Highsted Grammar School

• Gender: girls with a mixed sixth form
• Number of pupils: approx. 900
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 150
• Priority area: ME9, ME10, ME11, ME12

11+ entry guide

Oakwood Park Grammar School

• Gender: boys
• Number of pupils: 1,100+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 160
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

Explanation

• Our main shape contains four patterned triangles. One is striped, one has a pattern of large dots, and the remaining two have a pattern of small dots.
• Between them, the two answer options must contain these four patterned triangles, as well as the lines needed to form four plain triangles.
• The only two options that contain all four patterned triangles when combined are B and E! To create the main shapes we need to rotate B clockwise by 90° and rotate E by 180°.

Explanation

• We can find the total number by doing two column additions, as shown on the right.
• In the written column addition method, we start from the right and add each column as we go along.
• We exchange and add a 1 into the next column if our digits add to a number greater than 9.
• They sold 6,287 products in total. B is the correct answer!

Paper 2: Reasoning

Paper 2 tests reasoning. The verbal reasoning section lasts 30 minutes, including a 10-minute unmarked practice. The non-verbal reasoning and spatial reasoning section consists of 30 minutes of individually-timed tests, which each take 4–5 minutes to complete. Each of these smaller tests begins with an unmarked practice exercise.

Wilmington Grammar School for Boys

• Gender: boys
• Number of pupils: 900+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• Priority area: Ash Cum Ridley, Badgers Mount, Bean, Crockenhill, Darenth, Dartford, Dunton Green, Eynsford, Farningham, Fawkham, Halstead, Hartley, Hextable, Horton Kirby & South Darenth, Istead Rise (ward), Kemsing, Longfield & New Barn, Meopham, Otford, Shoreham, Southfleet, Stanstead, Stone, Sutton at Hone & Hawley, Swanley, Swanscome & Greenhithe, West Kingsdown, Wilmington, and Wrotham.

11+ entry guide

Scoring and pass marks

The highest possible score in the Kent Test is 423. Your child will need to get a score of at least 109 in each of the three sections (English, maths and reasoning), plus a total score of at least 332 to be eligible for a place at a Kent grammar school.

The Judd School

• Gender: boys
• Number of pupils: 1,500+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• Priority area:
• TN1, TN2, TN3, TN4, TN8, TN9, TN10, TN11, TN12, TN13, TN14, TN15
• ME18, ME19
• TN16 1, TN16 2 (not TN16 3 or TN16 9)
• DA4 0 (not DA4 9)
• Plus the civil parish of Halstead (where this is not included above)

11+ entry guide

Tonbridge Grammar School

• Gender: girls
• Number of pupils: 1,100+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• Priority area: Tonbridge and Malling Borough, Tunbridge Wells Borough and Sevenoaks District

11+ entry guide

Mayfield Grammar School

• Gender: girls
• Number of pupils: approx. 1,300
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 210
• Priority area:
• 1st priority area: DA2 6, DA2 8, DA3, DA4, DA9, DA10, DA11, DA12, DA13, ME3, TN15 7, TN15 6AR, TN15 6AT, TN15 6AS
• 2nd priority area: DA1, DA2 7, ME2, TN13, TN14, TN15 except TN15 7, TN15 6AR, TN15 6AT, TN15 6AS

11+ entry guide

Initial marking

Your child's exam papers will be sent to GL Assessment and marked using Optical Mark Recognition. This is a type of electronic marking where the technology detects the lines your child made on the answer sheet. They will get one mark for each correct answer.

Dover Grammar School for Boys

• Gender: boys with a mixed sixth form
• Number of pupils: 750+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 150
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

Explanation

• The correct answer is C.
• We can rule out D and E as the narrator of the poem is an alien, not a 'spaceman' or 'person'. We discover this in the first line when we find out who has said 'Oh crikey'.
• Answer B is incorrect as there is no evidence within the poem to suggest that the alien has arrived on Earth to force all the humans to leave.
• We can also rule out A because the alien is clearly intrigued by Earth and wants to visit. This is shown when he declares:

"I know now what I will do when I will land on this ground."

Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School

• Gender: girls
• Number of pupils: 1,200+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 165
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys

• Gender: boys
• Number of pupils: 1,200+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 300
• Priority area: Badger’s Mount, Bidborough, Brasted, Capel, Chevening, Chiddingstone, Cowden, Dunton Green, Edenbridge, Hadlow, Halsted, Hever, Hildenborough, Ightham, Kemsing, Knockholt, Leigh, Otford, Pembury, Penshurst, Plaxtol, Riverhead, Rusthall, Seal, Sevenoaks, Sevenoaks Weald, Shipbourne, Shoreham, Southborough, Speldhurst, Sundridge with Ide Hill, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Westerham

11+ entry guide

Explanation

• 'Flexible' and 'adaptable' are both adjectives that describe someone or something as being able to change to suit a situation. C and D are the correct answers.
• These words are synonyms. Synonyms are words that mean the same thing as each other.

