Stay ahead with exclusive tips on the Buckinghamshire 11+ exam for Aylesbury High School
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With a proven track record in preparing pupils for the 11 Plus, Marie Redmond MEd and her team of exceptional, fully qualified and experienced primaryteachers (not 'tutors') provide specialist tuition focused on your child’s individual learning needs.
Introduction to the Buckinghamshire Transfer Test (Bucks 11 Plus)
To apply for a place at a Buckinghamshire grammar school (including Aylesbury High School), your child will need to pass the Buckinghamshire Transfer Test (11 Plus exam). The Buckinghamshire test is provided by GL Assessment and the pass mark is 121. Children born between 1st September 2013 and 31st August 2014 will take the exam on Thursday 12th September 2024 to secure a Buckinghamshire grammar place for September 2025.
The GL exam consists of two papers, taken on the same day, each approximately 60 minutes in duration and testing three areas – verbal, mathematical and non-verbal reasoning skills. The first paper tests verbal skills, including comprehension, English technical and verbal reasoning. The second paper tests non-verbal reasoning, spatial reasoning and maths. All questions on both papers are multiple choice and pupils indicate their answers on a separate answer sheet.
A Familiarisation booklet, produced by GL Assessment, contains information about the content of the tests, some advice about taking the tests and a few sample questions. You can see the most recent booklet here >
You can also find example papers on the website of GL Assessment.
Registration for the 2024 exam (for children who attend partner schools and out of county schools), opened at 10am on Friday 3rd May 2024 and will close at 3pm on Friday 14th June 2024.
The scores from both papers are added together and ‘age standardised’ to make it fair for pupils of all ages. To meet the necessary standard for a Buckinghamshire grammar school (including Aylesbury High School), your child will need to achieve a score of 121 or more.
29% of children who live in Buckinghamshire Council Districts and sat the exam in 2020 (for 2021 entry) achieved a score of 121 or above and qualified automatically for a place at one of Buckinghamshire’s thirteen grammar schools. After appeals and reviews were heard, 33% qualified.
Of all children who sat the exam in 2020 (including those living in Buckinghamshire and out of county), 37% scored 121 or above and a total of 41% qualified after appeals.
The final statistics for the 2021 exam (reflecting appeals and partner school data) will be available in the autumn of 2022.*
Not all independent schools make their results publicly available however Buckinghamshire Council statistics show that:
62.6%† of pupils from Partner Schools, who sat the exam in 2020, qualified for a grammar place.
27.8%‡ of pupils from Local Authority Schools in Buckinghamshire, who sat the exam in 2020, qualified for a grammar place. As some students attending Local Authority Schools in Buckinghamshire were withdrawn from the test, only 23.2% of all their pupils secured a grammar place.
After appeals, 40.1% of all pupils who sat the exam in 2020 qualified for a grammar place (including Partner Schools, Buckinghamshire Local Authority and out of county schools).
† 717 pupils from Partner Schools took the 2020 Buckinghamshire 11 Plus Test. Of these, 449 were eligible for Grammar (401 achieved a score of 121 or more and 48 became eligible after a successful review).
‡ 5,359 pupils from Local Authority Schools in Buckinghamshire took the 2020 Buckinghamshire 11 Plus Test. Of these, 1,489 were eligible for Grammar (1,277 achieved a score of 121 or more and 212 became eligible after a successful review). 6,423 pupils were on roll for the application process but 1,064 were withdrawn.
If you want your child to be considered for entry to a Buckinghamshire grammar school in September 2025, you will be required to name the relevant school or schools on the Common Application Form (CAF).
Common Application Forms will open online at the beginning of September 2024 and you will have until the end of31st October 2024 to submit it to your Local Authority.
School places for September 2025 will be confirmed on 1st March 2025.
If you live within Buckingamshire, you can name up to 6 schools on your CAF; however some areas differ and may allow you to select fewer schools (please check with your local authority). Schools must be listed in your preferred order.
You will need to submit the CAF to the Local Authority in which you reside. If you live outside Buckinghamshire, you must apply through your own Local Authority – even if your child currently attends a Buckinghamshire Local Authority primary school.
If your child is not offered a place at your first preference school, they will be allocated a lower preference school and placed on the waiting list of any school that is higher up on your order of preference but for which you have not been offered a place. For 2024 entry, the waiting lists will remain in place until 31st December 2024 (the end of your child’s first term in Year 7). Once school places are confirmed on 1st March 2024, further rounds of allocations from the waiting lists will be made as places in schools are accepted and rejected.
It is likely that you will not be consulted about the waiting list process; your local authority regard your common application preferences as a set of instructions that they will try and fulfil. For example, on 1st March you may be allocated a place at your third preference school, which you sensibly choose to accept. You will then be placed on the waiting list for your first and second preference schools. If in one of the later rounds of allocations, a space becomes available at your second preference school, your third preference place will disappear and your child will be allocated their second preference school. This process happens automatically, so it is very important that if you are happy with the allocation that you have received, that you inform your local authority that you wish to be taken off the waiting lists of any higher preference schools.
