Pip the magpie mascot, PipPrep's 11+ guide

The GL Assessment 11+ practice app with 100,000+ real questions

More GL-format practice than any other app. Automatically matched to your target school - Kent, Bucks, Birmingham and beyond.

100,000+ GL-format questions 4 subjects covered 248 schools auto-detected Free to start
Start free at PipPrep

No credit card needed. Premium from £19/month.

What is GL Assessment - and is it for your school?

GL Assessment (formerly Granada Learning) is the most widely used 11+ test provider in England. Most grammar schools rely on it, including almost every school in Kent, Buckinghamshire, Birmingham and the Wirral. If you're not sure whether your target school uses GL, PipPrep will figure it out from the school name.

GL papers almost always cover 4 subjects. The weighting varies by school, but the question types are consistent - which is exactly why volume practice works well here.

🔡

Verbal Reasoning

Word relationships, codes, letter sequences and analogies

🔷

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Shape patterns, matrices, spatial rotation

🔢

Maths

Arithmetic, data, word problems, sequences

📖

English

Comprehension, spelling, grammar, creative writing

100,000+ GL-format questions - more than you'll ever need

100,000+

GL Assessment practice questions, across all 4 subjects

That's enough for a full year of daily practice without hitting the same question twice. Most families start 12-18 months before the exam and work through 20-40 questions a day. At that pace, PipPrep won't run out on you.

The questions are written specifically for GL format - the style, difficulty range and presentation match what your child will see on test day. Not converted from another format. Not generic maths worksheets.

Verbal Reasoning

Full coverage of all 21 GL VR question types

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Shape patterns, series, analogies and spatial

Maths

From arithmetic to data interpretation

English

Comprehension + AI-marked creative writing (premium)

Pick your target school. PipPrep does the rest.

GL Assessment is used by most grammar-school regions in England, but each school has its own weighting, timing and subject mix. PipPrep automatically detects the right format for your child's target school - across 248 schools.

The parent dashboard benchmarks your child's progress against the real pass mark for that school. Not a generic percentile. Not guesswork.

Kent Buckinghamshire Birmingham Wirral Gloucestershire Lincolnshire Yorkshire Shropshire Wiltshire 248 schools total

Built for the way 11+ prep actually works

🎯

Adaptive difficulty

Questions get harder or easier based on your child's performance - not just a random shuffle.

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School-specific benchmarks

The parent dashboard shows where your child sits against the pass mark for their specific target school.

✍️

AI-marked creative writing

Instant feedback on creative writing tasks, marked against GL Assessment criteria. Premium feature.

📊

Weak-area targeting

Automatically identifies which question types need more work and prioritises them.

⏱️

Timed practice mode

Replicates real GL Assessment timing pressure, so test day isn't the first time your child races the clock.

📱

Works anywhere

Browser, iOS and Android. Practice continues whether you're at home or on the way to school.

Sample GL Assessment questions

Two real examples from PipPrep's question bank. Click "Show answer" when ready.

Verbal Reasoning

Find the word that is most similar in meaning to ELATED.

  • Anxious
  • Exhausted
  • Overjoyed
  • Confused
  • Irritated
Answer: Overjoyed. ELATED means extremely happy or thrilled. "Overjoyed" is the closest synonym. The others describe negative or neutral emotions.
Maths

A train travels 240 km in 3 hours. At the same speed, how far will it travel in 5 hours?

  • 360 km
  • 400 km
  • 420 km
  • 480 km
  • 500 km
Answer: 400 km. Speed = 240 ÷ 3 = 80 km/h. Distance in 5 hours = 80 × 5 = 400 km.

PipPrep has 100,000+ more where those came from. Start free to practice at your child's level.

PipPrep vs other GL practice options

Here's an honest comparison with the most common alternatives.

Feature PipPrep Bond Books Atom Learning Free worksheets
GL-format question volume 100,000+ Limited Large Very low
School-specific format detection ✓ 248 schools Partial
AI-marked creative writing ✓ Premium
School pass-mark benchmarks Partial
Free to start
Monthly cost £19/mo £8-15/book ~£30/mo Free

Free to start. Affordable to continue.

No contract. Cancel any time.

Free

£0

forever

  • Access to starter questions
  • School format detection
  • Basic parent dashboard
  • All 4 subjects
Start free

Annual

£149

per year - saves £79

  • Everything in monthly
  • Full year of questions
  • Best value for 12-month prep
Get annual access

GL Assessment - what parents ask us

What is GL Assessment and which schools use it?

GL Assessment (formerly Granada Learning) is the most widely used 11+ test provider in England. Grammar schools in Kent, Buckinghamshire, Birmingham, Wirral, Gloucestershire and many other regions use GL papers. If you're not sure whether your target school uses GL Assessment, enter the school name in PipPrep and it'll confirm the format automatically.

How many GL Assessment practice questions does PipPrep have?

PipPrep has 100,000+ GL-format practice questions across verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English. That's enough for a full year of daily practice without repeating questions. The questions are written specifically for GL format - not converted from other sources.

Does PipPrep cover all 4 GL Assessment subjects?

Yes - verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English are all covered. Creative writing is included too and marked by AI against GL criteria (premium feature). The subject weighting adjusts automatically based on your target school's actual exam format.

When should we start GL Assessment prep with PipPrep?

Most families start 12-18 months before the exam. With 100,000+ questions available, starting earlier gives you more time to cover weak areas properly rather than cramming. PipPrep works well alongside school, with 20-30 minutes of daily practice - the adaptive system makes sure every session is targeting the right difficulty level.

Is PipPrep better for GL Assessment than Bond Books or Atom Learning?

Bond Books are good for structured offline practice but run out quickly and don't adapt to your child's level. Atom Learning is strong but costs more and doesn't have the same school-specific format detection across 248 schools. PipPrep's main advantage for GL prep is the question volume (100,000+), automatic school-format matching and the AI-marked creative writing - all at £19/month or £149/year.

How does the school pass-mark benchmark work?

The parent dashboard shows your child's current estimated score alongside the known or estimated pass mark for their specific target school. It's based on the school's historical entry requirements, not a generic percentile. This tells you whether your child is on track - or how much ground there is to close.

100,000+ GL questions, free to start

No credit card. No commitment. Just the biggest GL Assessment question bank available online.

Start free at PipPrep

Premium from £19/month or £149/year