The Latymer School 11 Plus English Exam Format

Overview

The Latymer School is a selective co-educational grammar school in Edmonton, London with a strong academic reputation and around 192 places in Year 7 each year. This guide is designed to help your child prepare for the school’s 11 Plus exam with a focus on the English test.

Entry is by academic ability, assessed mainly through an 11+ entrance test taken in September of Year 6 (September 2026 for the 2027 intake). 

The key tests your child will take include:

• Mathematics
• Verbal Reasoning (VR)
• English (reading and creative writing)

Please note, there is no non-verbal reasoning (NVR) test. The children who do well in the first two areas will have their English paper marked. 

Important Dates (2026–2027)

• School Open Day: Thursday 30 April 2026.
• Applications Open: Check the school’s website for dates once released.
• School Open Day: Check the school’s website for dates once released.
• Application closes: Check the school’s website for dates once released.
• Entrance tests: September 2026.
• Rankings published: Late Autumn 2026.
• Allocation and offers: March 2026 (National Offer Day).
• Your child must be registered before the deadline to take the tests.

Latymer’s 11+ Admissions Process 

Open Day

According to the school’s website, the next Open Day for Year 5 students and their families will take place on Thursday 30 April 2026.

Registration

Parents fill in a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) online, often between March and June. This is separate from the local authority common application form, both are required. 

How to Download the SIF form:

• Visit the Latymer School website.
• Navigate to the Year 7 Admissions section.
• Once released, donwload the SIF form.
• Submit the form by the specified deadline.

Exam Stage 2: English Assessment

The children who rank among approximately the top 700 in the Maths and Verbal Reasoning stage have their English paper marked. 

The Latymer English exam paper has two key parts:

Reading Comprehension (approximately 30 minutes)

This section involves a long text extract followed by open-ended questions requiring well-structured written answers. The questions cover the core reading skills: inference, retrieval and understanding vocabulary. 

Creative Writing (approximately 30 minutes) 

This section involves a prompt that assesses children’s ability to express their creativity within a clear structure. Prompts vary and could involve: a story, continuing the narrative in the passage, a diary entry, a persuasive letter, a newspaper entry, or a written speech. For practical tips and strategies to help support your child’d creative writing preparation for Latymer, please find more information here.

School Offers

After all the papers have been marked, children are ranked again using a combined age-standardised score that includes English. Places are then offered (normally up to 192 places) based on this ranking and oversubscription criteria. 

Key Points

The English paper involves both reading comprehension and creative writing. Therefore both parts are equally important for scoring highly enough to pass the test. The school website has a sample creative writing mark scheme which is really handy for parents to see how their child’s writing will be assessed. 

Like many other 11 Plus English exams, Latymer’s exam paper tests the application of core English skills which are fundamental for stretching children’s confidence and self-expression, as well as exam success and beyond. 

How to Prepare With Less Overwhelm

• Read a wide range of books.
• Discuss texts aloud and ask open-ended questions such as, what happened? Why do you think..?
• Write an opening paragraph or a story weekly. If writing regularly isn’t yet part of your child’s routine, commit to this approach for a month then assess progress.
• These simple habits build English muscles organically which means less overwhelm and more confidence.

Build a Strong Foundation for Success

• Take advantage of free practice 11+ English papers to help your child build real confidence.
• Reading texts that include sophisticated vocabulary.
• Answering comprehension questions, without time pressure.
• Planning and expressive writing within a paragraph structure.

Build Real Stamina With Patient Practice

Once your child has developed strong core English skills and is confident answering different types of questions, you may want to introduce some timed paper practice. 

Children often respond well to gradual timed practice to build competence under timed pressure. You could start with timed comprehension for one session and a timed piece of creative writing for another. 

Repeat this approach until your child shows their confidence and skills under pressure. You can then introduce both comprehension and writing in one session. 

To take the pressure off your child, we recommend reminding your child to answer the questions as carefully as possible, rather than racing through all of the questions within a set time. 

 Focus on Core English Skills

Try short daily activities that build good learning habits such as:

• Independent reading.
• Finding unknown words from reading and discussing meanings.
• Verbal Reasoning practice using an online platform or/and GL (VR) materials.

Boost Reading Comprehension Skills

• Read at least 2–3 pages of a good-quality book or listen to audiobooks (which can be just as beneficial). Learn how reading helps and uncover some reading inspiration here.
• Fiction books help give children ideas for story characters, suspense, and description.
• Encourage an open dialogue with your child about what they find easy and what areas they would like to improve.

Ask Open Questions For Comprehension 

• What just happened?
• How did the character feel? How do you know?
• What might happen next?

The Latymer comprehension questions test inference skills, reading between the lines. Talking about books is one of the most helpful ways to help your child develop this core English skill. 

Focused Support

Grammar school tests are demanding, but a calm, focused approach will help your child perform to the best of their ability. Remember to celebrate the small wins and build in time for reading books your child loves. 

Useful Strategy Tips

Reading Comprehension:

• Read the passage for understanding before answering questions.
• Highlight points in the passage you want to use in your answer.
• Don’t rush through papers, accuracy comes before speedy work. 

Creative Writing:

• Spend time planning (Who? What? Where? When?).
• Encourage your child to experiment using ambitious vocabulary. 
• Let your child explore their creative ideas with gentle reminders about structuring their work within paragraphs for clarity. 

Conclusion 

The Latymer 11+ English exam is about showing strong comprehension skills involving written answers and effective creative writing. Early reading habits, regular writing practice, and familiarity with the different exam elements format will do more for your child than last-minute cramming. Taking a focused approach gives your child the best chance to shine with confidence. 

Clare is a former London prep school teacher, founder of Creative Hare and lead tutor of the Year 4 and  5 11+ English programmes that support children to reach their potential through topic mastery and exam confidence.

Website: www.creativehare.co.uk

Helping bright maths minds achieve their full potential in 11+ English.