What is required to pass the Bucks 11 Plus and help secure a place at Aylesbury High School?
Verbal skills, i.e. English and Verbal Reasoning (50% of the mark)
Comprehension
Verbal reasoning (the production of words, relationships between words, letters and numbers)
Vocabulary
Spelling
Grammar
Punctuation
Mathematical skills (25% of the mark)
Basic skills (addition, multiplication, division and subtraction)
Mental maths development
Problem solving techniques
Extracting information from graphs and tables
Averages
Foundation algebra concepts
Fractions, decimals and percentages
Ratio and proportion
Area and volume
2d and 3d shapes
Non-verbal skills (25% of the mark)
Spatial awareness
Logical deduction skills
Mathematical concepts such as symmetry, rotation and reflection
Identifying relationships, similarities and differences between figures
Identifying sequences between shapes
11+ Mock Exams With Marie Redmond 11+ Intelligent Video Learning®
Get exam ready with Marie Redmond Tuition® GL Assessment-style Buckinghamshire 11 Plus Mock Exams. Students who sat our Buckinghamshire mock exams in 2023 said they were very similar to the actual test, which made them feel prepared and confident when sitting the exam.
Marie Redmond's Superbrain® 11+ Resources
A range of Marie Redmond's Superbrain®Books are provided exclusively to students on our term time and holiday courses. Using the knowledge gained during her eleven years of preparing students for the 11+ and independent school entrance exams, Marie Redmond MEd has written a number of verbal reasoning, English and maths books. Additionally, a range of verbal reasoning holiday course books are provided exclusively to students attending our Year 5 11+ Easter and 11+ summer holiday courses.
Marie Redmond's Superbrain® 11 Plus Flash Cards are given to all our term time students when they join, to supercharge their vocabulary skills.
Our Range of Marie Redmond's Superbrain® Books for Year 5 Courses
Our Range of Marie Redmond's Superbrain® Books for Year 4 Courses
Data-Led Approach With SuccessTrack® by Marie Redmond
Our term time students are assessed twice during each team – at half term and at the end of term. Based on the outcome of their initial assessment, we will create a tuition plan that sets their individual targets for each area they are preparing for (e.g. verbal, non-verbal and numerical reasoning). All lessons throughout the course are then designed to develop these areas. We continually monitor our student's progress; this means that we can check they’ve achieved their individual targets and revise their tuition plan to ensure that it suits their needs and challenges. Parents are always welcome to get in touch with us at any time during your child’s tuition, to gain feedback on their development.
SuccessTrack® by Marie Redmond is our unique data-led service that allows parents to:
Track their child’s progress over the Year 4 and 5 term time courses - our charts visualise a students' performance in each area of the 11 Plus, using data from our regular assessments (2 per term).
See their child's overall score and how that compares to our recommended pass mark for each exam they are planning to sit.
View anonymously how their child's scores compares (for each topic area and at a total level) to the average of all children in their cohort.
View their child's termly tuition plan, created using data from their assessments.
Read the end of term student report from their child's teacher.
The Marie Redmond Tuition® Book Club
Sharing our enjoyment of books is a fantastic way to encourage reading and therefore develop vocabulary and comprehension at home. The Marie Redmond Tuition® Book Club is an excellent platform for discussions about books, opportunities for creativity and promoting reading for pleasure. Discover our book of the month.
The Marie Redmond Tuition® Creative Writing Course
Our virtual creative writing lessons take place weekly on Zoom and are particularly useful for boys preparing for the Reading School 11+ exam but are open to all our term time students.
Every week there is a focus which can include story settings, characters, openings, events / problems and resolutions. Students practise writing in a variety of formats such as stories, plays, newspaper articles and letters. They are taught to use a variety of literary techniques and we show them how to draft their work, as well as reviewing and editing.
For further information, including fees, term dates and FAQ's, please visit our creative writing course page.
Our courses are led by qualified primary teachers and prepare pupils for all aspects of the Buckinghamshire 11 Plus
Rayan is very happy. Thank you very much. Special thanks to Miss Sinead.
Year 5 parent, Aylesbury (2022)
I am pleased to let you know that Aaron has passed his 11plus exam and has achieved a total mark of 171. I believe this would not have been possible without your tuition.
