Lincolnshire 11+: guide for 2028 entry
For children in Year 5 now, who would sit the two reasoning tests early in Year 6 to start secondary school in September 2028. Format is taken from the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools' own pages, and this year's dates from two of its schools.
At a glance
- Test dates
- Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year The King's School, Grantham and Carre's Grammar School held Verbal Reasoning on Saturday 12 September 2026 and Non-Verbal Reasoning on Saturday 19 September 2026
- Registration
- In Year 5, with a grammar school. Dates for 2028 entry are not yet published and each school sets its own
- Tests
- A Verbal Reasoning test and a Non-Verbal Reasoning test
- Set by
- GL Assessment, according to The King's School, Grantham
- Format
- Multiple choice. Answers are shaded on a machine-read answer sheet
- Standard
- A total standardised score of at least 220 across the two tests
Key dates
For 2028 entry (tests expected in September 2027, going by this year's pattern)
Not yet published. When we checked, the school pages we could read covered September 2027 entry only. The consortium says the tests are normally taken early in Year 6 and that parents need to register in Year 5.
Source: Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools: The 11 Plus
This year's dates (2026 tests, 2027 entry), as a guide to the pattern
These are the dates published by The King's School, Grantham and Carre's Grammar School. Other schools in the consortium, and children tested in their own primary school, may have different dates.
- Friday 9 January 2026
- Online registration opened at The King's School, Grantham
- Tuesday 31 March 2026
- Registration closed at The King's School
- Friday 1 May to Friday 17 July 2026
- Late registration at The King's School
- June 2026
- The King's School planned to send familiarisation materials to primary schools
- Saturday 12 September 2026
- Verbal Reasoning test at The King's School and at Carre's Grammar School
- Saturday 19 September 2026
- Non-Verbal Reasoning test at The King's School and at Carre's Grammar School
- Friday 9 October 2026 (noon)
- Results emailed to parents by Carre's Grammar School
- 31 October 2026
- Deadline for the local authority application
Source: The King's School Grantham: Entry to Year 7 in September 2027
Get an email when Lincolnshire publishes new 11+ dates
We check the official admissions pages every morning. When registration, test dates or results are announced, we'll send you a short email saying what changed and where to find it. We use your address for nothing else.
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The two tests
No English or maths papers
The Lincolnshire tests are a Verbal Reasoning test and a Non-Verbal Reasoning test. The consortium's pages do not list a separate English or maths paper. The King's School, Grantham says the same tests are used in all Lincolnshire Consortium grammar schools, so they may be taken only once in the school year.
The 220 standard
Marks are standardised, with an adjustment for age. The qualification is a total standardised score of at least 220 on the two tests, which the consortium says represents the most able 25% of pupils.
The consortium is clear that reaching the standard does not by itself secure admission to any individual school. If a school has more qualified applicants than places, its admissions policy decides who is offered one.
Where the tests are sat
Depending on the area, children take the tests in their own primary school or at the grammar school where they registered. Results go back to the grammar schools, which pass them on to parents.
What the consortium says about preparing
The consortium says no special preparation is needed, and that too much preparation puts children under pressure and may be counter-productive. Practice papers in verbal and non-verbal reasoning are made available to Lincolnshire feeder primary schools.
If you buy practice papers, the consortium says to buy the multiple-choice format, not the standard format, because that is how the tests are answered.
Five Lincolnshire-style sample questions
These are our own questions, written in the style of the test so you can see the level. They are not taken from any real paper. Tap a question to see the answer and the method. The real non-verbal reasoning test uses shapes and patterns, which we cannot show here, so these are verbal reasoning questions.
1. In a code, BARN is written as CBSO. Using the same code, how is FIELD written?
- A) GJFME
- B) GJFMD
- C) EHDKC
- D) GIFME
2. Which word can go in front of light, break and dream to make three new words?
- A) sun
- B) night
- C) day
- D) moon
3. Three of these crops belong together. Which is the odd one out? barley, wheat, oats, carrot
- A) barley
- B) wheat
- C) oats
- D) carrot
4. Find the number that completes the sum: 46 − 19 = 3 × ?
- A) 7
- B) 9
- C) 8
- D) 6
5. Mill Lane is longer than Fen Road. Fen Road is longer than Dyke Street. Church Walk is shorter than Dyke Street. Which is the second longest?
