North Yorkshire 11+

Ripon Grammar's new 11+ papers explained

Facts checked 19 October 2026By ExamKind Editorial Team

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In short

Ripon Grammar School's 11+ test changed this year: children sat new papers on 12 September 2026North Yorkshire 2027 entry: Test dateChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: If your child is transferring from primary to secondary school in September 2027, the entrance test will be held on Saturday 12 September 2026 at Ripon Grammar School.View the official source. GL Assessment still writes and marks the test, but there are two new papers: a Verbal Skills paper that adds reading comprehension, spelling and grammar to verbal reasoning, and a paper that combines non-verbal reasoning with maths. Scoring still adds two age-standardised scores together. Details for next year's test are not published yet.

What changed, in one line?

In the council's description: 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) and a non-verbal reasoning with mathematics paper replace the old verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning papersRipon Grammar School 2027 entry: Provider changeChecked 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.

So the test provider did not change. For 2027 entry, the provider is still GL AssessmentRipon Grammar School: Test family by entry year (2027)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Ripon Grammar School.The source says: The test provider is GL assessment.View the official source. What changed is what the papers contain. The biggest difference for children is that English (a reading passage, then spelling and grammar) is now tested directly, and maths is now set out as a named section alongside non-verbal reasoning.

This applies to Ripon Grammar School only. The test is run by North Yorkshire Council (for Ripon Grammar School only)North Yorkshire: Test run byChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: The local authority administers both the published selection scheme and the allocation of school places at Ripon Grammar School, as it is a community school.View the official source, while Ermysted's Grammar School and Skipton Girls' High School arrange and run their own selection tests, with their own processes, timescales and deadlinesNorth Yorkshire: Own test schoolsChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: These schools arrange and run their own selection tests. Their application processes, timescales and deadlines differ to those of Ripon Grammar School.View the official source.

What is in each new paper?

The council sets out the papers like this: 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 minutesNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: PapersChecked 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.

Here is the same information as a table.

Paper	Sections, in order	What it tests
Paper 1: Verbal Skills	English, then verbal reasoning	reading a passage and answering questions; spelling and grammar; word-based reasoning
Paper 2: non-verbal reasoning with mathematics	two non-verbal reasoning sections, then mathematics	reasoning with shapes and patterns; maths

Every question is multiple choiceNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: FormatChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: All questions are multiple choice.View the official source. In all, the papers test English, comprehension, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathsRipon Grammar School 2027 entry: Stage1 subjectsChecked 10 Oct 2026 against Ripon Grammar School.The source says: Paper one is a Verbal Skills paper that assesses verbal reasoning and has an English comprehension, spelling and grammar test. Paper Two is a Non Verbal Reasoning with mathematics test that assesses non-verbal reasoning with Key Stage Two standard mathematics.View the official source.

The sections are short and strictly timed, so a child moves through several kinds of question in one sitting. The council has not published how many questions each section has.

How are the papers scored?

No percentage weights are printed: the two age-standardised scores (Verbal Skills, and non-verbal reasoning with maths) are added together for a total scoreNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: WeightingChecked 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.

The way the standard is set has not changed: 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 placeNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: Qualifying ruleChecked 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.

Because the cut-off is set each year to reach a share of local children, it moves with how that year's children perform. It is not a fixed target.

Do past cut-off marks still apply?

Treat them with extra care. The most recent published cut-off, for September 2026 entry, was 203ripon-grammar-school-2026-qualifying: ValueChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: This table shows what the cut-off marks for Ripon Grammar School have been in the last three years. ... | Year of entry | Ripon Grammar School cut-off mark | ... | 2026 | 203 |View the official source, but that was set on the old papers. The new papers test different things, and the first cut-off on the new papers belongs to the children now in Year 6. It is not a forecast for anyone. The council sends results by letter: Written confirmation of the entrance test result is sent to parents; results are not given by telephone or email.North Yorkshire 2027 entry: Results disclosureChecked 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 For this year, results are sent by 16 October 2026North Yorkshire: Results sent by2027Checked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: Mid October 2026 | Entrance test results will be issued no later than 16 October.View the official source. Our North Yorkshire results page explains what the letter means.

Which practice material matches the new papers?

The official signposting is: 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").North Yorkshire 2027 entry: FamiliarisationChecked 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.

