Families targeting Caistor Grammar School ask the same first question: what exactly should we practise? The honest answer is that good preparation is not generic 11+ cramming — it is practice shaped precisely around how this school selects its pupils. Caistor selects through the Lincolnshire 11+, a GL Assessment test, and once you know that, everything about your child's practice plan falls into place. This guide walks through the school, the exact test it uses, the subjects to drill, a realistic build-up over Years 4 to 6, and how to keep your child calm on the day — using free Quest Arena resources throughout.
About Caistor Grammar School
Caistor Grammar School is a mixed academy grammar in the market town of Caistor, tucked into the Lincolnshire Wolds. Founded in 1631, it is one of the oldest schools in the county and sits within Lincolnshire's quietly large selective system of fifteen state grammars — a network that mostly relies on GL Assessment and sits its tests in mid-September. Selection at Caistor is by the Lincolnshire 11+, so preparation should map onto that test rather than any other region's paper.
- Location: Caistor, Lincolnshire
- Intake: Mixed
- Founded: 1631
- Type: Academy grammar
- Admissions test: Lincolnshire 11+ (GL Assessment)
For admissions dates, the current registration window, open evenings and the definitive policy, always treat the school's own site as the authority: caistorgrammar.com. You can also read our full school profile and browse neighbouring selective schools in our grammar school directory.
How selection works at Caistor Grammar School
Caistor uses the Lincolnshire 11+, provided by GL Assessment. GL is now the dominant 11+ board across most of the UK, and Lincolnshire is a firmly GL region. The great advantage for families is predictability: GL publishes a stable, well-defined set of question types, so systematic type-by-type practice pays off directly rather than being a shot in the dark.
A GL 11+ typically covers four skill areas — English (comprehension), Maths, Verbal Reasoning (VR) and Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) — though the precise combination and paper split are set locally, so confirm the current arrangement on the school's site. GL papers are almost always multiple-choice, with answers marked A to E on a separate answer sheet. They are tightly timed at roughly a minute a question, there is no calculator, and the sub-sections are usually separately timed. Results are reported as a standardised age score, which adjusts for how old your child is: a younger, summer-born pupil earns a small uplift on the same raw mark, so no child is penalised for their birth month. Many grammar systems look for a standardised score around 111 or above, but exact qualifying scores vary by year and area, and passing the test is not the same as securing a place if the school is oversubscribed — always check the current criteria directly with the school.
What to practise for this test
Because Caistor's test is GL, your practice should hit the four GL skill areas, drilling each question type until it is automatic and then moving into full timed papers.
- Verbal Reasoning: GL VR runs through around 21 named question types — codes, letter sequences, hidden words, analogies, odd-one-out, closest-meaning and opposites, compound words, move-a-letter, number series and logic puzzles. Vocabulary is the single best predictor of VR and comprehension scores, so pair drilling with wide reading.
- Non-Verbal Reasoning: expect series, matrices, analogies, odd-one-out, reflections, rotations, cube nets and spatial-folding questions. These reward pattern recognition and calm, methodical elimination.
- Maths: the KS2 curriculum up to Year 5, tested at speed — number, fractions, ratio, measures, and multi-step word problems. Fluent times tables to 12×12 underpin everything.
- English: comprehension of an unseen passage plus spelling, punctuation and grammar. Regular reading of challenging fiction and non-fiction does the heavy lifting.
Start with our free GL Assessment practice papers, then use the worksheet library to strengthen whichever subject a first timed paper exposes as weakest. When you are ready for exam conditions, our full-length mock papers and centre-specific mocks replicate the GL multiple-choice format your child will meet. Every one of these is free, and no account is needed to start practising.
A realistic preparation timeline
The most successful families build slowly and avoid last-minute panic. There are no fixed dates to invent here — the pattern matters more than the calendar.
- Year 4 into the summer: daily reading and rock-solid times tables to 12×12. No formal papers yet — the goal is broad ability and a love of books.
- Year 5 autumn: begin 15–20 minutes of daily topic practice using our free worksheets, introducing one VR or NVR question type at a time.
- Year 5 spring — register: confirm the Lincolnshire registration window on the school's site and note it on our key dates page. Missing the deadline is the single most avoidable mistake.
- Year 5 summer into Year 6: one full timed mock paper a week; review errors far more carefully than the raw score.
- Final six weeks (test is mid-September): switch to centre-specific papers in the GL format, tightening pace and answer-sheet technique.
On the day and after
By September of Year 6 the learning is largely done; the job now is composure. A child who has sat ten timed mocks at the kitchen table walks into the hall treating the real paper as the eleventh. Keep the night before light: an early meal, a normal bedtime, everything laid out ready. On the morning, arrive with time to spare, remind your child to read every instruction, fill the answer sheet carefully, and — crucially — move on from any question that stalls them rather than losing three minutes to it. Because GL sub-sections are separately timed, a slow start on one type does not sink the whole paper. Afterwards, resist the urge to interrogate them question by question. Results usually arrive in the autumn term; whatever the outcome, the reading, reasoning and resilience your child has built are lasting gains. Our revision hub can keep momentum going if a further test or appeal is on the horizon.
Frequently asked questions
Which exam board does Caistor Grammar School use?
Caistor selects through the Lincolnshire 11+, which is provided by GL Assessment. GL papers are multiple-choice, tightly timed, and cover English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, though the exact combination is set locally.
What score does my child need to pass?
Results are reported as a standardised age score that adjusts for your child's birth month. Many grammar systems look for around 111 or higher, but the exact qualifying score varies by year, and a pass does not guarantee a place if the school is oversubscribed. Check the current criteria on the school's website.
When is the test and when do we register?
Lincolnshire grammars sit their 11+ in mid-September of Year 6, with registration typically opening in the spring or early summer beforehand. Always confirm the current dates directly with the school, and keep our key dates page handy.