Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus: Exam & Preparation Guide
Mayfield Grammar School uses the Kent Test as an assessment route for selective entry. The GL assessment includes a Reasoning paper covering Verbal, Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning, an English and Maths paper, and a separate writing exercise. Learning Street also identifies an additional Mayfield procedure for girls who have been unsuccessful in the Kent Test. This guide explains the Kent Test format, the additional Mayfield assessment route, and how Learning Street’s GL courses and Kent mock exams can support preparation.
Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| School | Mayfield Grammar School |
| Area | Kent |
| Main entrance test | Kent Test |
| Exam provider | GL |
| Kent Test structure | Two scored multiple-choice papers plus a separate writing exercise |
| Paper 1 | Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning |
| Paper 2 | English and Maths |
| Answer format | Multiple-choice questions with separate answer sheets |
| Writing exercise | 40 minutes, including 10 minutes of planning time |
| Additional assessment route | Mayfield procedure for girls unsuccessful in the Kent Test |
| Learning Street mocks | Kent 11 Plus Mock Exams; the separate writing exercise is not included in the Mock Packs |
Information and Mock Exam review: The information on this page and Learning Street’s Mayfield Grammar School mock exams are reviewed against the latest reliable information available about the Mayfield Grammar School entrance test.
Learning Street provides Kent-specific mock exams alongside structured GL preparation courses covering the English, Maths and reasoning skills required for the Kent Test. A separate Creative Writing Course is available for preparation for the writing element.
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Exam Format | Mock Exams | Pass Marks | Preparation | Courses
Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus Exam Format
The Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus uses the Kent Test, consisting of Paper 1 covering Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning; Paper 2 covering English and Maths; and a separate 40-minute writing exercise including 10 minutes of planning time.
Paper 1 – Reasoning is approximately one hour including practice and covers Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning.
Paper 2 – English and Maths contains separate English and Maths sections. Each section includes 5 minutes of practice questions followed by 25 minutes of test questions.
The scored Kent Test papers use multiple-choice questions with separate answer sheets, so children need to become comfortable recording answers accurately as well as solving the questions themselves.
Writing exercise – the Kent Test also contains a separate 40-minute writing exercise, including 10 minutes of planning time. Learning Street’s Kent Mock Packs do not include this task, so writing preparation needs to be covered separately.
Mayfield procedure – Learning Street also identifies an additional route for girls who have been unsuccessful in the Kent Test. The Mayfield procedure involves a computer-based assessment covering Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and numerical reasoning, together with an English paper assessing reading and writing skills.
This additional procedure is separate from the Kent Test. Learning Street’s Kent mock exams are designed around the Kent Test and should not be presented as exact mocks for the separate Mayfield procedure.
What Does the Mayfield Grammar School Exam Format Mean for Preparation?
Preparation for Mayfield Grammar School should first reflect the broad demands of the Kent Test: English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning, together with separate writing preparation.
Paper 1 requires children to move between different forms of reasoning. Verbal Reasoning depends heavily on vocabulary and language knowledge, while Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning require careful visual analysis and systematic problem solving.
Paper 2 places a different demand on children. Secure English and Maths skills are needed within separately controlled timed sections, so children need both subject knowledge and the ability to work accurately under time pressure.
The writing exercise requires another set of skills. Children need to plan efficiently, organise ideas clearly and produce accurate sustained writing within the available time.
The separate Mayfield procedure means flexible underlying skills are particularly valuable. Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning remain relevant, while numerical reasoning depends on secure mathematical thinking and the English paper requires reading and writing skills.
A sensible progression is therefore core literacy and numeracy → vocabulary and reasoning development → accuracy → flexible application → writing development → revision → timed sectional work → complete Kent mock exams.
Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus Mock Exams and Practice Papers
Learning Street researches the known Kent Test format, paper length and timings when producing its Kent mocks. We also provide realistic answer sheets, invigilation instructions and guidance on when time should be called so parents can reproduce the practical demands of the test at home as closely as possible.
Pack 1 | Pack 2 | Pack 3 | Pack 4
Save 20% – Buy all four for £48.