Year 5 parent, Aylesbury (2014)
'Rayan attends a local state primary school. He describes his school days as boring and he learns nothing. After an extensive search I found Marie Redmond. Luckily we were given a place for Rayan from Jan 2022. It’s a long drive for me during the weekend from Aylesbury to Stoke poges. However, within the last few months Rayan's knowledge has improved immensely. Rayan said he learns more at the tuition than at school. He is confident that he can face the 11 Plus. I am pleased that my long weekend journeys and coaching from Marie Redmond are worth every single penny we spend. I wish we knew about MR before when we were living in Northwest London for my oldest son. Absolutely a fantastic 11 Plus coaching institute.'[From Google Review. The location of the parent/child has been excluded as their full name is featured on Google]
Year 5 parent, Location Confidential (2022)
She passed! Please send a big thank you to her tutor Anne for her support. We will be back for my son's tuitions in a few years!
Year 6 parent, Aylesbury (2021)
She got a score of 137, so we are all absolutely delighted (she cried bless her). Huge thanks to you and your team for tutoring her through the process. Whilst she is undoubtedly intelligent, she has a patchy record in exams and the tuition built her confidence to the point where it was not an issue. I will be in touch next summer as her sister is currently in year 4, and we would like her to be tutored by you also in preparation for the exam. Thanks again and see you next year.
Year 6 parent, Aylesbury (2020)
I want to thank you for all your great work done for the 1st day. Girls just rang me to say all good about the class! Amaya & Anjana was so pleased today to meet beautiful Afsheen on their 1st day.
Afsheen too seems to be well prepared to welcome & support not only the kids but also the parents.
We came to Aylesbury for the education of my girl's and we are much delighted to find Marie's presence just cross the road at AHS. Thank you for having my girl's and appreciate all your support to fulfil our dream! Hope all goes well, and our support is there always to you.
Year 5 parent, Aylesbury (2022)
Thank you for the second book club novel which arrived today. We wanted to say how enjoyable and motivating the activities are for Ali!
Year 4 parent, Aylesbury (2021)
Just wanted to say Thank you again. William passed his 11plus and I really believe your course helped him. Many thanks
Year 6 parent, Aylesbury (2021)
Thank you for sending this through. It is such a detailed report from Irene and a joy to read. Amelie really enjoyed her summer course and found it beneficial. I have read out Irene’s report to Amelie and she was pleased.In addition, thanks for also sending through the results of her mock exam. I really liked the breakdown of the results to see the areas we need to work on and the video explanations. It is really helpful. She did very well in some sections. Just a few more marks needed in others. Hopefully we can focus on the weaker areas to boost the marks a little for the main exam. She found it useful to practice under exam conditions and seeing the timings.
Year 5 parent, Wendover (2023)
Our daughter studied with Marie Redmond from November last year and passed her 11+ exam this September. Due to Coronavirus we went for online tuitions, which was very convenient and just as good as face to face lessons. My daughter's teacher Anne was very professional, encouraging and helpful. We have had numerous books and exam materials posted to us by the staff, as well as small rewards and cards with encouraging words. During the summer we signed up for the intensive course and the mock exam, which was taught in Amersham. The whole experience was very positive. My daughter's confidence was boosted hugely and she felt very sure when she took the exam, which was the best mental state we could have wished for. She now enjoys her last year at primary school with reasonable ease because she has massively improved in maths. We can't thank M. E. T. enough for their excellent teaching, help and support. My son will be signing up in a few years time. Hopefully remote lessons will still be available as it's the best way in my opinion.
Year 6 parent, Aylesbury (2021)
Hi Marie, Misha really enjoyed her first lesson. She really liked her teacher and felt she explained things well. With thanks, Susie.
Year 4 parent, Aylesbury (2023)
I just wanted to let you know that D has passed his 11+ exam for Buckinghamshire and as you can imagine, he is very happy. We will be applying for our local grammar school in Aylesbury. Thank you for all your support and I would also appreciate it if you could inform his teacher, Anne, about it as well.
Year 5 parent, Aylesbury (2022)
Hi Marie, James scored 132! We are so happy I cannot tell you. Thank you so, so much.
Year 5 parent, Aylesbury (2013)
I would like to thank you and your teachers for all the hard work that was put in over the year. He enjoyed his time at his lessons. I would have no hesitation recommending your courses to anyone looking for 11+ tuition. Many thanks to everyone.
Year 6 parent, Aylesbury (2021)
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Get exam ready with Marie Redmond Tuition® GL Assessment-style Buckinghamshire 11 Plus Mock Exams. Students who sat our Buckinghamshire mock exams in 2023 said they were very similar to the actual test, which made them feel prepared and confident when sitting the exam.
Using the knowledge gained during her eleven years of preparing students for the 11+ and independent school entrance exams, Marie Redmond MEd has written a number of verbal reasoning, English and maths books. Additionally, a range of verbal reasoning holiday course books are provided exclusively to students attending our Year 5 11+ Easter and 11+ summer holiday courses.
Sharing our enjoyment of books is a fantastic way to encourage reading and therefore develop vocabulary and comprehension at home. The Marie Redmond Tuition® Book Club is an excellent platform for discussions about books, opportunities for creativity and promoting reading for pleasure. Discover our book of the month.