North Yorkshire 11+: Ripon, Ermysted's and Skipton Girls'

The three tests are separate. Here is how they compare for 2027 entry:

Ripon's papers. Paper 1, Verbal Skills: English (a reading passage with questions, then spelling and grammar), 25 minutes, and verbal reasoning, 20 minutes. Paper 2, non-verbal reasoning with mathematics: two non-verbal reasoning sections of 10 minutes each, then mathematics, 25 minutesSource for North Yorkshire 2027 entry: PapersNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: PapersCloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: English (25 minutes) - consists of a passage to read and then answer questions about it ... Verbal Reasoning (20 minutes) - consisting of 32 questions ... two non-verbal reasoning sections of 20 questions in each section - 10 minutes per section ... the mathematics section has approximately 25 questions (25 minutes).View the official source. How the marks combine: No percentage weights are printed: the two age-standardised scores (Verbal Skills, and non-verbal reasoning with maths) are added together for a total scoreSource for North Yorkshire 2027 entry: WeightingNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: WeightingCloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: After the marks have been standardised to take into account your child's age, your child's verbal skills and non-verbal reasoning and mathematics scores are added together to give a total score which is used to determine whether they have reached the cut-off mark.View the official source. Practice material: GL Assessment familiarisation booklets with example questions; GL Assessment free practice material on its website (11plus.gl-assessment.co.uk free-materials page, which lists free downloads including "Verbal Skills" and "Non-verbal Reasoning and Maths").Source for North Yorkshire 2027 entry: FamiliarisationNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: FamiliarisationCloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: GL Assessment have produced familiarisation booklets which include examples to indicate the range of skills required to complete the assessment and the manner in which questions are answered ... GL Assessment also offer free practice material on their website.View the official source.

Ermysted's papers. Paper 1: English and maths questions with multiple-choice answers. Paper 2: English and maths questions with short written answers (no timings published)Source for Ermysted’s Grammar School 2027 entry: Stage1 papersErmysted’s Grammar School 2027 entry: Stage1 papersCloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Ermysted's Grammar School.The source says: Paper 1 contains English and mathematics questions with multiple choice answer options. ... Paper 2 contains English and mathematics questions where you respond with short written answers.View the official source.

Skipton Girls'. The school's test documents could not be checked yet, so its provider and papers are not shown. See its page.

Ripon's test changed for 2027 entry: GL Assessment still writes and marks the test, but the papers are new from the September 2026 sitting: a Verbal Skills paper (reading comprehension, spelling and grammar, plus verbal reasoning) replaces the verbal reasoning paper, and a non-verbal reasoning with mathematics paper replaces the non-verbal reasoning paperSource for North Yorkshire 2027 entry: Provider changeNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: Provider changeCloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: There have been some changes to the method of testing used for the 11 plus admissions testing at Ripon Grammar School. For testing in September 2026, the 11 plus tests will consist of a verbal skills test and a non-verbal reasoning with mathematics testView the official source. More detail is in our guide to Ripon's new 11+ papers.

Ermysted's also describes its test as new: The school calls this 'the new test' and has updated its familiarisation material to match, but it does not name the previous provider or the year of the changeSource for Ermysted’s Grammar School 2027 entry: Provider changeErmysted’s Grammar School 2027 entry: Provider changeCloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Ermysted's Grammar School.The source says: The content below has been updated to reflect the format of the new test.View the official source.

Nothing has been published yet about the tests for 2028 entry, so we cannot say whether either format will change again.