Kent 11 Plus Mock Exam Bundle – Packs 1–4
Please note: the separate 40-minute Kent Test writing exercise is not included in Learning Street’s Kent Mock Packs.
The Kent mocks are designed around the scored Kent Test papers. They should not be treated as exact mocks for the separate Mayfield procedure, which Learning Street describes as involving computer-based reasoning assessment and a separate English paper.
Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus Pass Marks and Standardised Scores
Learning Street’s current Mayfield Grammar School preparation information does not provide one fixed raw practice-paper percentage that should be treated as a permanent Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus pass mark.
A percentage achieved on a Learning Street Kent mock should therefore be used primarily to measure preparation and progress rather than treated as equivalent to an official Kent Test result.
An overall mock percentage can also conceal important differences between English, Maths and the three reasoning areas. A child may appear to be performing strongly overall while repeatedly losing marks through weaker vocabulary, comprehension, a particular Maths topic or one form of visual reasoning.
Learning Street’s detailed answers are most useful when they help identify whether marks are being lost because of knowledge gaps, accuracy, timing or exam technique.
Parents can then target those weaker areas before using another fresh Kent mock to assess whether performance improves under timed conditions.
How to Prepare for the Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus
Effective Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus preparation should develop secure English, Maths and reasoning skills before children rely heavily on complete timed mock exams.
Learning Street’s GL programmes combine Vocabulary, English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning through structured learning, revision and increasingly timed practice. The Kent Test also requires Spatial Reasoning and a separate writing exercise, so preparation should make sure these demands are not overlooked.
English Preparation
English preparation should develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Children should become comfortable reading unfamiliar material accurately while still working efficiently. Preparation should establish careful reading and understanding first before progressively requiring those skills to be applied under tighter time pressure.
Vocabulary development is particularly useful because stronger word knowledge supports both English and Verbal Reasoning.
English preparation is also relevant to the additional Mayfield procedure because Learning Street identifies a separate English paper assessing reading and writing skills.
Maths Preparation
Maths preparation should begin with secure KS2 knowledge. Times tables, mental Maths and the four operations should become accurate and reliable before substantial time pressure is introduced.
Children should then progress towards mixed problems where they need to decide independently which mathematical method is required.
Secure mathematical thinking is also useful for the numerical reasoning element Learning Street identifies within the separate Mayfield procedure.
Verbal Reasoning Preparation
Verbal Reasoning combines language knowledge with logical thinking.
Children should develop reliable approaches to different word, letter, code and relationship questions rather than simply memorising familiar examples.
Vocabulary development is central to this preparation. Even where children understand a reasoning method, unfamiliar words can make otherwise manageable questions considerably harder.
Verbal Reasoning is relevant to both the Kent Test and the separate Mayfield procedure identified by Learning Street.
Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning Preparation
Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning require children to analyse visual information carefully and systematically.
Children should learn to examine features such as shape, number, position, direction, rotation, reflection and other visual relationships rather than selecting an answer simply because it appears plausible.
Non-Verbal Reasoning also appears within Learning Street’s description of the additional Mayfield procedure, while Spatial Reasoning forms part of the Kent Test Reasoning paper.
Writing Preparation
The Kent Test includes a separate 40-minute writing exercise, including 10 minutes of planning time.
Children should practise planning efficiently, organising ideas clearly and producing sustained writing with appropriate vocabulary, sentence structures, spelling and punctuation.
Writing preparation is also useful if the separate Mayfield procedure becomes relevant, because Learning Street describes its English paper as assessing both reading and writing skills.
Learning Street recommends its dedicated Creative Writing Course alongside the main GL preparation route for children taking the Kent Test.
11 Plus Creative Writing Course
Building Exam Technique and Stamina
Once the underlying skills are secure, timed work should become increasingly important.
Children need to manage the very different demands of the Reasoning paper and the English and Maths paper while maintaining concentration and recording answers accurately on separate answer sheets.
They should also become familiar with separately timed sections, practice questions and following invigilation instructions.
