Editing Eleven-plus (section)

{{Short description|School test in England and Northern Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox examination
| name = Eleven-plus
| image_name =
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| caption =
| acronym =
| type =
| test_admin =
| skills_tested =
| purpose = Determining admission to [[Selective school|selective secondary school]]s
| year_started = {{Start date and age|1944}}
| year_terminated = <!-- {{End date|YYYY}} -->
| duration =
| score_range =
| score_validity =
| offered = To Year Six/Year 6 Primary, Seven/Primary 7 school pupils
| attempt_restriction = Single attempt
| regions = England and Northern Ireland
| language =
| test_takers =
| prerequisite =
| fee = Free (England){{citation needed|date=December 2024}}<br>
£50 administration fee (Northern Ireland)<ref>https://seagni.co.uk/</ref>
| score_users = [[Selective school|Selective secondary schools]]
| qualification_rate =
| free_label =
| free =
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| footnotes =
}}
The '''eleven-plus''' ('''11+''') is a [[Test (assessment)|standardised examination]] administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of [[primary education]], which governs admission to [[grammar school]]s and other secondary schools which use [[academic selection]]. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years.

The eleven-plus was once used throughout the UK, but is now only used in counties and boroughs in England that offer selective schools instead of [[comprehensive school]]s. Also known as the '''transfer test''', it is especially associated with the [[Tripartite System]] which was in use from 1944 until it was phased out across most of the UK by 1976.

The examination tests a student's ability to solve problems using a test of verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, and most tests now also offer papers in mathematics and English. The intention was that the eleven-plus should be a general test for intelligence (cognitive ability) similar to an [[IQ test]], but by also testing for taught curriculum skills it is evaluating academic ability developed over previous years, which implicitly indicates how supportive home and school environments have been.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

Introduced in 1944, the examination was used to determine which type of school the student should attend after [[primary education]]: a [[Grammar school#In the Tripartite System|grammar school]], a [[secondary modern]] school, or a [[Secondary Technical School|technical school]]. The base of the Tripartite System was the idea that skills were more important than financial resources in determining what kind of schooling a child should receive: different skills required different schooling.

In some [[Local education authorities in England and Wales|local education authorities]] the Thorne plan or scheme or system developed by [[Alec Clegg]], named in reference to [[Thorne Grammar School]], which took account of primary school assessment as well as the once-off [[11+]] examination, was later introduced.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wainwright |first1=Martin |title=The great grammar divide |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/1999/dec/07/grammarschools.secondaryschools1 |access-date=29 November 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=7 Dec 1999}}</ref>