Ripon. There is no fixed pass mark. The council sets a cut-off mark each year so that the top 28% (or as near to that as possible) of Year 6 children living in the Ripon selective area reach it. Children from outside the area must reach the same mark. Reaching it makes a child eligible, not certain of a placeSource for North Yorkshire 2027 entry: Qualifying ruleNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: Qualifying ruleCloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: The results of these selection tests are used to identify the highest scoring 28% or as close as possible of Year 6 children who live in the Ripon selective area. This procedure sets the cut-off mark in the Ripon selective area and sets the standard, which children must reach, to be deemed suitable for a Ripon Grammar School education.View the official source. Recent cut-off marks:

These marks were set on the old papers, so treat them as a guide, not a promise. The result letter: Written confirmation of the entrance test result is sent to parents; results are not given by telephone or email.Source for North Yorkshire 2027 entry: Results disclosureNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: Results disclosureCloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: Written confirmation of your child’s entrance test result will be sent out. Please do not contact the admissions team, we will not be able to advise the result by telephone or email.View the official source

Ermysted's. Each paper is standardised and adjusted for age, and the two scores are added. The school's admissions committee sets the 'required standard' each year from how that year's candidates perform. Only boys who reach it are considered; if more boys reach it than there are places, the oversubscription criteria (not score order) decideSource for Ermysted’s Grammar School: Qualifying rule (2027)Ermysted’s Grammar School: Qualifying rule (2027)CloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Ermysted's Grammar School.The source says: The ‘required standard’ will be determined by the Admissions Committee based on the performance of candidates in the main Entrance Test cohort.View the official source. We found no published pass marks.

Skipton Girls'. Girls sit selection tests; if more girls are successful than there are places, other criteria including home-to-school distance decide.Source for Skipton Girls' High School: Qualifying rule (2027)Skipton Girls' High School: Qualifying rule (2027)CloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Skipton Girls' High School.The source says: If more girls are successful in the tests than can be offered places at the school, other criteria, including home to school distance are taken into account.View the official source

The schools treat disadvantaged children differently:

• Ermysted's: First sub-priority within both criterion 2 (catchment) and criterion 3 (outside catchment), ahead of siblings and distance; no score concession; must still reach the required standard.Source for Ermysted’s Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)Ermysted’s Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)CloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Ermysted's Grammar School.The source says: (i) To children who are registered as in receipt of the Pupil Premium at the time of application, thenView the official source.
• Ripon: the 2027 priority order has no separate pupil premium group. In full: (1) Looked after and previously looked after children, including children who were in state care outside England and adopted. (2) Children with special social or medical reasons, supported by professional evidence. (3) Children living in the catchment area of the school. (4) Children of staff employed at the school for more than two years, or recruited to fill a demonstrable skill shortage. (5) Children living outside the catchment area of the school.Source for Ripon Grammar School: Oversubscription criteria (2027)Ripon Grammar School: Oversubscription criteria (2027)CloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: To be considered for a place at Ripon Grammar School, all children will need to have completed the selection tests and to have met the required standard of education.View the official source
• Skipton Girls': not known yet; any priority would be set out in the policy we have not yet been able to read.

General information, not legal advice.

All three schools' Year 7 appeals go through North Yorkshire Council, even though Ermysted's and Skipton Girls' set their own admission rules. The council's deadline for 2027 entry is 12 April 2027Source for North Yorkshire 2027 entry: Appeal deadlineNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: Appeal deadlineCloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: If you want to appeal for a secondary school place, you need to submit your appeal by 12 April 2027.View the official source. Children who reached the standard but were not offered a place can also be on a waiting list: at Ripon, Separate waiting lists for day and boarding places; a child refused a place on National Offer Day goes on the relevant list; the council's waiting lists end on 31 December 2027Source for Ripon Grammar School: Waiting list (2027)Ripon Grammar School: Waiting list (2027)CloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: We hold separate waiting lists for boarding and day places. If your child is refused a place on National Offer Day, they will be placed on the relevant waiting list.View the official source.

For scale, the council publishes one appeals figure for all its schools and year groups together: 245 appeals heard in the 2025 to 2026 school year across all North Yorkshire schools and year groups (not only Ripon); 49 upheld, 196 not upheldSource for North Yorkshire: Appeals heard2025to2026North Yorkshire: Appeals heard2025to2026CloseChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: Academic Year 2025 to 2026 Total Total heard 245 Successfully upheld 49 Not upheld 196View the official source.