Learning Street’s Kent mocks can then bring the scored Kent Test skills together under realistic test-style conditions. Each of the four Mock Packs contains different questions, allowing fresh mocks to be spaced through the later stages of preparation.
Remember that the mocks do not include the separate Kent Test writing exercise and are not exact mocks for the separate Mayfield procedure.
View the Kent 11 Plus Mock Exam Bundle – Packs 1–4
Which Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus Course Should You Choose?
Learning Street offers three main GL preparation routes for children preparing for the Mayfield Grammar School Kent Test: Complete, Enhance and Boost.
These programmes develop Vocabulary, English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning through structured learning, revision and timed testing. For the Kent Test, Learning Street also recommends adding its separate Creative Writing Course for the writing element.
The most suitable main programme depends mainly on how much preparation time remains.
| Preparation time | Learning Street course | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 30–40+ weeks | Complete GL | Our most comprehensive preparation |
| 15–30 weeks | Enhance GL | A shorter structured programme |
| 6–15 weeks | Boost GL | Focused preparation when less time remains |
Complete GL — 30–40+ Weeks
Learning Street’s Complete GL 11 Plus Programme is the most comprehensive preparation route. It contains 40 structured parts covering Vocabulary, English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
The programme includes more than 60 timed papers and tests, full answers with detailed explanations and additional work focused on core skills such as vocabulary development and working accurately in English and Maths.
Complete is most suitable where there is enough time to develop the underlying skills progressively before moving through revision and increasingly timed work.
The Complete GL 11 Plus Programme
Focused Complete options are also available:
Complete – Vocabulary, English and Verbal Reasoning
Complete – Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Enhance GL — 15–30 Weeks
Learning Street’s Enhance GL programme provides a shorter 20-part preparation route covering Vocabulary, English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
The programme contains more than 35 timed papers and tests alongside structured learning and detailed answers. It retains substantial skills development while fitting preparation into a shorter period than Complete.
Enhance is most suitable where there is still enough time for structured preparation but not enough time to work properly through the full 40-part Complete programme.
Focused Enhance options are also available:
Enhance – Vocabulary, English and Verbal Reasoning
Enhance – Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Boost GL — 6–15 Weeks
Learning Street’s Boost GL programme is the shortest full preparation route. It contains 10 intensive parts covering Vocabulary, English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
The programme includes more than 25 timed papers and tests while concentrating learning, revision and timed practice into a shorter preparation period.
Boost is most suitable for families beginning focused Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus preparation later, when there is insufficient time to work properly through the longer Complete or Enhance programmes.
Focused Boost options are also available:
Boost – Vocabulary, English and Verbal Reasoning
Boost – Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Creative Writing Preparation
The Complete, Enhance and Boost GL programmes do not replace preparation for the Kent Test’s separate writing exercise. Learning Street therefore recommends supplementing the main GL course with its dedicated Creative Writing Course.
11 Plus Creative Writing Course
Starting Earlier?
If your child is still developing the literacy and numeracy foundations needed before dedicated Mayfield Grammar School 11 Plus preparation begins, Learning Street’s primary-school course chooser can help you select an appropriate starting point.
Primary School – Course Chooser for Younger Children
Already Completed Substantial Preparation?
Learning Street’s 11 Plus Revision Course – GL is suitable for children who have already completed substantial preparation through books, tutoring or another programme but now want a structured period of revision before a GL-style test.
The current course is an intensive four-part programme normally completed over around 4–6 weeks.
It should not normally be completed after one of Learning Street’s Complete, Enhance or Boost programmes because the existing Mayfield Grammar School page identifies crossover in the material.
Also Sitting Independent School Exams?
Children also sitting independent-school entrance tests may need additional preparation in subjects or formats beyond the Mayfield Grammar School Kent Test.
11 Plus Creative Writing Course
11 Plus Maths Stretch and Revision
Current Mayfield Grammar School Admissions Information
Admissions arrangements can change from year to year. For general guidance on 11 Plus preparation and Learning Street courses, use the Learning Street FAQs below.