GL's own guidance warns that 11+ tests vary from area to area, so a local test’s timings, topics and number of questions may differ from GL’s own materialsGL Assessment: tests vary by areaChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School.The source says: 11+ tests vary from area to area so please be aware that the exact timings, the combination of topics covered (for example, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, Maths and English) and the number of questions in your local 11+ test may differ from those in our familiarisation and practice materials.View the official source. So check that any GL material you use matches Ripon's two-paper structure, with English inside the Verbal Skills paper and maths inside the non-verbal reasoning paper. Older Ripon-focused material built around separate verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning papers will cover part of the test, but not the English section.

What does this mean for preparation?

For most children, the change is a shift in balance rather than a new subject list.

Reading and English matter more directly. A reading passage with questions, plus spelling and grammar, now has its own section. Regular reading and talking about books is the most natural preparation.
Maths is a clear section. It comes after the non-verbal reasoning sections in the same paper, so secure arithmetic and problem solving from school work help directly.
Verbal and non-verbal reasoning still count. They each have a section, so some familiarity with these question types is still useful.
Practise moving between short sections. Short timed sections, one after another, can feel unfamiliar. One or two calm practice runs with the GL familiarisation booklets help with that.

Our guide to how much 11+ practice is enough can help keep this proportionate.

What do Year 5 families need to know?

Ripon's admission arrangements for 2028 entry are not published yetRipon Grammar School: Document status (2028)Checked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: Co-ordinated admissions arrangements 2027 to 2028 ... School admission arrangements 2027 to 2028 ... Co-ordinated admissions arrangements 2026 to 2027View the official source, and the council has not yet published the papers, dates or registration window for next year's test. Please don't assume every detail will repeat. As a guide only, for this year's test:

registration ran from 30 April 2026North Yorkshire 2027 entry: Registration opensChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: 30 April 2026 | Online entrance test registration form opens.View the official source to 30 June 2026North Yorkshire 2027 entry: Registration closesChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: The deadline to register for the entrance test was 30 June 2026.View the official source
registration was through North Yorkshire Council's online entrance test registration form (not the school)Ripon Grammar School 2027 entry: Registration routeChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: 30 April 2026 | Online entrance test registration form opens.View the official source
the test was on 12 September 2026North Yorkshire 2027 entry: Test dateChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: If your child is transferring from primary to secondary school in September 2027, the entrance test will be held on Saturday 12 September 2026 at Ripon Grammar School.View the official source, at Ripon Grammar SchoolNorth Yorkshire 2027 entry: Test venueChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: If your child is transferring from primary to secondary school in September 2027, the entrance test will be held on Saturday 12 September 2026 at Ripon Grammar School.View the official source
access arrangements: Request special arrangements (disability or special resources) to the council's access arrangements panel, with a headteacher report and detailed medical evidence, before the registration closing date (30 June 2026, by midnight); otherwise testing is in April the following year. Decisions in writing by the end of July; testing under access arrangements may not take place on the September test day.North Yorkshire 2027 entry: Access arrangementsChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: All requests for special arrangements must be received before the closing date for entrance test applications. Failure to notify us and provide the required evidence by midnight on that date will result in the tests taking place in April the following year.View the official source

Two rules from the current arrangements are worth knowing early. One attempt: is the test sat once only? yesRipon Grammar School 2027 entry: One attempt onlyChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: Where a child does not reach the required standard in the selection test for entry into Year 7, they are not able to sit the test again the following year.View the official source. Illness: If illness, bereavement or another serious issue would affect performance: before the test day contact the admissions team and confirm in writing; on the day call the emergency number on the letter and confirm in writing by 5pm on the Monday after the test day. An alternative test day is then arranged (results may be delayed). Absence without notice means withdrawal from testing.North Yorkshire: Test day illnessChecked 10 Oct 2026 against North Yorkshire Council.The source says: on the test day - contact the emergency number provided on your letter immediately - you will also be required to confirm the reason for their absence in writing by 5pm on the Monday after the test dayView the official source

Our North Yorkshire 11+ dates page adds the 2028-entry dates when the council publishes them.

Sources

Facts on this page come from archived official sources checked on 13 October 2026: North Yorkshire Council, Ripon Grammar School and GL Assessment (as published by Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School).

ExamKind is independent and is not connected with North Yorkshire Council, Ripon Grammar School or GL Assessment. How we make our content.