If you're applying to a Birmingham grammar school — including the six King Edward VI foundation schools — your child sits the shared entrance test for the Birmingham grammar-school consortium test, a single shared exam used by every school in the consortium. One test day, one set of marks, then you rank your preferred schools. This guide sets out exactly who uses the consortium test, how the papers are built, what the marks mean, and how to prepare — with links to the free Quest Arena worksheets and mocks matched to each part of the test. Last verified for the 2026 admissions round.
The quick answer: is Birmingham GL or CEM?
Birmingham's selective schools use GL Assessment papers, delivered through the consortium. This matters because the wider UK 11+ landscape changed sharply: CEM's separate paper-based 11+ was discontinued around 2022–2023, and most former CEM regions have moved to GL or bespoke arrangements. Any older guide telling you Birmingham is a "CEM region" is out of date. The practical upshot for parents is that GL papers are multiple-choice, tightly timed (roughly a minute a question), no calculator, with answers marked by computer from a separate sheet — so the preparation focus is question-type familiarity and speed, not written technique.
Which schools use the consortium test?
You sit one test for the whole consortium and express preferences on the local authority form. The schools are:
- King Edward VI Aston School (Boys)
- King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys
- King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls
- King Edward VI Five Ways School (co-educational)
- King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls
- King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys
- Bishop Vesey's Grammar School (Sutton Coldfield)
- Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls
Note that Sutton Coldfield's two grammars and Bishop Vesey's have historically had their own admissions details, so always confirm the current list and each school's own oversubscription criteria on your local authority and school websites. Because it is one combined test, a child who narrowly misses one school's cut-off may still qualify for another in the group — which is why ranking your preferences carefully is as important as the score itself.
Test structure: two mixed papers
The consortium test test is sat in mid-September of Year 6 and is built from two papers, each blending subjects rather than isolating them:
- Paper 1 — Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, mixed, around 45 minutes with separately timed sub-sections.
- Paper 2 — English comprehension and Mathematics, mixed, around 45 minutes.
Everything is multiple-choice and machine-marked, so a child who knows the answer but shades the wrong bubble loses the mark — practising with a real answer-sheet layout genuinely helps. The four skill areas assessed are the standard 11+ ones: English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning (VR) and Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR). The maths and English draw on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum up to Year 5 level; VR and NVR sit outside the normal school curriculum, which is exactly why so many families practise them deliberately.
GL Verbal Reasoning question types to drill
GL VR is built from a bank of around 21 named question types. Worth targeting: letter and number sequences, letter-coding (e.g. if CAT is written as DBU, shift each letter forward one, so DOG becomes EPH), hidden words, compound words, closest-in-meaning and opposite pairs, odd-one-out, analogies, move-a-letter, and short logic problems. Because these repeat in predictable forms, question-type drilling pays off. Our free worksheets group problems by exact type so a child can master codes one week and analogies the next.
GL Non-Verbal Reasoning types
NVR carries real weight in Birmingham and is often the make-or-break section. Expect series, matrices, analogies, odd-one-out, reflections, rotations, and net/cube-folding (spatial) questions. A typical rotation item shows a shape turned 90 degrees clockwise and asks which option matches; a net item asks which folded cube a flat pattern makes. These reward pattern recognition built through repetition — see the full NVR set in the free mock library.
The qualifying score and how it's standardised
Consortium-test marks are age-standardised: raw scores are converted onto a scale that adjusts for a child's exact age in months. A summer-born child gets a small uplift versus an autumn-born child on the same raw mark, because they are younger on test day. Children need roughly a qualifying threshold to be deemed eligible, but the popular King Edward schools — Camp Hill and Five Ways among them — effectively select from close to the top of the standardised range, so the practical bar is higher than the bare qualifying line. Never treat a single circulated figure as gospel: the exact standardised cut-offs move year to year with the cohort. Qualifying is not the same as securing a place — ranking, catchment and each school's own tie-breakers decide who is offered a seat.
How Birmingham compares to other GL regions
| Region | Provider | Subjects | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham consortium | GL | Eng, Maths, VR, NVR | Two mixed multiple-choice papers |
| Kent | GL | Eng, Maths, Reasoning (VR+NVR) | Multiple-choice, aggregate threshold |
| Buckinghamshire | GL | VR, NVR, Maths | Multiple-choice, qualifying score 121 |
| Essex (CSSE) | CSSE | Eng, Maths (no VR/NVR) | Written answers, creative writing |
| Independent seniors | ISEB Pre-Test | Eng, Maths, VR, NVR | Online adaptive, ~2.5 hrs |
Always confirm current arrangements with your own local authority, as regional systems do change. If you're weighing up more than one area, the grammar school directory and the 11+ process guide lay out the differences in full.
What works in preparation
- Mix your practice. Because both papers blend subjects, rehearse switching between VR, NVR, maths and comprehension in one sitting rather than long single-subject blocks.
- Build vocabulary early. The range is wide. Reading challenging fiction — Cornelia Funke, Eva Ibbotson, Philip Pullman — from Year 4 quietly builds the word knowledge VR rewards.
- Train speed with timed mocks. A minute a question is unforgiving; sit full-length timed papers so the clock stops being a shock.
- Practise the answer sheet. Learn to transfer answers cleanly so no marks are lost to mis-shading.
- Prioritise NVR. It's curriculum-free and often decides borderline places.
Keep a simple weekly rhythm using the free revision hub and check the key dates so registration and the September test never sneak up on you. When you want a full dress rehearsal, the Birmingham-style mixed papers live in the mock library.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Birmingham 11+ GL or CEM?
It's GL Assessment, delivered through the consortium. CEM's paper 11+ was discontinued around 2022–2023, so any guide calling Birmingham a CEM region is out of date.
How many schools does one consortium test cover?
All of them at once — the seven King Edward VI schools plus Bishop Vesey's and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls sit under the consortium. You take one test and rank your preferences on the local authority form.
Does the Birmingham test include Non-Verbal Reasoning?
Yes. Paper 1 combines Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, and Paper 2 combines English comprehension and Maths. NVR is often the section that separates borderline candidates, so it's worth focused practice.