The envelope (or, increasingly, the email or online portal) arrives in mid-October, and suddenly a year of preparation comes down to a single letter. Yet 11+ results day confuses more parents than almost any other stage of the admissions cycle, because the letter rarely says the one thing everyone wants to read: "your child has a place." It usually says something far more cautious. This guide explains exactly how to read a standardised score, what "qualified" really means, why it is not the same as an offer, and the practical steps to take next whatever the outcome. Wherever a number worries you, remember you can turn that worry into a concrete benchmark with Quest Arena's free timed mocks and worksheets at no cost.
When and how results are released
For most GL Assessment grammar regions, children sit the test in the first two weeks of September in Year 6, and results are published in mid-October, deliberately timed to land before the Local Authority Common Application Form (CAF) deadline of 31 October. That sequence matters: you learn how your child performed while you still have time to rank schools sensibly. Results reach parents in different ways depending on the area, so check your registration paperwork for the exact method:
- Posted letter from the school, consortium or Local Authority, arriving on a set date.
- Online portal or email where you log in with a candidate reference from the registration confirmation.
- Some regions publish only a pass/qualified indicator, releasing the actual score later or only on request.
Do not panic if a neighbour hears before you; delivery dates and methods vary by admission authority within the same county.
Reading the results letter: what the numbers mean
The heart of the letter is the Standard Age Score (SAS). Raw marks (the number of questions answered correctly) are converted through an official lookup table into a standardised score that adjusts for your child's exact age in years and months on the test date. The national average is set at 100, and the usable range runs roughly from 69 to 141. Because the score is age-adjusted, a younger child who scores the same raw mark as an older child receives a slightly higher SAS, so summer-born pupils are not penalised for being months younger than autumn-born classmates.
Here is the age-standardisation mechanic made concrete:
| Child | Age on test day | Raw score | Standard Age Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child A (summer-born) | 10y 1m | 55 / 60 | 122 |
| Child B (autumn-born) | 11y 0m | 55 / 60 | 118 |
Identical raw marks, different standardised scores: the younger child receives a small uplift. This is why you cannot compare children by raw marks alone.
Use this band table to interpret where a score sits:
| SAS band | What it typically means |
|---|---|
| 69-89 | Below average for the cohort sitting the test |
| 90-99 | Broadly average |
| 100 | Exactly the national average |
| 111 (approx.) | A common qualifying threshold for many catchment grammars |
| 121+ | The kind of score super-selective schools require |
These are illustrative bands, not a fixed national rule. There is no national pass mark: qualifying scores vary by school and region, commonly from around 111 up to 121 and beyond, and are recalculated each year based on cohort performance, places available and catchment weighting.
"Qualified" is not the same as "offered a place"
This is the single most misunderstood point on results day, so read it twice. A letter saying your child has qualified (or reached the required standard) means they cleared the academic bar. It does not confirm a place. The place is only allocated on National Offer Day, 1 March, after the Local Authority has processed everyone's ranked preferences on the CAF and applied each school's oversubscription criteria.
- Qualified = your child met the academic threshold and is eligible to be considered.
- Offered = a specific school has actually allocated your child a place, confirmed on 1 March.
Between those two words lies the whole allocation process. A child can qualify comfortably and still miss out at a heavily oversubscribed school if they live outside catchment; equally, a child who qualifies for a catchment grammar with room will usually be offered a place. Understanding your target school's admissions type is therefore essential.
Catchment grammars vs super-selective schools
How a school ranks qualified applicants determines what your score needs to achieve:
| Catchment / designated-area grammar | Super-selective grammar | |
|---|---|---|
| Ranks by | Qualifying score, then distance / priority area | Highest score first, regardless of address |
| What matters most | Passing the threshold and living close | Scoring as high as possible |
| Example | Many Kent and Buckinghamshire grammars | QE Boys (Barnet), Tiffin, Henrietta Barnett |
At a super-selective school the bar is set by the top of the cohort, so a "qualifying" score may be far below what actually secures a place; only the highest scorers are offered. At a catchment school, clearing the threshold plus a close home address is usually enough. Some catchment grammars also reserve a block of open places for the highest-scoring out-of-area applicants, so a very strong score can still win a place from a distance.
What to do next: the good outcome
If your child qualified and your target is realistic, your job now is to rank schools carefully on the CAF before 31 October:
- List a genuine mix: an aspirational choice, a realistic choice and a safety choice you would be content with.
- England uses an equal preference system: ranking a school lower does not harm your chances at higher ones, but you can only be offered your highest-ranked school that offers you a place.
- Never leave a safe local school off the form; an empty lower preference risks being allocated a school not on your list.
Then wait for National Offer Day. After 1 March you can accept, decline, or hold an offer while staying on a waiting list for a preferred school; re-allocation rounds run through spring as families decline places elsewhere.
What to do next: the disappointing outcome
If your child did not qualify, or qualified but missed a place, you have a legal right to appeal under the School Admissions Appeals Code. Be realistic: grammar academic appeals are genuinely difficult, and success rates are lower than for standard oversubscription cases. A clear checklist:
- Request the exam report or breakdown from the admission authority.
- Obtain the appeal form from the Local Authority or school.
- Gather evidence: school reports, teacher references, predicted SATs, mock results, and any medical or personal circumstances affecting the exam day.
- Submit within the 20 school-day window from the offer notification.
- Attend the independent appeal panel hearing.
- Await the written decision, typically within about 5 school days.
Two scenarios need different arguments. If your child did not reach the qualifying score, you must argue academic suitability despite the mark. If your child qualified but missed a place at an oversubscribed school, you argue the specific case for that school. For a deeper walkthrough see our companion guide on the 11+ appeals process. Whatever the result, keep the door open with strong comprehensive alternatives and remember that one test on one September morning does not define a child's future.
Don't forget the child on results day
Logistics aside, results day is emotional for pupils too. If the news is good, celebrate the effort rather than only the number. If it is disappointing, be quick to separate the outcome from their worth; children absorb our reactions more than our words. Frame any appeal or alternative plan calmly, and give them a break from practice before any further exams. When you are ready to rebuild momentum, the free revision hub, GL-style papers and subject worksheets in English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning let you set realistic benchmarks without a paywall.
Frequently asked questions
What score does my child need to pass?
There is no single answer. Many catchment grammars qualify at around a Standard Age Score of 111, while super-selective schools often require 121 or higher. The exact figure is set each year by the school or region based on cohort performance and places available, so check your specific target school's published criteria rather than relying on a national number.
Does passing (qualifying) guarantee a place?
No. Qualifying means your child cleared the academic bar and is eligible to be considered. The actual place is only confirmed on National Offer Day, 1 March, after your ranked preferences on the CAF are processed against each school's oversubscription rules. This is the most common misunderstanding of the whole process.
Can my child resit the 11+?
Generally no; the 11+ is sat once, in Year 6, and there is no resit within the same admissions cycle. This is why preparation and school choice matter, and why appealing is the main route if the outcome is disappointing. Independent schools using the ISEB Common Pre-Test run on their own separate timelines.