The Lincolnshire 11+
Lincolnshire’s grammar schools set two reasoning papers written for them by GL Assessment, verbal on one day and non-verbal on another, with no English or maths paper. A total of 220 qualifies. Caistor Grammar School sets its own verbal reasoning tests.
At a glance
- The test
- The Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools (LCGS) 11+
- Set by
- GL Assessment (Caistor Grammar School is outside the consortium and runs its own verbal reasoning tests)
- Subjects
- Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning
- Answers
- Multiple choice, on a separate answer sheet
- Who sits it
- 3,999 pupils completed both consortium papers in 2026 (4,137 in 2025), from the LCGS's published table of papers completed at each of its 13 test schools. Caistor Grammar School's candidates are not included.
The papers
Two papers produced by GL Assessment specifically for the Lincolnshire grammar schools, sat on two separate days: a Verbal Reasoning Test, preceded by a separate short Preliminary Practice Test, and a Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Awareness Test, divided into skill sections each with practice questions. Answers are marked on an Optical Mark Reading (OMR) sheet. There are no English or maths papers. Children sit the tests in their own primary school or at the grammar school where they registered, depending on the area. Caistor Grammar School sets its own two papers instead: a standard (written) verbal reasoning paper and a multiple-choice verbal reasoning paper.
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Dates, results and scores
When is the 11+ in Lincolnshire?
The 2027 test: not published yet. The 2026 test: Verbal reasoning on Friday 11 or Saturday 12 September 2026; non-verbal reasoning and spatial awareness on Friday 18 or Saturday 19 September 2026 (children sit in their primary school or at the grammar school, depending on area; The King's School and Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School tested on the Saturdays). Caistor Grammar School: standard verbal reasoning paper on Saturday 19 September 2026 and multiple-choice verbal reasoning paper on Saturday 26 September 2026.
How do you register for the 11+ in Lincolnshire?
For the 2027 test (2028 entry): not published yet. For the 2026 test (2027 entry): Wednesday 7 January to Tuesday 31 March 2026, with one grammar school (one registration per child; results are shared across the consortium). Late registration reopened on Friday 1 May 2026, but late registrants may not get a place on the main test days. Caistor Grammar School: registration opened at the beginning of March 2026 and closed on Friday 14 August 2026.
When do 11+ results come out in Lincolnshire?
For the 2026 test: Emailed to parents at 12 noon on Friday 9 October 2026 (and to primary schools at 4pm). Caistor Grammar School emailed its outcomes on Tuesday 13 October 2026.
What score qualifies in Lincolnshire?
A total standardised (age-adjusted) score of at least 220 across the two papers, set to identify the most able 25% of pupils in the age group in the selective areas of Lincolnshire. No per-paper minimum is published, and parents are given only the overall score. Caistor Grammar School also requires a total of 220 or more on its two tests. Qualifying does not guarantee a place: oversubscribed schools apply their own oversubscription criteria.
Not confirmed yet
- The length and number of questions of each consortium paper are not published on the consortium or school pages (King Edward VI Grammar School's FAQ gives an eight-minute practice test before the verbal reasoning paper; the LCGS page says ten minutes).
- Who writes Caistor Grammar School's verbal reasoning papers is not stated; the school says only that it administers them.
- How many children sat Caistor Grammar School's test, and how many pupils reached 220 in 2026 (the LCGS publishes only a chart of the score distribution).
- The opening date for registration: the LCGS key dates and Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School say Wednesday 7 January 2026, while The King's School says Friday 9 January 2026.
- Partial selection: King Edward VI Grammar School's FAQ still calls King Edward VI Humanities College, Spilsby a bilateral school in the consortium, but Lincolnshire County Council lists King Edward VI Academy, Spilsby as a comprehensive with no ability criterion for 2026 or 2027 entry, so it is not listed here.
- The date of the September 2027 tests and the registration window for 2028 entry are not yet published.
Check these on the official page: grammarschools.lincs.sch.uk/the-11-plus
Good to know
Late testing and moving to the area
Late tests are available: after the main September 2026 tests, late testing may not happen until November 2026 or later, so results may come after the 31 October deadline. A child who is ill on a test day can sit later by arrangement with the school, and families moving into the area can contact the relevant grammar school to arrange testing. Caistor Grammar School runs its own late tests for families moving into the area.
Who runs admissions
The grammar schools run the testing themselves through the consortium (the County Council delegated selection to the schools); each school's own admission policy decides places when oversubscribed. Lincolnshire County Council coordinates applications: the Common Application Form closed nationally on Saturday 31 October 2026, though the council accepts applications until 12 noon on Monday 14 December 2026.
Grammar schools in Lincolnshire
Each school sets its own admissions rules: check its admissions policy for places and priority areas.
| School | Town | Takes |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Grammar School website | Boston | Boys |
| Boston High School website | Boston | Girls |
| Bourne Grammar School website | Bourne | Mixed |
| Caistor Grammar School website | Caistor | Mixed |
| Carre's Grammar School website | Sleaford | Boys, mixed sixth form |
| Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School website | Grantham | Girls |
| Kesteven and Sleaford High School website | Sleaford | Girls, mixed sixth form |
| King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth website | Louth | Mixed |
| The King's School, Grantham website | Grantham | Boys |
| Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford website | Alford | Mixed |
| Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle website | Horncastle | Mixed |
| Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough website | Gainsborough | Mixed |
| Skegness Grammar School website | Skegness | Mixed |
| Spalding Grammar School website | Spalding | Boys, mixed sixth form |
| Spalding High School website | Spalding | Girls |
More on the 11+
Sources
Every fact here comes from the official pages below. Dates and scores change from year to year, so check them there before you rely on them.
- grammarschools.lincs.sch.uk
- grammarschools.lincs.sch.uk/the-11-plus
- grammarschools.lincs.sch.uk/the-11-plus/11-key-dates-2026
- grammarschools.lincs.sch.uk/the-11-plus/testing-arrangements
- grammarschools.lincs.sch.uk/the-11-plus/selection-process-faq
- grammarschools.lincs.sch.uk/admissions
- grammarschools.lincs.sch.uk/consortium-11-data/2026-completed-papers-by-schools
- grammarschools.lincs.sch.uk/completed-papers-by-schools
- kings.lincs.sch.uk/admissions/entry-to-year-7-in-september-2027
- kings.lincs.sch.uk/admissions/entry-to-year-7-in-september-2027/registration-for-entry-2027
- kestevengrantham.lincs.sch.uk/admissions/entry_to_year_7_2027/entry_to_y7_2027.html
- kevigs.org/admissions/faqs
- caistorgrammar.com/join-us/process
- caistorgrammar.com/join-us/faqs
- lincolnshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/10879/appendix-e-secondary-co-ordinated-scheme-2027-to-2028
- lincolnshire.gov.uk/school-admissions/going-school-lincolnshire-guide/2
- lincolnshire.gov.uk/school-admissions/going-school-lincolnshire-guide/4
- lincolnshire.gov.uk/directory-record/82959/year-7-entry-requirements-and-places-offered
- lincolnshire.gov.uk/directory-record/61578/spilsby-king-edward-vi-academy
Checked 2 November 2026.
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