A DIY 11+ plan for under £100

Why does a budget plan help?

There is always another book, another mock or another app to buy for the 11+. A budget plan does two jobs:

• it stops spending creeping up month by month;
• it makes you choose, which usually means choosing better.

Much of the most useful preparation is also free: reading, talking about words, and confident everyday maths. One test organiser, CSSE in Essex and Southend, says its tests are based on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum, and that children only need a limited amount of practice to get used to the questions and timingSource for CSSE (Essex and Southend): what the tests coverCSSE (Essex and Southend): what the tests coverCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against CSSE (Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex).The source says: remember that children only need a ... limited amount of practice to familiarise ... themselves with the types of questions and ... timing. The Mathematics and English tests will ... be based on Key Stage 2 of the National ... Curriculum.View the official source. Spending more does not change that.

Step 1: What is free for your child's test?

Before you buy anything, find out which test your child will sit and collect everything the provider or schools give away. The find your 11+ area pages show which test each area uses. Here is what official sources say is available:

Two points matter for your budget.

Some tests have nothing to buy. For FSCE tests, Reading School notes that there are no commercially available practice test papers for FSCE testsSource for FSCE: Reading schoolFSCE: Reading schoolCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Reading School.The source says: Please note: there are no commercially available practice test papers for the FSCE Ltd tests.View the official source. For Cambridge Select Insight, the test now shown on the CEM website, Cambridge University Press & Assessment says it offers no commercially available practice materials, including practice or past papersSource for Cambridge Insight: practice materialsCambridge Insight: practice materialsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Cambridge University Press & Assessment (CEM).The source says: we do not provide any commercially available practice materials (including practice or past papers) nor endorse any other commercially available resources or tuition services.View the official source. If your child sits one of these, anything sold as "practice for this test" is not official material. The free official guides are what you need.

Local versions differ. GL Assessment's guidance, as published by a grammar school, says 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 materialsSource for GL Assessment: tests vary by areaGL Assessment: tests vary by areaCloseChecked 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 your area's own page and your target schools' admissions pages too. Schools often post local familiarisation material there. Some go further: Devonport High School for Boys, for example, offers free example papers on the school website, and after-school familiarisation sessions in JuneSource for DHSB 11+ (Quest English and maths plus DHSB writing paper): Familiarisation materialsDHSB 11+ (Quest English and maths plus DHSB writing paper): Familiarisation materialsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Devonport High School for Boys.The source says: Example test papers are also available to download free of charge from our website at this link:- www.dhsb.org/11-familiarisationView the official source.

Print what you can. If printing at home is not possible, ask the library or your child's school whether they can print a few pages for you.

Step 2: How do you set your cap?

Decide your total before you open any shop or website. Write it down. Your number can be lower than the figure in this guide's title. Then use these rules:

1. Wait until after the first free paper. Do one official familiarisation paper together, untimed. Spend nothing until you know what your child finds hard.
2. Spend only on format-matched material. If your test is multiple choice in English and maths, material for other subjects or another format does not help.
3. One resource per gap. If the gap is vocabulary, choose one thing for vocabulary, use it fully, and only then think about another.
4. No duplicates. Two books covering the same topics in the same way are one book too many.
5. Check it is current. Formats change. For example, CSSE says: From September 2024 (2025 entry) the English paper has no Applied Reasoning questionsSource for Essex and Southend (CSSE): Applied reasoning removedEssex and Southend (CSSE): Applied reasoning removedCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: PLEASE NOTE: With effect from September 2024 (2025 Entry) the English paper does not contain Applied Reasoning questions.View the official source. So older material for that test includes a section that no longer appears. Second-hand books are a good saving, but check the format first.
6. Keep some back. Leave part of your cap unspent until the last few months, when you may want something specific for timed practice.

A simple record keeps you honest. It can be a page in a notebook:

If the "Matches our test format?" column says no, do not buy it.

Step 3: What can libraries and school give you for free?

Libraries. Public libraries lend fiction and non-fiction for every reading level, and wide reading supports the English and comprehension parts of many 11+ tests. Many libraries also hold maths and puzzle books, and some have study guides. Ask a librarian; if your branch does not have something, they may be able to order it from another branch. A library card for your child also makes reading feel like their own choice.

Your child's primary school. Teachers know your child's strengths and gaps better than any test paper. You might ask:

• Are there maths topics my child has not yet met that most tests include?
• Is their reading level where you would expect, and what would help?
• Does the school run any familiarisation sessions, or know of free ones locally?
• Can you help us with printing, or lend any practice material?

Schools are busy, so one short, friendly conversation is often more useful than many emails.

Home. Much of the most useful preparation uses things you already have: a kitchen timer for short timed sections, a notebook for new words, cards for times tables, and board or word games for vocabulary and reasoning.

