Wirral 11+: guide for 2028 entry

For children in Year 5 now, who would sit the assessment in September 2027 to start secondary school in September 2028. Dates and format are taken from Wirral Council's own pages and the parents' guide it publishes.

Try a free Wirral-style practice (3 days, no card)

At a glance

Test date: Exact date not yet published for 2028 entry. Wirral Council's timetable says assessments are expected in September 2027. This year's was on Tuesday 15 September 2026
Registration: For 2028 entry, the council's timetable shows online registration opening on 1 May 2027 with a deadline of 31 May 2027
Set by: Quest Assessments
Papers: Two, taken on the same day. This year's guide says each lasts approximately 50 minutes
Content: Paper One: verbal reasoning. Paper Two: mathematics and non-verbal reasoning
Results: For 2028 entry, the council's timetable shows results sent to parents on 21 October 2027

Key dates

For 2028 entry (assessment in September 2027)

These dates are from Wirral Council's timetable for admissions in September 2028. The exact assessment day is not yet published.

1 May 2027: Online registration for the assessment opens
31 May 2027: Deadline to register for the assessment
1 September 2027: Secondary school application system goes live
September 2027: Assessments for grammar schools are expected to be carried out
21 October 2027: Assessment results are sent to parents
31 October 2027: Deadline to apply for a secondary school place
1 March 2028: Offers of school places are sent out

Source: Wirral Council: Secondary school admissions timetable

This year's dates (2026 assessment, 2027 entry), as a guide to the pattern

1 May 2026: Online registration for the assessment opened
Monday 1 June 2026 (12 noon): Registration closed, according to the council's assessment page. Its timetable gives the deadline as 31 May 2026
7 June 2026: Deadline for requests for special arrangements
Tuesday 15 September 2026: Assessment
21 October 2026: Results sent to parents (still to come when this page was checked)
31 October 2026: Deadline to apply for a secondary school place
1 March 2027: Offers of school places are sent out

Source: Wirral Council: Assessment for grammar school education starting in September 2027

Get an email when Wirral 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.

We email you first to confirm. Alerts come from Eleven Plus Academy, not the school. Privacy policy.

The two papers

Paper One: verbal reasoning, about 50 minutesAnswers are marked on an OMR (optical mark recognition) answer sheet, by drawing a clear horizontal line through the box next to the chosen answer.

Paper Two: mathematics and non-verbal reasoning, about 50 minutesTaken in the same session as Paper One, after a short break during which children stay in the test room. Answers go on the same kind of answer sheet.

Register in May of Year 5

The council's timetable for September 2028 entry shows registration for the assessment opening on 1 May 2027, with a deadline of 31 May 2027. That is more than three months before the test.

This year the council's assessment page said registration closed at 12 noon on 1 June 2026, a day later than the 31 May in its timetable, so check the exact closing time when the 2028 entry page appears. Forms were not accepted after the deadline unless a child had moved to Wirral after it.

One sitting, no re-sit

The council says the assessment can be taken only once and there is no re-sit. It covers entry to the non-Catholic grammar schools in Wirral. This year parents were told which venue their child would attend by the end of August.

No English paper

The assessment covers verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics. The council's pages do not list a separate English comprehension or writing paper.

You still have to apply

Taking the assessment is not an application. All parents must also apply for a school place by 31 October. Results are due before that date, so you know the outcome before you list your preferences.

Five Wirral-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 questions use shapes and patterns, which we cannot show here.

1. Which word is closest in meaning to hazardous?

A) dangerous
B) misty
C) careful
D) sudden

Answer: A) dangerous. Hazardous means likely to cause harm. Dangerous means the same. Careful describes how a person behaves, and misty and sudden have different meanings.

2. Which one word can mean both the side of a river and a place that looks after money?

A) shore
B) bank
C) vault
D) coast

Answer: B) bank. A river has banks on each side, and a bank is also where people keep their money. Shore and coast are edges of the sea, and a vault is only a strong room.

3. A ferry ticket costs £3.40 for an adult and £1.85 for a child. How many pounds do 2 adults and 4 children pay altogether?

A) 13.20
B) 14.60
C) 15.10
D) 14.20

Answer: D) 14.20. Two adults pay 2 × £3.40 = £6.80. Four children pay 4 × £1.85 = £7.40. Add them: £6.80 + £7.40 = £14.20.

4. A rectangular allotment is 23 m long and 12 m wide. What is its area, in square metres?

A) 70
B) 266
C) 276
D) 286

Answer: C) 276. Area is length times width. 23 × 10 = 230 and 23 × 2 = 46. Add them: 230 + 46 = 276 square metres.

5. What number comes next in this sequence? 5, 8, 13, 20, 29, ...

A) 38
B) 40
C) 41
D) 39

Answer: B) 40. Look at the gaps: 3, 5, 7, 9. They go up by two each time, so the next gap is 11. 29 + 11 = 40.

What a Year 5 parent can do now

Put the registration window in your diary now: the council's timetable shows it opening on 1 May 2027 with a deadline of 31 May 2027.
Start short, regular practice in verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning now, and add timed 50-minute sets after Christmas.
Check Wirral Council's assessment page in the spring of 2027 for the exact assessment day and closing time. This year's assessment was on Tuesday 15 September 2026.

Free Year 5 baseline check: 20 questions in 15 minutes

How to prepare

Read the parents' guide on Wirral Council's website with your child, so the day and the answer sheet are not a surprise.
Practise verbal reasoning question types in short, regular sessions.
Practise maths together with non-verbal reasoning in one sitting of about 50 minutes.
Practise marking answers on a separate answer sheet with a pencil.
Practise two papers in one sitting with a short break between them.

Try a free Wirral-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 Wirral-style mock

Or get a free Wirral-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 · Lincolnshire 11+ guide · West Midlands grammar schools 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 Wirral 11+ exam?

Exact date not yet published for 2028 entry. Wirral Council's timetable says assessments are expected in September 2027. This year's was on Tuesday 15 September 2026.

What is in the Wirral 11+ exam?

Paper One: verbal reasoning, about 50 minutes. Answers are marked on an OMR (optical mark recognition) answer sheet, by drawing a clear horizontal line through the box next to the chosen answer. Paper Two: mathematics and non-verbal reasoning, about 50 minutes. Taken in the same session as Paper One, after a short break during which children stay in the test room. Answers go on the same kind of answer sheet.

When do I need to register for the Wirral 11+?

For 2028 entry, the council's timetable shows online registration opening on 1 May 2027 with a deadline of 31 May 2027.

How can my child practise for the Wirral 11+?

Read the parents' guide on Wirral Council's website with your child, so the day and the answer sheet are not a surprise.

Sources

Checked 7 October 2026. Schools change their tests, so always confirm dates and details on the official pages below.

Eleven Plus Academy is independent. It is not affiliated with Wirral Council, Quest Assessments or any school.