Kent Test 11+ pass marks and cut-off history

Two rules, both needed

The Kent Test is made up of: English and maths (combined paper), reasoning paper (verbal and non-verbal), plus a writing taskSource for Kent Test (Kent Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education, PESE): PapersKent Test (Kent Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education, PESE): PapersCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Chatham Grammar.The source says: aper for Kent is a combined English & Maths paper. The second paper is reasoning and contains verbal and non-verbal reasoning.View the official source. Children receive three standardised scores, for English, maths and reasoning, and these are added together to make the aggregate. The threshold has two parts. The aggregate must reach the line, and no single test may fall below the each-test minimum. A child with a strong aggregate but one low test score is still below the threshold. The writing task is handled differently. In the published wording: Extended writing marked only if a Head Teacher Assessment is neededSource for Kent Test (Kent Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education, PESE): Writing taskKent Test (Kent Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education, PESE): Writing taskCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Chatham Grammar.The source says: There is also an extended writing exercise, but this is only marked if a Head Teacher Assessment is required.View the official source.

Why the line moves

A standardised score places a child's marks against everyone who sat the same papers that year, so the threshold can change from one year to the next. Between the two years we have checked, the aggregate stayed the same and the each-test minimum changed. For September 2025 entry it was 332 aggregateSource for kent-test-2025-qualifying: Valuekent-test-2025-qualifying: ValueCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Chatham Grammar.The source says: For entry in September 2025 it was a total score of 332, with no individual score below 106.View the official source with a minimum of 106 in each testSource for kent-test-2025-qualifying-each-test: Valuekent-test-2025-qualifying-each-test: ValueCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Chatham Grammar.The source says: For entry in September 2025 it was a total score of 332, with no individual score below 106.View the official source. A past threshold is history. It does not tell you what the next one will be, so read it as context, not a target.

A school's cut-off is a different number

The threshold decides who is assessed for grammar school. Who is then offered a place depends on each school's own admission rules and how many families apply. Some schools publish the lowest score they offered, which can sit above the threshold when a school has more applicants than places. The Judd School, for example, reported cut-off scores of 389 (Inner Area)Source for the-judd-school-2026-last-score-offered-inner-area: Valuethe-judd-school-2026-last-score-offered-inner-area: ValueCloseChecked 12 Oct 2026 against The Judd School.The source says: The cut-off score for our inner area was 389 (2025: 371) with the outer area being 403 (2025: 398) (not all students on those scores were offered a place).View the official source and 403 (Outer Area)Source for the-judd-school-2026-last-score-offered-outer-area: Valuethe-judd-school-2026-last-score-offered-outer-area: ValueCloseChecked 12 Oct 2026 against The Judd School.The source says: The cut-off score for our inner area was 389 (2025: 371) with the outer area being 403 (2025: 398) (not all students on those scores were offered a place).View the official source for September 2026 entry. Other schools offer places by distance once a child is assessed, so they publish a furthest distance instead. Compare a school with its own past years, not with a different school. For one year at a time, the year pages above bring each school's figures together.

Below the threshold

A child who does not reach the threshold receives this outcome: H assessment (any school except grammar)Source for Kent: Below qualifying score (2026)Kent: Below qualifying score (2026)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Kent County Council (hosted by school).The source says: Pupils with an aggregate score lower than 332 will have an H assessment, as will pupils who have scored less than 108 on one test.View the official source. That is not the end of the road for a grammar place. If a pupil is not assessed selective, their primary headteacher can ask for a review; a panel of headteachers looks at the pupil's school work and Kent Test writingSource for Kent: ProcessKent: ProcessCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Folkestone School for Girls.The source says: A panel of Headteachers then assesses the student’s work and the written work that was submitted for the Kent Test and they determine whether or not the student should be assessed as selective.View the official source. Ask your child's primary school whether it plans to request a review.

Where these figures come from

Every threshold on this page links to the published statement it was checked against, with the date we checked it. To read your own child's scores, use the 11+ score converter. For what happens on results day, see the Kent Test results page. Every deadline is on the Kent Test dates page, and the full process is in the Kent Test 11+ guide.