Wilmington Grammar School for Girls

• Gender: girls
• Number of pupils: 900+

• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• Priority area: Ash Cum Ridley, Badgers Mount, Bean, Crockenhill, Darenth, Dartford, Dunton Green, Eynsford, Farningham, Fawkham, Halstead, Hartley, Hextable, Horton Kirby & South Darenth, Istead Rise (ward), Kemsing, Longfield & New Barn, Meopham, Otford, Shoreham, Southfleet, Stanstead, Stone, Sutton at Hone & Hawley, Swanley, Swanscome & Greenhithe, West Kingsdown, Wilmington, and Wrotham.

11+ entry guide

Weald of Kent Grammar School

• Gender: girls
• Number of pupils: 1,400+
• Ofsted rating: requires improvement
• Number of places in Year 7: 270
• Priority area:
• Area A: Tonbridge Town, the District of Sevenoaks, and the Parishes of Ightham, Ivy Hatch, Kings Hill, Pembury, Platt and St Mary’s Platt, Plaxtol and Shipbourne
• Area B: all other postcodes

11+ entry guide

Read widely

In the English and verbal reasoning sections, your child will need to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading at home is a great way to help your child build these skills. Encourage your child to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.

Worlds Collide

They look so downbeat and dreary and dour,As if they were eating something really quite sour, They sit in their offices working all day and night We aliens can see that it isn't quite right! They should get on their spaceships and set off from hereAnd learn about life beyond their own atmosphere. They know so little about the planets and the stars Only travelled to their moon – not even Mars! We aliens know how to live and have fun, We zap and we zig and zoom close to the Sun, We jump from planet to planet and star to star And only go home when we have gone too far! If humans left Earth, they could zap and zoom too, They would rejoice so much more than they already do. I know now what I will do when I land on this ground, I will teach humans about all the fun to be found!"

Zoe Osterloh

"Oh crikey," said the alien as he descended to land. "My adventures off Zogitron have gotten out of hand! For now I am nearing this strange place called Earth; I hope that the people there don't treat me with mirth – I know I have three fingers and seventeen toes, But these things they call ears – what on earth are those? Where are their antennae, their tentacles, their suction pods? How do they walk using those odd lanky fleshy rods? I want to teach these humans about the great universe; They could learn such a lot if we could converse. I could help them discover the secrets of the sky; No more looking upwards and wondering why –

The Harvey Grammar School

• Gender: boys
• Number of pupils: 900+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 150
• Priority area: district of Folkestone and Hythe (formerly Shepway)

11+ entry guide

Explanation

• The correct answer is B.
• 'Meanwhile' has been spelt incorrectly and is missing an 'h'.
• 'Meanwhile' can mean 'the interval between two events' (e.g. 'meanwhile, I will check the data') and 'on the other hand' (e.g. 'the children went swimming; meanwhile, their dad prepared their lunch').
• It is a compound of 'mean' and 'while' and is a closed compound.
• A compound word is two or more words that have been joined together to mean something new. Compound words can be closed compounds, open compounds or hyphenated compounds.

Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School

• Gender: girls
• Number of pupils: 1,000+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 145
• Priority area: Badger’s Mount, Bidborough, Brasted, Brenchley, Capel, Chevening, Chiddingstone, Cowden, Dunton Green, East Peckham, Edenbridge, Hadlow, Halsted, Hever, Hildenborough, Horsmonden, Ightham, Kemsing, Knockholt, Lamberhurst, Leigh, Otford, Paddock Wood, Pembury, Penshurst, Plaxtol, Riverhead, Rusthall, Seal, Sevenoaks, Sevenoaks Weald, Shipbourne, Shoreham, Southborough, Speldhurst, Sundridge with Ide Hill, Tonbridge, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Westerham

11+ entry guide

Cranbrook School

• Gender: mixed
• Number of pupils: 800+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 90
• Priority area: 8.5km radius of the school measured by a straight line, including the parishes of Cranbrook, Sissinghurst, Goudhurst, Staplehurst, Frittenden, Benenden, Sandhurst and Hawkhurst

11+ entry guide

Sir Roger Manwood's School

• Gender: mixed
• Number of pupils: 900+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 150
• Priority area: CT3, CT11, CT12, CT13, CT14, CT15, CT16

11+ entry guide

Explanation

• To multiply by 25 we first multiply by 5, then by 20 and then add the totals.