Step 4: Is there extra help if my child is eligible for pupil premium or free school meals?

In some areas, yes. Schools and test organisers run free programmes for eligible children. Here are examples from official sources:

• Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: Quest and the consortium offer free preparation access for all pupil-premium-eligible candidatesSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Provider statementBournemouth and Poole (BCP): Provider statementCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Quest Assessments.The source says: The Dorset Consortium and Quest have worked together to ensure every child has access to high-quality preparation materials, regardless of their family's circumstances. [...] for all pupil premium eligible candidates.View the official source.
• Kendrick School, Reading: Free GL Assessment familiarisation materials linked from the school website (available from March 2026); Widening Horizons programme for eligible Year 5s.Source for Kendrick School entrance test (GL Assessment): Familiarisation materialsKendrick School entrance test (GL Assessment): Familiarisation materialsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Kendrick School.The source says: Familiarisation material available on the website March 2026 from:View the official source
• Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Trafford: Free Trafford GL familiarisation materials on the AGSB website; practice papers on the GL website and consortium schools' websites. Horizons programme for Year 5 Pupil Premium pupils.Source for Altrincham Grammar School for Boys 2027 entry: FamiliarisationAltrincham Grammar School for Boys 2027 entry: FamiliarisationCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Altrincham Grammar School for Boys.The source says: Practice papers are available on the GL website and the Consortium Schools’ websites.View the official source
• Gloucestershire: Shaping Futures programme (with a partner online platform) at all seven grammar schools for able Pupil Premium pupils in Years 4 and 5; free partner-platform familiarisation for PP-eligible children.Source for Gloucestershire: Support programmeGloucestershire: Support programmeCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Sir Thomas Rich's School.The source says: The Shaping Futures Programme is run at all seven Gloucestershire grammar schools to enable us to offer this opportunity to all Pupil Premium students in our community.View the official source
• Torquay Girls' Grammar School: GL familiarisation material (English and Maths); additional free online familiarisation package for Pupil Premium/FSM-eligible children (Years 3-6).Source for Torquay Girls' Grammar School entrance test: Familiarisation materialsTorquay Girls' Grammar School entrance test: Familiarisation materialsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Torquay Girls' Grammar School.The source says: You can also take a look at the GL familiarisation material which tells you what you need to know about this test and gives you some sample questions. ... If your child is eligible for Pupil Premium/Free School Meals, we are pleased to be able to offer access to an additional online package of familiarisation material.View the official source

These programmes often have their own sign-up steps and deadlines, and some need the primary school to confirm eligibility. Check each target school's admissions page in Year 4 or early Year 5. Our guide to pupil premium and the 11+ explains who is eligible and how priority for places works.

Step 5: What does a no-cost week look like?

Once you have your free materials, a simple week might include:

• Reading every day, for pleasure, with a short chat about one or two new words.
• Two or three short maths sessions, on whatever gap the first paper showed.
• One short session on the test format, using a few questions from the free familiarisation papers from your test provider.
• One word or logic game as a family.
• At least one day with no 11+ work at all.

Keep a list of mistakes and why they happened. A list that shows the same error three times tells you more than a new practice book would. For how long sessions should be, see how much 11+ practice is enough?

What is usually not worth the money?

• Material for the wrong test, however good it looks.
• Several mocks. A mock can help a child get used to an exam room, but its score is only a rough guide. Our guide asks are 11+ mocks worth it?
• Large bundles bought on day one, before you know your child's gaps.
• Subscriptions you do not use. If you sign up for anything, set a reminder to cancel before it renews.
• Anything that promises a pass. No resource can do that.

What if you are worried you are not doing enough?

That worry is very common, especially when other families seem to spend a lot. Remember what test organisers themselves say. CSSE, as noted above, says children only need a limited amount of practice. FSCE says children do not need a tutor, and its website and familiarisation guides give all the information neededSource for FSCE: what it says about tutoringFSCE: what it says about tutoringCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise).The source says: All the information you and your child will need can be found on this website and in our Familiarisation Guides.View the official source. Many of the skills these tests use are built by ordinary reading and school learning. Our guide to preparing without a tutor sets out a full home plan, and keeping perspective may help on harder days.

Related pages

• Can you pass the 11+ without a tutor?
• Pupil premium priority and the 11+
• How much 11+ practice is enough?
• The 11+ formats compared
• Exam boards overview

Sources

Facts on this page come from archived official sources checked on 9 October 2026: GL Assessment information (as archived from Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School), Quest Assessments, the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE), SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group), FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise), Reading School, Cambridge University Press & Assessment (CEM), Devonport High School for Boys, Kendrick School, Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Sir Thomas Rich's School (for the Gloucestershire grammar schools) and Torquay Girls' Grammar School.

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