GL & CEM exam prep for Years 3–6

Your child's 11+ exam is coming.Are they ready?

Altius generates exam-style questions across all four subjects, adjusts difficulty based on how they're doing, and shows you exactly which topics need more work.

No card needed

Works on laptop, tablet and phone — practise anywhere.

Here's what a question looks like

Verbal ReasoningYear 5 difficulty

Find the word hidden across two words in this sentence:
“The plumber foundthe leak.”

plumb
found
under
leak

Correct!

The word “found” is hidden across “plumber found” — the last letters of one word join the first letters of the next. This is a common pattern in GL verbal reasoning papers.

Every question comes with an explanation. Not just “wrong, try again” — your child learns why the answer works.

How it works

From signing up to exam day — here's the journey.

1

Create a free account

Tell us your child's year group and whether they're preparing for the 11+ or SATs. That's it — no card, no trial clock.

2

Start with short practice sessions

We recommend 15–20 minutes a day. Little and often beats a two-hour cram every weekend — and it's much easier on your child.

3

The difficulty adapts automatically

Every answer feeds the engine. Strong on fractions? Questions get harder. Struggling with codes? They get more of those, pitched slightly easier until scores come up.

4

Mock exams when they're ready

Full-length, timed papers in GL and CEM formats. Afterwards you get a per-subject breakdown, not just a raw score — so you know exactly what to work on next.

You see exactly where they stand

The parent dashboard shows per-topic accuracy, trends over time, and an exam-readiness estimate — not just a score.

Subject progress — example

Maths86%
English78%
Verbal Reasoning61% — needs work
AI

Altius suggests: Letter codes are the weakest VR area this week. Two short sessions on codes would make the biggest difference before Friday's mock.

The AI tutor works two ways: every wrong answer gets an instant written explanation, and there's a conversational “Ask Altius” helper your child can ask about any topic, any time — like a patient tutor who never gets tired of questions.

The full syllabus, covered

Every topic across all four subjects for GL and CEM boards. SATs mode available too if that's what you need.

En

English

Comprehension, grammar, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary — including the tricky bits like homophones and figurative language that trip kids up.

Comprehension Grammar Punctuation Spelling rules Vocabulary Word relationships
Ma

Maths

Arithmetic, fractions, percentages, geometry, algebra, word problems. Questions match the style and difficulty of real exam papers.

Arithmetic & BODMAS Fractions Decimals & percentages Geometry & angles Word problems Algebra basics
VR

Verbal Reasoning

Codes, hidden words, analogies, odd-one-out — the kind of questions schools don't really teach. The only way to get better is practice.

Letter codes Hidden words Analogies Odd one out Letter sequences Word patterns
NV

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Shape sequences, reflections, rotations, nets of cubes. Pattern recognition you can only build through repetition.

Shape sequences Reflections Rotations Nets of cubes Matrices Spatial reasoning

GL or CEM? Here's how to tell

Different regions and schools use different exam boards. Your target school's admissions page will say which — and Altius covers both.

GL Assessment

  • Separate papers per subject
  • Mostly multiple choice
  • Familiar question types that reward focused practice
  • Used by most grammar school regions

CEM style

  • Mixed papers combining subjects
  • Tighter timing per section
  • Heavier vocabulary emphasis
  • Used by some regions and independents

Not sure? Start with GL — the skills transfer — and switch mock formats any time once you've confirmed with the school.

From families using Altius

My daughter actually asks to do her practice now. The explanations after wrong answers are what sold me — she learns from mistakes instead of just repeating them.

Sarah · Parent of a Year 5 student

Verbal reasoning was our weak spot because school never covered it. Three months of short daily sessions and his VR score went from 55% to over 80%.

James · Parent of a Year 6 student

The parent dashboard tells me exactly which topics need work, so the time we spend together is actually useful instead of guessing.

Priya · Parent of a Year 4 student

Things parents ask us

“Will it match what's on the actual exam?”

Yes. Questions follow GL and CEM formats — not generic worksheets. If your child is sitting a CEM-style exam, they'll practise CEM-style questions.

“What exactly are the mock exams?”

Full-length, timed papers in GL and CEM formats — the same length and time pressure as the real thing. Questions are freshly generated each attempt, so they can sit as many mocks as they need. Afterwards you get a per-subject breakdown showing exactly where marks were lost.

“Do I need to sit with them?”

No. The AI tutor explains every wrong answer, so they can work through mistakes on their own. You get a parent dashboard to check progress whenever you want.

“How much time should my child spend on it?”

We recommend 15–20 minutes a day, four or five days a week. Short, regular sessions build skills faster than long weekend crams — and keep screen time and pressure manageable.

“Does it work alongside school?”

Yes. Maths and English follow the national curriculum, so practice here reinforces classwork. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning aren't taught in most schools at all — that's the gap Altius fills.

“My child struggles with verbal reasoning specifically.”

That's the most common one. VR isn't taught in school, so every child starts from scratch. Altius tracks which VR question types they find hardest and gives them more of those until the scores come up.

“How is this different from Bond books?”

Bond books are fine, but they're static — same questions every time, no explanations, no way to track where your child is actually struggling. Altius generates fresh questions every session and adapts the difficulty automatically.

“What does the free plan include?”

Everything. All four subjects, unlimited practice, mock exams, the AI tutor, and the parent dashboard — free, with no card, no trial clock, and no hidden limits.

Why we built Altius

The 11+ shouldn't depend on whether a family can afford £40-an-hour tutoring. Bright children miss grammar school places every year simply because they never practised question types their school doesn't teach.

Altius exists to level that field: exam-accurate practice, patient explanations, and honest progress tracking — for every child, not just the ones with tutors.

Start practising today

Every feature is free — practice, mock exams, AI tutor, parent dashboard. No card, no trial clock.

Works on laptop, tablet and phone · Cancel anytime (there's nothing to cancel)