If your child is preparing for selective school entry in areas using GL Assessment, understanding the format and demands of GL 11 plus maths is your essential starting point. GL Assessment is one of the two main 11+ providers used across England, and its maths paper has a distinctive style that rewards both curriculum knowledge and the ability to work quickly under pressure.
What Is GL Assessment?
GL Assessment (formerly Granada Learning) produces one of the two main 11+ test formats used by grammar schools and selective independent schools across England. The other main provider is CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring). Whether your child sits GL or CEM depends on the specific schools they are applying to — so checking which format applies to your target schools is the first step.
GL Assessment papers are typically multiple-choice and cover maths, English, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning. The maths paper is standalone and assesses the National Curriculum up to Year 6, with some questions extending into Year 7 territory for the most selective schools.
What Topics Appear in GL 11 Plus Maths?
GL 11 plus maths covers a wide range of topics. Children are expected to be confident across all of the following areas:
Number and Calculation
Place value, rounding, negative numbers, factors and multiples, prime numbers, squares and cubes, order of operations (BIDMAS), long multiplication and division, and mental arithmetic.
Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
Equivalent fractions, simplifying fractions, mixed numbers and improper fractions, adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators, multiplying and dividing fractions, converting between fractions, decimals and percentages, percentage of an amount, and percentage increase and decrease.
Ratio and Proportion
Simplifying ratios, dividing quantities in a given ratio, direct proportion, and scaling problems.
Algebra
Simple algebraic expressions, substitution into formulae, solving linear equations, and sequences (including finding the nth term of a linear sequence).
Geometry
Properties of 2D and 3D shapes, angles on a line and in polygons, area and perimeter of rectangles, triangles, parallelograms and compound shapes, volume of cuboids, coordinates, reflections, rotations and translations, and symmetry.
Data and Statistics
Mean, median, mode and range, interpreting bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, frequency tables, and probability.
Word Problems
Multi-step problems involving any of the above topics, often requiring children to extract relevant information from a written context and show clear reasoning.
What Makes GL 11 Plus Maths Challenging?
The GL maths paper is challenging not because the individual topics are impossibly hard, but because of the speed required. Papers are typically 50 questions in 50 minutes, giving children just one minute per question. For children who understand the maths but work slowly, this time pressure alone can significantly affect their score.
The multiple-choice format also means there is no opportunity to earn method marks — a wrong answer scores zero regardless of the working. This places a premium on accuracy as well as speed.
How Singapore Maths Academy Prepares Children for GL
Our approach to GL 11 plus maths preparation combines curriculum coverage, problem-solving skills, and timed practice. We use the Singapore Mathematics method — including the bar model technique — to give children a structured visual approach to the word problems and multi-step questions that frequently appear in GL papers.
We also focus specifically on speed strategies: efficient mental arithmetic, knowing when to estimate, and developing the quick pattern recognition that allows children to identify the fastest route through a question. Regular timed practice under exam conditions builds the stamina and composure children need on the day.
When Should Preparation Begin?
For the GL 11+, most children begin focused preparation in Year 5, with the exam typically sitting in Year 6. Starting earlier — in Year 4 or early Year 5 — gives children time to build genuine understanding rather than cramming, which produces more robust and lasting results. That said, children who begin in Year 6 can still make significant progress with structured, targeted tuition.
Book a Free Trial Lesson
If your child is preparing for GL 11 plus maths, Singapore Maths Academy offers expert tuition rooted in the world-leading Singapore method. We’d love to show you our approach with a free trial lesson — no commitment required.
Book your free trial today and give your child the best possible start on their 11+ journey.