- A) Fen Road
- B) Mill Lane
- C) Dyke Street
- D) Church Walk
What a Year 5 parent can do now
- Find out which grammar school you would register with and read its admissions page, as each school handles registration itself. This year The King's School, Grantham opened registration in January 2026.
- Start short, regular verbal and non-verbal reasoning practice now, in the multiple-choice format.
- Check that school's admissions page from January 2027 for the 2028 entry dates. This year's tests at two of the schools were on Saturdays 12 and 19 September 2026.
How to prepare
- Ask your child's primary school about the consortium's practice papers.
- Practise verbal reasoning in the multiple-choice format, shading answers on an answer sheet.
- Practise non-verbal reasoning one question type at a time, in short sections.
- Tell your child to use the practice questions built into each test: they show what each question type is asking.
- Keep sessions short and calm, in line with the consortium's advice not to over-prepare.
Try a free Lincolnshire-style mock
Set out like the papers the school or area describes, with your child's score at the end and, where the school sets a writing task, their writing marked from a photo. Where a timing is not published, ours is an estimate. Free 3-day trial, no card needed.
Start my Lincolnshire-style mockOr get a free Lincolnshire-style practice paper (PDF)
Our mocks follow the published format where there is one. The timings we estimate and the questions are our own, not real past papers.
The other 32 school and area guides
Blackheath High 11+ guide · Eltham College 11+ guide · Dulwich College 11+ guide · Alleyn's 11+ guide · Kent Test guide · Bexley 11+ guide · Colfe's 11+ guide · St Olave's 11+ guide · Medway Test guide · Tiffin 11+ guide · Sutton SET guide · ISEB Pre-Test guide · London 11+ Consortium guide · Latymer Upper 11+ guide · Henrietta Barnett 11+ guide · Dame Alice Owen's 11+ guide · QE Barnet 11+ guide · Redbridge 11+ guide · Buckinghamshire Transfer Test guide · Essex CSSE 11+ guide · Slough Consortium 11+ guide · Kendrick School 11+ guide · Bournemouth and Poole 11+ guide · South Wilts Grammar 11+ guide · Bishop Wordsworth's 11+ guide · Torbay grammar schools 11+ guide · Plymouth grammar schools 11+ guide · West Midlands grammar schools 11+ guide · Wirral 11+ guide · Ripon Grammar School 11+ guide · Lancaster Royal Grammar 11+ guide · Northern Ireland SEAG Transfer Test guide
More free practice: Free 11+ Maths practice questions → · Free 11+ Verbal Reasoning practice → · Free 11+ Fractions questions → · Free 11+ Vocabulary questions →
Quick answers
When is the Lincolnshire 11+ exam?
Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year The King's School, Grantham and Carre's Grammar School held Verbal Reasoning on Saturday 12 September 2026 and Non-Verbal Reasoning on Saturday 19 September 2026.
What is in the Lincolnshire 11+ exam?
Verbal Reasoning. Begins with a ten-minute preliminary practice test. The consortium does not publish the length of the test or the number of questions. Non-Verbal Reasoning. Divided into sections, each with a few practice questions. The King's School, Grantham calls it the Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Awareness test. The consortium does not publish its length or the number of questions.
When do I need to register for the Lincolnshire 11+?
In Year 5, with a grammar school. Dates for 2028 entry are not yet published and each school sets its own.
How can my child practise for the Lincolnshire 11+?
Ask your child's primary school about the consortium's practice papers.
Sources
Checked 7 October 2026. Schools change their tests, so always confirm dates and details on the official pages below.
- Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools: Testing Arrangements 11+
- Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools: The 11 Plus
- Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools: Selection Process FAQ
- Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools: What parents need to know about admissions
- The King's School Grantham: Entry to Year 7 in September 2027
- Carre's Grammar School: Entry to Year 7 in September 2027
Eleven Plus Academy is independent. It is not affiliated with the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools, GL Assessment or any school.