Starting 11+ Preparation in Year 5: A Term-by-Term Plan for September 2028 Entry

Most Year 5 parents start panicking in January. Starting in September gives you a genuine advantage — but only with a plan. No clear term-by-term roadmap exists that maps to the actual school calendar and official registration deadlines for 2028 entry. This guide gives you a three-term plan with weekly time commitments, subject priorities per term, exam-board adjustments, and a checklist for each term's milestones.

Key Takeaways

• Starting 11+ preparation in Year 5 gives you three terms (autumn, spring, summer) before September 2028 exams
• Autumn term: diagnose gaps, build daily habit, confirm exam board
• Spring term: systematic subject coverage, vocabulary, mock introduction
• Summer term: full mocks, gap targeting, exam technique
• Register April–June 2027 for most regions
• Use 30–45 minutes daily, 4–5 days per week
• Adjust focus for GL Assessment, CEM, CSSE, or SET

Should You Start in Year 4 or Year 5? A Decision Checklist

Year 5 start works for most children if you begin in September and follow a structured plan. Year 4 start helps only if your child has specific gaps or targets highly competitive schools.

Quick self-assessment — start in Year 4 if:

• Your child is working below age-related expectations in English or maths
• You are targeting a super-selective grammar school (e.g., SET, CSSE top schools)
• Your family can sustain 18+ months of consistent practice without burnout
• Your child enjoys academic challenge and asks for more work

Start in Year 5 (September) if:

• Your child is at or above age-related expectations
• You are targeting standard grammar schools
• You want a focused, lower-stress preparation window
• You can commit to 30–45 minutes daily from September

AlphaTest platform data shows children starting structured prep in September Year 5 reach exam-ready accuracy in three of four subjects by Easter (anonymised aggregate, 2025–26 cohort). The critical factor is not when you start but whether you follow a structured plan from day one.

Autumn Term (September–December): Foundations and Diagnosis

This term is for diagnosing exact gaps, locking in the daily habit, and confirming your exam board — not for cramming content.

Weeks 1–2: Diagnostic across all four subjects Sit your child a sample paper in each subject — verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English comprehension, and maths — without time pressure. The goal is a map, not a score. Note which GL Assessment VR types are unfamiliar, whether NVR matrices confuse them, where maths topics have gaps, and how they handle inference questions.

Confirm your exam board immediately Check each target school's admissions page. A child sitting CEM 11+ needs a fundamentally different approach from one sitting GL Assessment 11+. Getting this wrong and discovering it three months later is a serious setback.

Establish the daily habit (30 minutes, 4–5 days per week) The rhythm must become routine before intensity increases. A child not in the habit of daily practice in autumn will not suddenly sustain four sessions per week when pressure rises in spring.

Subject priorities for autumn:

• Verbal reasoning: Work through the specific GL Assessment types your diagnostic flagged as weak (one type per session). For CEM: mixed vocabulary and comprehension practice.
• Maths: Times tables to 12×12 automaticity. Five minutes daily as a game, not a test.
• Non-verbal reasoning: Introduce matrices — the most common NVR type. Work systematically, not by guessing.
• English: Thirty minutes daily reading (quality fiction or non-fiction). No comprehension paper practice compensates for narrow vocabulary.
• Vocabulary: Five new words per week — definition, synonym, antonym, sentence in context.

Key milestone: CSSE registration for 2028 entry opens May 2027 (CSSE.org.uk). Note this in your calendar now.

Spring Term (January–April): Systematic Subject Coverage

Spring is the engine room — systematic coverage of every question type your exam board tests, with vocabulary and maths fluency as the twin priorities.

Exam-board-specific focus:

• GL Assessment: Work through all 21 VR types systematically — two or three types per week, multiple sessions each. Resist rushing through unfamiliar types.
• CEM: Mixed verbal/comprehension fluency. Build language agility for the unpredictable format.
• CSSE: Written English practice (comprehension with written answers) plus creative/descriptive writing. Start now — this is unique to CSSE.
• SET: All four subjects at high standard. Competition is among the most demanding in England.

Maths: Move beyond times tables into fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, algebra, area, perimeter, and multi-step word problems. One topic per week, then mixed-topic consolidation to prevent the silo effect.

Vocabulary: Increase to five words per day with weekly review. High-frequency words (meticulous, resilient, eloquent, tenacious, benevolent, formidable) should feel completely familiar by Easter.

Introduce one full mock exam per month under timed conditions. Review mistakes for at least as long as the paper took.

Key milestone: Kent Test registration typically closes June 2027 (Kent County Council). Mark this deadline.

Summer Term (April–July): Mock Exams and Gap Targeting

Summer shifts from learning to exam-readiness — full mocks under timed conditions, ruthless gap targeting, and registration completion.

Mock exam schedule:

• April–May: One full mock per week
• June: Two full mocks per week
• After each mock: spend at least as long reviewing mistakes as the papers took

Mistake categorisation (use this every time):

• Misread — Rushed reading, missed keyword. Fix: Slow-down drills, underline key words.
• Method gap — Didn't know the approach. Fix: Targeted practice on that question type.
• Vocabulary — Unknown word blocked answer. Fix: Add to vocab list, learn in context.
• Timing — Ran out of time. Fix: Pace drills, skip-and-return strategy.

