Grammar school vs independent school 11+: what's the difference?

Families often use "the 11+" to mean two quite different routes: sitting a test for a free, selective state grammar school place, or sitting an entrance exam for a fee-paying independent school. Both use an exam around age 10–11, but the process, cost and what's being assessed differ in real ways.

Grammar vs independent school at a glance

State grammar schools are free (funded by the state) and selective by ability, entered via a regional 11+ test (GL, CSSE, SET and others).
Independent schools charge fees and set their own admissions process, sometimes including the ISEB Common Pre-Test, an own-paper exam, and/or an interview.
Grammar school 11+ tests are typically taken by a much larger cohort, since they're the primary route to that free selective place in areas that have them.
Independent schools may offer means-tested bursaries or scholarships, so fees aren't necessarily fixed for every family — check each school's bursary policy directly.
Not every part of England has grammar schools — selective state education exists only in specific local authorities.

Cost and access

The headline difference is cost: grammar school places are free at the point of entry, funded like any other state school, while independent schools charge fees that can run to several thousand pounds a term (schools publish their own current fees, and this varies enormously by school, so always check directly rather than relying on averages). Bursaries and scholarships exist at many independent schools and can significantly reduce cost for eligible families — worth investigating early rather than assuming it's out of reach.

What the exam is assessing

Grammar school 11+ tests (GL, CSSE, SET-branded consortia) are generally standardised across many schools in a region, sat by a large cohort, and mark against a qualifying score. Independent school entry often layers a written test with an interview and a report from the child's current school — it's evaluating fit with that specific school, not only a raw score. That means independent-school preparation benefits more from broad, well-rounded development (confidence in conversation, genuine reading interest) alongside academic practice.

Which route should we prepare for?

Many families in areas with both options end up preparing for both in parallel, since the core skills — reading comprehension, arithmetic fluency, verbal and non-verbal reasoning — overlap substantially even though the specific papers differ. If your local authority doesn't have grammar schools, the state grammar route isn't available regardless of preparation, so confirm what's actually on offer in your area before committing prep time to one path over the other.

Try real Grammar vs independent school practice questions

Pulled straight from PipPrep's own question bank — not invented for this page.

Question 1

A car travels 240 miles in 4 hours. What is its average speed?

Answer: 60 mph. Speed = 240 ÷ 4 = 60 mph.

Question 2

'The wind whispered through the trees.' What literary device is used?

Answer: personification. Personification gives human qualities to non-human things. 'Whispered' is something the wind (not human) does.

Question 3

ANCHOR is to BOAT as ROOT is to:

Answer: tree. An anchor stabilises a boat. Roots stabilise and nourish a tree.

Question 4

Painter is to Brush as Surgeon is to ___?

Answer: Scalpel. A painter uses a brush as their primary tool; a surgeon uses a scalpel.

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Frequently asked questions

Are grammar schools free?

Yes — state grammar schools are funded like any other state secondary school and charge no fees, unlike independent schools.

Do independent schools all use the same entrance exam?

No. Each independent school sets its own admissions process; some use the shared ISEB Common Pre-Test, others a fully bespoke own paper, often alongside an interview.

Can we apply to both routes?

Yes, many families do apply to both a state grammar school and one or more independent schools, since the core preparation overlaps and it widens the options available on results day.

Do independent schools offer financial help?

Many do, through means-tested bursaries or academic/other scholarships, but policies and eligibility vary school to school — check each school's bursary page directly and don't assume a school is unaffordable without asking.