Questions and answers

The basics

What is Eleven Plus Academy?

Eleven Plus Academy is an online practice app for children preparing for UK 11+ entrance exams. It covers Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with timed practice exams set out in the style of individual schools and areas, an AI tutor called Professor Hoot, and marking of handwritten work from a photo. It runs in a web browser at rayos11plus.com on a phone, tablet or computer; there is nothing to install.

Who is it for?

Children in Years 4 to 6 (ages 8 to 11) preparing for grammar school or independent school entrance exams at 11+, and their parents.

What does it cost?

There is a free 3-day trial with no card needed. After that it is £79 a year or £9.99 a month, and you can cancel at any time. Without a subscription there are still 20 free questions a day on each device, shared by the children who use it. The paid plan is called Premium.

How does the free trial work?

You enter a parent email address and your child's first name, and the full app is open for 3 days. No payment details are asked for. When the trial ends the app carries on with 20 free questions a day on each device (shared by your children) unless you choose to subscribe.

Is it an official exam board or does it use real past papers?

No. Eleven Plus Academy is independent. Its practice exams copy the published format of each school's or area's test (the papers, timings and question types), but every question is written by us. They are not real past papers.

Who is behind Eleven Plus Academy?

Eleven Plus Academy is run by one person, not a big company. Everything on it is tried out with real children preparing for the 11+, and I change things when something isn't working. If you write to support, you're writing to me.

New to the 11+?

What is the 11+?

The 11+ is an entrance test that some secondary schools set for children in Year 6, for a place starting in Year 7. Grammar schools (state schools, so free) use it to choose their pupils, and many independent (fee-paying) schools set their own. Most tests are sat between September and January of Year 6, so families usually start preparing in Year 4 or 5.

Grammar school or independent school: what's the difference?

Grammar schools are free state schools that select pupils by test result. Independent schools charge fees, write or choose their own exams, and often interview children too; some offer scholarships or bursaries. Our school guides say which kind each school is and what its test looks like.

What is GL Assessment?

GL Assessment is one of the companies that write 11+ tests. Many grammar school areas and some independent schools use GL papers. Others use different test writers, such as Quest or ISEB, or set their own papers. Each of our school guides says which one a school uses, and the app's practice exams are set out to match.

What is a standardised score?

A raw mark is the number of questions a child got right. A standardised score adjusts that mark for the child's age (younger children get a small allowance) and compares it with how everyone who sat the test did, so results are fair across ages and papers. The average is usually set at 100. Some tests add papers together, so a combined pass mark can be higher (for example 225 at Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet).

What is a qualifying score, and what does rank-based mean?

A qualifying score (a pass mark) is the score a child must reach to be considered for a grammar school. Reaching it does not guarantee a place if more children qualify than there are places. Rank-based or 'super-selective' schools give places mainly in order of score, often after priority groups such as looked-after children or Pupil Premium, and sometimes only within a catchment area. Some also set a minimum score. The lowest score that wins a place changes every year. Some independent schools make a longlist or shortlist after the exam and invite those children to interview.

What does computer-adaptive mean?

In a computer-adaptive test, the next question depends on the last answer: a right answer brings a harder question, a wrong one an easier question, and the test works out the child's level from that. Children usually cannot go back to an earlier question. The ISEB Pre-Test and some school online tests work this way. Some schools mix adaptive and non-adaptive sections (Dulwich College does).

When do I register for the 11+?

It varies. Many grammar school areas take registrations in the spring or summer of Year 5 (some close as early as March, a few as late as early September) for a test that September, and independent schools often close registration in the autumn of Year 6. Each school guide lists the dates the school has published; always check the school's own page too.

What it covers

Which subjects does it cover?

Maths, English (including comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar), Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning with drawn figures, and creative writing.

Which schools and 11+ tests does it cover?

