Stay ahead with exclusive tips on the Buckinghamshire 11+ exam for Chesham Grammar School
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Introduction to the Buckinghamshire Transfer Test (Bucks 11 Plus)
To apply for a place at a Buckinghamshire grammar school (including Chesham Grammar 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 2014 and 31st August 2015 will take the exam on 11th September 2025 to secure a place at a Buckinghamshire grammar school for September 2026.
I am delighted to report that Ruby passed her 11+ exam and will be applying to attend Chesham Grammar School in September 2019. Ruby is very keen that Sarah should know and on a personal level we would love to drop in a little thank you to Sarah if possible. Many thanks from us all for helping Ruby realise her potential and giving her the confidence she needed. Sarah always believed in her and it made all the difference to the outcome!
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.
You do not need to register your child if they attend a Buckinghamshire Local Authority primary school.
If your child goes to a Partner School (or an independent school in Buckinghamshire that is not classed as a ‘Partner School), or a school in another Local Authority area (such as Milton Keynes City Council), you will need to register on the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Testing Registration Form.
Registration for the 2025 exam, for children attending partner and out-of-county schools, will open on 2nd May 2025 and close on 13th June 2025.
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 Chesham Grammar 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.
The results for the 2024 Buckinghamshire 11 Plus Transfer Test (2025 entry) were shared on Friday 11th October 2024. The results for the 2025 Buckinghamshire 11 Plus Transfer Test (2026 entry) will be shared on Friday 10th October 2025.
If you want your child to be considered for entry to a Buckinghamshire grammar school in September 2026, you will be required to name the relevant school or schools on the Common Application Form (CAF).
Common Application Forms will open at the beginning of September 2025 and you will have until the end of31st October 2025 to submit it to your Local Authority.
School places for September 2026 will be confirmed on 2nd March 2026.
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 2025 entry, the waiting lists will remain in place until 31st December 2025 (the end of your child’s first term in Year 7). Once school places are confirmed (which for 2025 entry was on 1st March 2025), 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 Chesham Grammar 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 Thinking Course
The virtual Creative Thinking Course is particularly useful for boys preparing for the revised Reading School 11+ exam in September 2025 but is open to all our term-time students.
Students attend one creative thinking lesson per week on Zoom, which lasts for 45 minutes. Students are taught to use innovation and problem solving. They will become adept at approaching situations in different ways, using diverse strategies. Every lesson includes a fun thinking skills warm-up activity followed by the main focus of the lesson. Strategies like group discussions, questioning, mind mapping, and thinking 'outside the box' are employed to encourage creative learning approaches. Students learn various writing techniques and how to draft, review, and edit their work.
For further information, including fees, term dates and FAQ's, please visit our Creative Thinking Course page.
The Marie Redmond Tuition® Creative Writing Course
Enrol your child in our virtual creative writing course, open to all our term-time students. This offers a fantastic opportunity for your child to enhance their spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary skills, whilst also fostering their creative writing abilities.
Students attend one creative writing lesson on Zoom, which lasts for 45 minutes. 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
She got 126 so we have already applied for Buckinghamshire Grammar schools. Thank you for teaching her.
Year 6 parent, Chesham (2021)
Quick note. He passed with 127 so we are very pleased he did well across the board and will be going to Chesham Grammar School with his elder brother. Phew. Thank you. Please let Sarah know. Cheers.
Year 6 parent, Great Missenden (2020)
Sofia is enjoying Year 6 and looking forward to the PGL trip in May (highlight for year 6). Sofia passed the 11 plus, she is very pleased and we are very proud of her! We would like to thank you and Sarah for all your hard work.
Year 6 parent, Chesham (2019)
Hi Marie,
She did v well. She scored 151 and she is over the moon. She hope's to get a place at Challoners. Thank you for all of your input. She said she felt the tutoring prepared her really well for the exam. Expect my youngest child in 2 years!
Thank you again
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2022)
Thank you Marie.Enzo passed - he got 126.