5 x 6,312 = 31,560

• We can calculate this with short multiplication and write this first step under the line as the first row.
• To calculate 20 x 6,312, we start by doubling the number and then we add 0 to multiply by 10. We write the result under the line as the second row.

20 x 6,312 = 126,240

• We then need to add 31,560 and 126,240 using column addition. Don't forget to include exchanges!
• The correct answer is 157,800.

Barton Court Grammar School

• Gender: mixed
• Number of pupils: approx. 1,000
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 150
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

Build knowledge

It can be tempting to jump straight into practice papers to prepare for 11+ exams. However, this is not an effective way to learn and can cause children to feel demotivated. Your child should have a good understanding of the curriculum before testing their knowledge with practice papers. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when recapping content is key, as our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. Experts recommend study sessions should last no longer than 30 minutes for children aged 10–11. Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. Atom's adaptive algorithm fits to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.

Invicta Grammar School

• Gender: girls with a mixed sixth form
• Number of pupils: 1,600+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 240
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

Dane Court Grammar School

• Gender: mixed
• Number of pupils: 1,100+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 165
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

The Langton Grammar School

• Gender: boys
• Number of pupils: 1,000+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 150
• Priority area: within 9 miles of the school site on Langton Lane

11+ entry guide

Standardisation

All raw marks are then standardised. This is a statistical process that takes into account your child's age in years and months at the time of the exam. 11 plus exams are often age-standardised to ensure that children born later in the school year aren't disadvantaged. Standardised age scores usually range from 60 to 142. A score of 100 represents that a child is working at the average level for their year group. Your child will get three standardised scores: one for English, one for maths, and one for reasoning. They'll also get one total (aggregate) standardised score, which is the sum of these three standardised scores.

Pictured: an 11+ mock test transcript summary on Atom Home. This child's standard age score was 111, placing them a little over average for their year group.

Norton Knatchbull School

• Gender: boys with a mixed sixth form
• Number of pupils: 1,200+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 210
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

Dover Grammar School for Girls

• Gender: girls with a mixed sixth form
• Number of pupils: 900+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 130
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

Explanation

• We need to identify the rules at play, and then apply them to find the missing pairs!
• 1st letter rule: the letter moves forward 3 places.
• 2nd letter rule: the letter moves backwards 1 place.
• As we need to find the terms at the end of the sequence, we must apply these rules to the final letter pair we are given: 'NG':
• 1st letter: move forward 3 places. N -> Q

• 2nd letter: move backwards 1 place. G -> F
• Therefore, 'QF' will complete the sequence. A is the correct answer.

Dartford Grammar School for Girls

• Gender: girls
• Number of pupils: 1,200+

• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• Priority area: Ash-cum-Ridley, Bean, Crockenhill, Darenth, Eynsford, Farningham, Fawkham, Hartley, Hextable, Horton Kirby and South Darenth, Longfield and New Barn, Southfleet, Stone, Sutton at Hone and Hawley, Swanley, Swanscombe and Greenhithe, West Kingsdown, and Wilmington.

11+ entry guide

Track

Review your child's progress. Watch their knowledge grow and see how they compare to other applicants.

✅ Standardised age scores✅ Scores compared to other Atom users ✅ Full topic breakdowns

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Dartford Grammar School for Boys

• Gender: boys, mixed sixth form
• Number of pupils: 1,450+

• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• Priority area: Brent, Bean and Darenth, Castle, Greenhithe, Heath, Joyce Green, Joydens Wood, Littlebrook, Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet, Newtown, Princes, Stone, Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley, Swanscombe, Town, West Hill, and Wilmington.

11+ entry guide

Test

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Explanation

Linking element 1:

• Shape: within each column, the type and size of each shape is the same.
• We can rule out D and E.

Linking element 2:

• Rotation: each shape rotates 90° clockwise as you move down a column.
• We can rule out A and B – they are not 90° clockwise rotations of the triangle in the middle-right box.

Correct:

• C is the right answer!
• Try not to get distracted by the shading or positions of the shapes – it's not relevant!

Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School

• Gender: mixed
• Number of pupils: 1,500+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• Priority area: Thanet, Broomfield, Chestfield, Herne, Herne Bay, Reculver, Swalecliffe, Whitstable

11+ entry guide

Maidstone Grammar School

• Gender: boys with a mixed sixth form
• Number of pupils: 1,400+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 205
• Priority area: Addington, Aylesford, Barming, Bearsted, Bicknor, Birling, Borough Green, Boughton Malherbe, Boughton Monchelsea, Boxley, Bredhurst, Broomfield and Kingswood, Burham, Chart Sutton, Collier Street, Coxheath, Detling, Ditton, Downswood, East Farleigh, East Malling and Larkfield, East Sutton, Frinsted, Harrietsham, Headcorn, Hollingbourne, Hucking, Hunton, Ightham, Kings Hill, Langley, Leeds, Lenham, Leybourne, Linton, Loose, Maidstone, Marden, Mereworth, Nettlestead, Offham, Otham, Platt, Ryarsh, Snodland, Stansted, Staplehurst, Stockbury, Sutton Valence, Teston, Thurnham, Tovil, Trottiscliffe, Ulcombe, Wateringbury, West Farleigh, West Malling, West Peckham, Wichling, Wormshill, Wrotham, Wouldham, and Yalding.

11+ entry guide

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School

• Gender: mixed
• Number of pupils: 1,000+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 150
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

Gravesend Grammar School

• Gender: boys with a mixed sixth form
• Number of pupils: 1,400+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 210
• Priority area:
• 1st priority: Gravesend, Higham, Cobham and Meopham
• 2nd priority: Ash-cum-Ridley, Bean, Fawkham, Hartley, Longfield and New Barn, Southfleet, Swanscombe and Greenhithe, and Stansted
• 3rd priority: Stone, Darenth, Horton Kirby and South Darenth, Cliffe and Cliffe Woods

11+ entry guide

The Folkestone School for Girls

• Gender: girls
• Number of pupils: 1,000+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• Priority area: district of Folkestone and Hythe (formerly Shepway)

11+ entry guide

Paper 1: English and maths

Paper 1 is split into a 30-minute English section and a 30-minute maths section. Each section starts with a 5-minute practice exercise. This isn't marked, but is used to help your child get familiar with the types of questions. The practice exercise is then followed by a 25-minute test.

Explanation

Linking element:

• Symmetry: every image in the group is made from two shapes which are reflected across a dashed line.

Correct:

• Only D contains shaded shapes which are reflected across a dashed line. D is the right answer!

Watch out:

• Don't be fooled by E. Although the black shapes are reflections of each other, they are not reflections of each other across the dashed line!

Highworth Grammar School for Girls

• Gender: girls
• Number of pupils: 1,400+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 210
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

• Gender: girls
• Number of pupils: 1,100+
• Ofsted rating: outstanding
• Number of places in Year 7: 210
• Priority area: none

11+ entry guide

Explanation

• The letter f will complete all four finished words.
• The words formed are 'half', 'futile', 'calf' and 'foster'.
• This means that A: f is the correct answer!

Barton Court Grammar School

Barton Court Grammar School is a selective school for boys and girls aged 11 to 18 in the heart of Canterbury, Kent....

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Worlds Collide

They look so downbeat and dreary and dour,As if they were eating something really quite sour, They sit in their offices working all day and night We aliens can see that it isn't quite right! They should get on their spaceships and set off from hereAnd learn about life beyond their own atmosphere. They know so little about the planets and the stars Only travelled to their moon – not even Mars! We aliens know how to live and have fun, We zap and we zig and zoom close to the Sun, We jump from planet to planet and star to star And only go home when we have gone too far! If humans left Earth, they could zap and zoom too, They would rejoice so much more than they already do. I know now what I will do when I land on this ground, I will teach humans about all the fun to be found!"

Zoe Osterloh

"Oh crikey," said the alien as he descended to land. "My adventures off Zogitron have gotten out of hand! For now I am nearing this strange place called Earth; I hope that the people there don't treat me with mirth – I know I have three fingers and seventeen toes, But these things they call ears – what on earth are those? Where are their antennae, their tentacles, their suction pods? How do they walk using those odd lanky fleshy rods? I want to teach these humans about the great universe; They could learn such a lot if we could converse. I could help them discover the secrets of the sky; No more looking upwards and wondering why –

Borden Grammar School

• Gender: boys with a mixed sixth form
• Number of pupils: 800+
• Ofsted rating: good
• Number of places in Year 7: 150
• Priority area:
• 1st priority: ME9, ME10, ME11, ME12
• 2nd priority: ME8, ME13

11+ entry guide

Explanation

• First we have to work out the perimeter of the triangle.

10 + 10 + 10 = 30

• We are told the perimeter of the pentagon is the same as the perimeter of the triangle.
• Therefore the perimeter of the pentagon is 30m.
• Each side of the 5 sides of the pentagon is the same length.
• The length of one side of the rectangular pentagon is:

30 ÷ 5 = 6m

• That means A: 6m is the correct answer!

Celebrate progress

Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high. Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they have the ability to improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.