Practice exams are available in 33 styles. Independent schools: Blackheath High, Eltham College, Alleyn's, Dulwich College, Colfe's, Latymer Upper, the London 11+ Consortium girls' schools, and schools that use the ISEB Pre-Test such as JAGS. Grammar schools and areas: Kent Test, Medway Test, Bexley, St Olave's, Henrietta Barnett, Dame Alice Owen's, Tiffin, Sutton SET, Queen Elizabeth's Barnet, Redbridge, Buckinghamshire, Essex CSSE, Slough, Kendrick, Dorset, the Salisbury grammar schools, Torbay, Plymouth, Lincolnshire, West Midlands, Wirral, Ripon, Lancaster and the Northern Ireland SEAG Transfer Test.

Does it cover GL Assessment style questions?

Yes. Many grammar school areas use GL Assessment papers, and the practice questions and mock exams follow the same multiple-choice style across maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, including graphs, charts, timetables and Venn diagrams in maths.

Can my child be tested on one topic?

Yes. In Topic Trainer your child picks a topic such as fractions or synonyms and can either practise, where questions get harder as they get them right and a wrong answer brings more of the same kind, or take a ten-question test with a score at the end.

Does it mark writing and comprehension?

Yes. Your child writes on paper, you photograph up to four pages, and the app reads the handwriting and gives marks out of 20 for creative writing across four areas, with corrections taken from your child's own sentences and one thing to work on next. Comprehension can be answered on screen or on paper, and homework is marked from a photo too.

Can I print practice papers?

Yes. The app makes printable PDF practice papers with answer sheets, and comprehension passages to answer on paper. A free sample maths paper is available in the style of your child's target school.

Can my child practise their own school spelling words?

Yes. In the Spelling Bee, My words takes a photo of the weekly spelling list (or typed words). You check the words, then your child hears each one, learns what it means, spells it and writes a sentence using it. Words come back one, three and seven days later until they are learnt. My words is part of Premium and the free trial.

The AI tutor

How does the AI tutor work?

Professor Hoot explains each answer in a few short picture steps, drawing fractions, column sums, number lines and bar models as it goes. In Teach Me your child can type any question and get a step-by-step lesson. The app checks the tutor's arithmetic itself before showing it.

Can the AI get things wrong?

Yes, sometimes. AI can misread handwriting or make a slip, which is why every AI screen carries a short note saying so and a button to report anything that looks wrong. The fixed question bank and its answers are written and checked by us, not generated on the spot.

Is it safe for children?

There is no chat with other people, no adverts inside the app and no social features. Children are known only by a first name. Messages a child types are checked for personal details before they are sent to the AI, and worrying messages get a kind reply pointing to a trusted adult and Childline.

For parents

How do I see my child's progress?

The Progress Report shows mastery by subject, the topics that need work, scores from mock exams and topic tests, marked work with Hoot's full feedback, and a short written summary. Subscribers can get a weekly report by email.

Can more than one child use it?

Yes. One subscription covers your family: up to six children can each have their own name, progress and report, and Premium works on up to 3 devices at once (phones, tablets or computers).

What do you do with our data?

We hold a parent email address and each child's first name and progress. We do not sell data or show adverts to children. Photos of work are sent to the AI for marking and are not kept by us. The full details are in the privacy policy at rayos11plus.com/privacy.html.

How do I cancel?

Open the Progress Report and choose Manage subscription. You are taken to a secure Stripe page where you can cancel or change your payment details. You can also email support@rayos11plus.com. Access continues until the end of the period you have paid for.

Does the subscription renew automatically?

Yes. It renews each month or each year, at the price you chose, until you cancel. You can cancel at any time. If you pay yearly, we email you about a month before it renews, so it never comes as a surprise.

Can I get a refund?

If you change your mind, you can cancel within 14 days of your first payment and we will refund that payment. Email support@rayos11plus.com to ask. After those 14 days, cancelling stops future payments and you keep access until the end of the period you have paid for. We do not refund time already paid for, except where the law requires it.

How do I get help?

Email support@rayos11plus.com.