Thank you very much for all your help!
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2024)
Eleanor passed the exam and is now hoping to go to Chesham Grammar.
Year 5 parent, Amersham (2015)
Thank you for the results. The girls really enjoyed the week and I am very pleased how they are coming along. They have both certainly improved over the year.
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2018)
Happily and proudly, I can report he passed the 11+. Doing best in maths and had chosen Chesham Grammar as 1st choice as it’s closest to our home. Please pass on thanks to Leanne. We have our daughter (currently yr4 next)!
Year 6 parent, Bellingdon (2021)
Hi Marie, we are pleased that she passed the 11+ and will be going to join her sister at Chesham Grammar School next year. She got 125. Thank you for the work you and your staff put in to help her get there. I recommended you to my friend a while back, and I believe she has enrolled her daughter with you.
Year 6 parent, Amersham (2021)
Just a quick note to say he passed the 11 plus today. Please pass on my gratitude to his tutors and the structured, yet flexible organisation you run.
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2017)
We were impressed with what your classes did for her last year in the summer term and in the summer school weeks (she scored 129 and is going to Chesham Grammar in September).
Year 6 parent, Amersham (2020)
Hope all well and I am sure you are readying for the next set of students! Ruby started CGS this morning and set off with high excitement and trepidation on the school bus earlier today! A huge thank you to you and Sarah again for playing such a key part in helping her to fulfil her ambition to attend.
Year 7 parent, Great Missenden (2019)
Lily passed with a score of 129 and has applied to attend Chesham Grammar School. Obviously we were and are delighted. Lily worked very hard during the last year to achieve a pass and I hope this has taught her a valuable lesson at a young age – that hard work normally pays dividends. Lily is very happy and we feel sure that she will thrive at Grammar School. I will be recommending Marie Redmond based upon our experiences. I would like to convey that I have found Sarah to be an excellent tutor. A good deal of Lily’s success is as a direct result of Sarah’s thoughtful and positive tuition. Thank you again for your support. Oscar is currently in Year 3 and we expect him to be attending Marie Redmond Tuition in 2019.
Year 5 parent, Amersham (2017)
He has become more confident since starting the extra practice sessions with Anne and has moved up a few levels in maths at school. That has boosted his confidence.
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2015)
Both of my children have enjoyed Marie Redmond tuition and both have passed comfortably the 11 + exam. Thank you so much for your help.
Year 6 parent, Chesham (2019)
Thank you Marie. He passed - he got 126. Thank you very much for all your help!
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2024)
Hi Marie, just to let you know Isabel got through her 11 Plus with flying colours! She is so pleased after all her hard work. Thank you so much for all your help with her maths.
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2013)
She passed her exam and got a score of 142. Thanks for the help in tuition the last two years and we will see u again when my little one do the exam.
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2017)
I am very pleased to say she passed her 11+ with a good score of 134. Thank you very much for your support, we are delighted with the outcome :)
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2022)
Jon is enjoying his sessions thoroughly and is looking forward to continuing them next year too.
Year 4 parent, Chesham (2017)
She qualified convincingly despite the mess she felt she made of the maths paper. She scored 144 weighted standardised scores as follows: VR 77, Math 32 and NVR 35.25. We are very pleased that she qualified. We will be applying to both Dr Challoner's High and Chesham Grammar. No doubt your tuition centre was invaluable to her 11+ success and I will provide feedback in due course.
Year 5 parent, St Albans (2022)
Aayan really enjoyed his first lesson - his words 'I loved it!'. Let's hope the enthusiasm continues, I look forward to receiving some feedback from you as he progresses through the term.
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2022)
Our son used go to tuition in Amersham and he passed with a staggering 131 thank you soo much for your help good luck with students in the future.
Year 5 parent, Chesham (2017)
He got 123 which is think is a pass!
We are slightly out of catchment but we have our Chesham grammar as number 1 choice and will see what happens
Thanks for his lovely lessons with Sarah.
Year 6 parent, Chorleywood (2019)
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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.
