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GL vs CEM Birmingham 11+ exams

What are CEM and GL?

 

CEM and GL assessment are two different exam boards which have been setting 11+ exams for  grammar schools across the country for a long while.

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How does CEM and GL differ?

Although both CEM and GL Assessment exams broadly cover English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, there are a number of key differences.

  • 11 Plus subjects
    GL covers English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Schools can pick to administer all subjects or select those that best meet their requirements.
    CEM covers verbal, non-verbal and numerical reasoning. Verbal reasoning includes many of the skills covered in a GL Assessment English test and numerical reasoning covers the main maths skills that would be tested in a GL maths exam.

  • Format of the exam papers
    GL exams are split by subject (English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning). Questions are chosen from GL question banks, so regular practice helps to familiarise children with question types they will see. Answers are either written in a blank space next to the question or are multiple choice and answered in a separate answer book.
    CEM exam papers do not separate subjects by paper. Commonly one paper tests English and verbal reasoning skills, whilst the other tests maths and non-verbal reasoning skills. Exam papers are broken into sections that may, for example, move from short maths to non-verbal questions to worded problems. Questions can be either standard or more commonly, multiple choice, with answers being written in a separate answer book. The weighting of each subject is unknown before the exam, due to the mixed nature of the papers.

  • Exam timing
    GL exam papers tend to last 45 minutes, although this can vary.
    CEM doesn’t follow a set exam format and can change from year to year, although some schools may release information about the current format on their website. Past exams have included:

     

    • Two 45-minute papers. A short break is normally given between the two papers. Each paper has a mix of topics covering English, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths (numerical reasoning). The papers are split into sections, with varying numbers of questions and timings. Often more questions are provided than are likely to be answered. Children are only given a set amount of time to answer a section and cannot move forward until told to proceed.

    • Four individual papers, each one covering a different discipline: English, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths.

    • One paper covers a combination of topics, or just one discipline, depending on what the school has selected to cover.

  • Knowledge and skills: GL Assessment exams can cover any of 21 different verbal reasoning skills, much more than seen in CEM examinations. However, CEM examinations require a much broader range of vocabulary.
    CEM exams align much more closely to KS2 National Curriculum content than GL Assessment exams do, although the ‘question bank’ nature of GL Assessment exams aids in preparation for this exam type.

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What is the format of the 2022 September 11 plus exam in Birmingham?

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  • The test is provided by GL Assessment.

  • Candidates will sit 2 papers, each approximately 60 minutes long (which includes time for instructions and example questions).

  • Each test paper is divided into smaller individually timed sections that test English Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and Non-Verbal/Spatial Reasoning.

  • The NVR section is now likely to contain: 3D building blocks , nets and cubes, 3D rotations and other new types previously not seen in CEM papers.

  • All questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet.

  • The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older.

  • Familiarisation questions can be found at the bottom of this page which show the style of questions to appear in the test and how answers must be recorded.

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Does this affect my child sitting the 11+ exam in Birmingham or Warkwickshire?

 

This change affects your child's exam format from the September 2022 exams sitting. You need to familiarise yourself with the GL format style of questions.

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Why are they changing the exam format with so short notice?

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New ways of testing literacy and reasoning are often used, as the ability to be flexible and use of genuine knowledge and skills, indicate that a child will thrive in a grammar school. 

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CEM exams were introduced in response to fears that existing 11 Plus exams had become too "easy" to do a GL paper and students were too familiar with the format. Now it seems the roles have reversed and "CEM" seem too "easy", thus the reintroduction of GL papers. 

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It’s important to be aware that the Grammar school 11 Plus examination format in this area has changed many times over the past few decades and is always subject to further change. 

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Where can I get some practice papers for GL from?

 

You can download the following free files courtesy of GL on their website below.

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https://11plus.gl-assessment.co.uk/free-materials/

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That is great thanks, how can I get more support and even more papers?

Reach out to our team at Ucademy and we can help you master the new GL format.

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