The 11+ 2027 timeline, for children in Year 5 now

Children in Year 5 during the 2026/27 school year are the 2027 exam cohort: they sit the 11+ in the autumn or winter of 2027 and start secondary school in September 2028. This page sets out the shape of that year, and when tests fall in different parts of the country.

The month a test falls in is taken from our own schools data, covering 301 active selective and independent schools across 74 local authorities. Exact dates are set by each admissions authority and are not published this far ahead, so treat the months as the planning frame and confirm the day with the school.

When tests fall, by month

September - recorded test month for 34 areas in our schools data, including Barnet, Bexley, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bromley, Buckinghamshire.
October - recorded test month for 4 areas in our schools data, including Essex, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kingston upon Thames, Southend-on-Sea.
November - recorded test month for 28 areas in our schools data, including Barnet, Bedford, Birmingham, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire.
January - recorded test month for 5 areas in our schools data, including Devon, Redbridge, Surrey, Waltham Forest, Wolverhampton.
Exam boards, formats and test dates change between admissions rounds, and schools sometimes move between consortia. Confirm the arrangements for the 2027 round directly with the school or admissions authority before relying on any single source, including this page.

The year, term by term

Autumn term, Year 5 (now) - build the habit. Short, daily practice beats weekend cramming. Focus on gaps in core maths and reading, not on exam technique yet.
Spring term, Year 5 - introduce the reasoning papers (verbal and non-verbal) if the target schools test them. These are the least familiar formats and take the longest to click.
Summer term, Year 5 - check which schools you're actually applying to and what they test. Registration windows for autumn 2027 tests generally open around this point, so this is the term to get the admissions details right.
Summer holidays 2027 - the last long run of uninterrupted practice before the test. Timed papers become useful here.
Autumn term, Year 6 (from September 2027) - most state grammar tests are sat in this window. Practice shifts to timing, accuracy under pressure and staying calm.
March 2028 - National Offer Day for secondary places.
September 2028 - your child starts secondary school.

The bit that catches families out

Registration, not the test. In most state grammar areas the test is sat in September of Year 6, but you have to have registered for it well before then, typically in the summer term of Year 5. Parents who think of the 11+ as a Year 6 event can find the registration window has closed while their child is still in Year 5. Put a reminder in the calendar for the spring term of Year 5 to check your local authority's admissions page, and the rest of the timeline takes care of itself.

What to prioritise, and when

There's a practical reason Year 5 is the point people talk about. The reasoning papers ask for skills that aren't taught in the normal primary curriculum, so a child meeting verbal and non-verbal reasoning for the first time in Year 6 is learning a new format at the same time as they're being tested on speed. Meeting them a year earlier turns "what even is this?" into "I've done hundreds of these".

The other reason is workload. Spread over a full year, 11+ preparation is fifteen or twenty minutes a day. Compressed into the summer before the test, it's the thing that ruins the summer. Same total practice, very different experience for the child.

None of that means Year 5 is a deadline. Children start later and do fine, particularly strong readers with solid arithmetic. It just means the work is easier to absorb when it's spread out.

Try four real Year 5 questions

Pulled straight from PipPrep's own question bank, from the questions tagged for Year 5 - not written for this page.

Question 1

What is the 20th prime number?

Answer: 71. The prime numbers in order are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47... The 20th prime is 71.

Question 2

The scientist gave a ___ explanation of the theory, making it accessible even to non-specialists.

Answer: lucid. Lucid means clear and easy to understand.

Question 3

JAPAN is to JAPANESE as CHINA is to ?

Answer: MANDARIN. JAPAN is to JAPANESE (language spoken in) as CHINA is to MANDARIN.

Question 4

3 triangles → 6 triangles (rule: doubling). By the same rule, 6 triangles → ?

Answer: 12 triangles. Rule doubling: 6 → 12.

Start the prep year properly

PipPrep adapts to your child's target school with 80,000+ questions across maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Free to start, no card needed.

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Not sure where they actually stand? Take the free 11+ readiness check - 10 questions matched to your exam board, and a scored report on their weak topics. No account needed.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 11+ in 2027?

It depends on the area. In most state grammar areas the test is sat in September, at the very start of Year 6, which for the current Year 5 cohort means September 2027. Independent schools more commonly test in November or January. Exact dates for 2027 are set by each admissions authority and published closer to the time.

My child is in Year 5 now. Which entry year is that?

September 2028. Year 5 in 2026/27 becomes Year 6 in 2027/28, sits the 11+ in autumn or winter 2027, receives an offer on National Offer Day in March 2028, and starts secondary school that September.

When do we have to register for the test?

Generally in the summer term of Year 5, months before the test itself. The window is set by the local authority or school, so check their admissions page in the spring term rather than waiting for a reminder.

Do all areas test in September?

No. September is the most common month in our data for state grammar schools, but October, November and January all appear too, particularly for Essex CSSE schools and independent schools. Check the specific schools you are applying to.