Gap targeting: List every question type where accuracy falls below 80%. Rank by exam frequency. Allocate 60% of practice time to the weakest three.

Registration completion: Register for all target exams (Kent, Buckinghamshire, CSSE, SET, individual CEM schools). Buckinghamshire automatically registers state primary pupils; out-of-county families must register manually by June 2027 (Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools consortium).

CAF deadline: 31 October 2027 — the Common Application Form for secondary school places through your home local authority. This is entirely separate from exam registration.

Key milestone: Buckinghamshire automatic registration for state primary pupils; out-of-county must register manually by June 2027.

Exam-Board-Specific Adjustments to the Plan

The term structure stays the same; what changes is which question types you prioritise and whether you add creative writing.

GL Assessment

• Verbal reasoning: 21 published types, systematic
• English: Multiple-choice comprehension
• Non-verbal reasoning: Full syllabus
• Unique requirement: Separate subject papers

CEM

• Verbal reasoning: No published types, mixed format
• English: Embedded in verbal paper
• Non-verbal reasoning: Full syllabus
• Unique requirement: Unpredictable mixed format

CSSE

• Verbal reasoning: Standard VR + comprehension
• English: Written answers + creative writing
• Non-verbal reasoning: Minimal
• Unique requirement: Creative writing task

SET

• Verbal reasoning: High standard all types
• English: Multiple-choice comprehension
• Non-verbal reasoning: Full syllabus
• Unique requirement: Single sitting for 5 schools

SET exam for Sutton grammar schools — single sitting covers all five schools (Sutton consortium). This means one registration, one exam day, five school chances.

Weekly Time Commitment: What Realistic Looks Like

30–45 minutes daily, 4–5 days per week, with one longer session (60–90 min) at weekends for mocks from spring term onwards.

Daily micro-sessions work better than weekend cramming — the spacing effect in cognitive science shows consistent short sessions beat infrequent long ones for retention. A typical week:

• Monday: VR (30 min)
• Tuesday: Maths (30 min)
• Wednesday: NVR (30 min)
• Thursday: English comprehension (30 min)
• Friday: Vocabulary review + reading (30 min)
• Saturday: Full mock (spring/summer only, 60–90 min)
• Sunday: Rest or light review

Protect weekends and holidays. Adjust when your child is tired or ill — a missed session is better than a resentful one.

Tracking Progress: How to Know the Plan Is Working

Track accuracy by question type, not overall paper scores. A child improving from 50% to 75% on a weak VR type is progressing more than one staying at 85% on a strong type.

Accuracy targets by term:

• Autumn: 60% on diagnosed weak areas
• Spring: 75% on all covered question types
• Summer: 85%+ on all types, 80%+ on weakest three

When to consider a tutor: If a specific question type stays below 60% after four weeks of focused practice, or if your child's anxiety is rising despite progress.

AlphaTest's dashboard tracks progress across every syllabus topic automatically, updating accuracy metrics after every session and highlighting which areas are approaching exam-ready standard. Parent dashboard gives complete visibility of syllabus coverage in real time.

Target: 80%+ accuracy on your child's weakest question types by late June.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if we start in January Year 5, not September?

Condense autumn and spring into January–April. Prioritise diagnostic + highest-yield topics. Expect a heavier summer term. You lose the habit-formation window but can still cover the syllabus if you increase to 5–6 sessions weekly.

How many hours per week is realistic?

2.5–3.5 hours (30–45 min × 4–5 days). More than 5 hours/week risks burnout without proportional gains. Consistency beats intensity.

Does the plan change for CEM vs GL Assessment?

Yes — CEM needs more mixed-format fluency; GL needs systematic 21-type VR coverage. Maths, English comprehension, and NVR are similar across boards.

What if my child's school doesn't cover 11+ topics?

That's normal. The 11+ syllabus extends beyond KS2. This plan assumes zero school coverage.

When do we register for 2028 entry exams?

Most regions: April–June 2027. Check each target school's admissions page directly. CAF deadline: 31 October 2027. National Offer Day: 1 March 2028 (GOV.UK).

Conclusion

Starting 11+ preparation in Year 5 gives you three clear terms. The families who succeed are not the ones who do the most hours — they are the ones who start in September, follow a structured plan, track by question type, and adjust for their exam board.

• Start September Year 5 — three terms map to autumn, spring, summer
• Register April–June 2027 (check each school's admissions page)
• 30-min daily habit beats weekend cramming
• Track by question type, not paper score
• Adjust for GL Assessment, CEM, CSSE, or SET
• CAF deadline 31 October 2027 — separate from exam registration

The preparation is a marathon, not a sprint. A child who has built real skills, real vocabulary, and real exam-condition experience over three terms arrives at September 2028 ready — not just prepared, but confident.

Try AlphaTest free for your child

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Sources

• CSSE.org.uk — Registration for 2028 entry opens May 2027
• Kent County Council — Kent Test registration typically closes June 2027
• Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools consortium — Automatic registration for state primary pupils; out-of-county manual by June 2027
• Sutton consortium — SET exam single sitting covers all five Sutton grammar schools
• AlphaTest internal data — Year 5 starters reach 75% VR accuracy by Easter (anonymised platform aggregate, 2025–26)
• GOV.UK — National Offer Day 1 March 2028 for September 2028 entry

Reviewed by the AlphaTest editorial team. See our contact page for how we build materials.