In the GL Assessment 11+ English paper, applied grammar is tested most directly in the cloze, or sentence-completion, section, where your child picks the single grammatically correct word to fill each gap. We estimate around 8 of the paper's roughly 49 questions take this form. Counted right across the paper (those gap-fill questions, the grammar-terminology questions, and grammar tested through punctuation), grammar is arguably the single largest skill area in GL English, close to two questions in every five. These weightings are our research estimates from analysing GL practice papers, not figures GL publishes.
This page focuses on general grammar: choosing the correct verb tense, keeping the subject and verb in agreement, picking the right connecting word, and getting homophones right in context. That makes it different from our vocabulary page, which tests what words mean, and from our word class page, which tests naming the job a word does. Grammar is about how words fit together correctly. The English paper runs to about 45 to 50 minutes and is entirely multiple choice, with five options (A to E) for every gap-fill question, and answers marked on a separate bubble sheet.
The reassuring news for parents is that grammar rewards clear rules over guesswork. GL reuses the same handful of traps year after year (its versus it's, could have versus could of, irregular past tenses), so once a child learns to test rather than rely on what simply sounds right, these become some of the most dependable marks on the paper.
Grammar gap-fill questions are always multiple-choice, five options (A to E). GL does not publish category breakdowns, so the order below is our informed estimate from analysing practice papers. In rough order of frequency, expect:
Difficulty runs from easy single-gap homophones (D1) through irregular tenses and connective choices (D2) up to passive voice, the subjunctive and tense consistency across a whole passage (D3). Most of this is Year 5 and Year 6 curriculum, with passive voice and the subjunctive sitting at the top of the Year 6 expectations.
The GL Assessment 11+ English paper tests six connected skills. Comprehension, worth around half the marks, checks understanding of a passage. Vocabulary tests what words mean. Grammar tests whether words are used correctly, and word classes tests naming a word's job. Spelling and punctuation are error-spotting checks on technical accuracy.
| Question type | What it tests | What it looks like | The classic mix-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrammarThis page | Whether words are used correctly: verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, connectives and homophones chosen by meaning in context. | A gap-fill sentence where you pick the single grammatically correct word from five options, such as: "By Friday she ___ finished the whole book." | Children scan for a punctuation or spelling error, or just name the word's class, instead of testing correct use. |
| Comprehension | Reading one passage, then answering mixed questions that check retrieval, inference, vocabulary in context and the author's language. | A passage of around 500 words followed by questions you answer only from the text, such as: "How does the writer suggest the old house is unwelcoming?" | Children answer from outside knowledge or hunt for a spelling or punctuation slip, treating it as an error-spotting task. |
| Vocabulary | What words actually mean: matching synonyms and antonyms, and choosing the word whose meaning fits a sentence. | A word to match by meaning, either from the passage or in a standalone sentence with five options, such as: "reluctant most nearly means ___". | Children name the word's class or judge its grammar, when the question only asks what it means. |
| Word Classes | Naming the job a word does in a sentence: is it a noun, verb, adjective, adverb or preposition? | A word taken from the passage, with five word-class labels as options, such as: "What part of speech is 'swiftly' in this line?" | Children explain what the word means, as in a vocabulary question, instead of labelling the job it is doing. |
| Spelling | Spotting a misspelt word by careful proof-reading, or confirming a tricky-looking sentence is correctly spelt. | A sentence split into four labelled sections plus "No mistake", where you pick the section with the spelling error, such as: "They recieved the parcel." | Children look for a punctuation error instead, because punctuation uses the identical four-section "No mistake" format. |
| Punctuation | Spotting a punctuation error by proof-reading: apostrophes, commas, speech marks and sentence punctuation, or confirming there is none. | The same four-section "No mistake" format as spelling, but you pick the section with a punctuation error, such as: "The dog wagged it's tail." | Because the format matches spelling, children scan for a misspelt word instead of a misplaced mark. |
If you are given a whole passage, it is comprehension; a single sentence with a gap to fill is grammar or vocabulary; a sentence split into four sections is spelling or punctuation; and a single word to label is word classes.
Five questions drawn from PrepStep’s grammar bank, spanning Foundation to Challenging. Tap “Show worked explanation” to see the full method after you’ve had a go. The correct answer is highlighted on each question so you can check immediately.
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'The children ___ playing in the park when it started to rain.'
'Children' is plural, so we use 'were' (not 'was'). 'The children were playing' is the past continuous tense, describing an ongoing action in the past. ✓
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'She ran ___ than anyone else in the race.'
When comparing two things (she vs everyone else), we use the comparative form 'faster'. The superlative 'fastest' would need 'the fastest', and we use '-er' not 'more' for short words. ✓
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'Neither the teacher ___ the pupils knew the answer.'
'Neither' always pairs with 'nor': neither...nor. Similarly, 'either' pairs with 'or'. These are called correlative conjunctions. ✓
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'The team, along with their coach, ___ arriving at noon.'
The subject is 'The team' (singular). The phrase 'along with their coach' is extra information and doesn't change the subject. So we use 'is' for a singular subject. ✓
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'The old house, ___ had stood on the hill for centuries, was finally demolished.'
'Which' is the correct relative pronoun for things (the house). 'Who' and 'whom' are for people. 'What' doesn't introduce relative clauses like this. ✓
Common mistake 1 of 4
Confusing its and it's.
Tip: This is the single most common grammar trap across GL papers. "It's" only ever means "it is" or "it has"; "its" shows possession and never takes an apostrophe. Tell your child to read the sentence with "it is" swapped in: if it still makes sense, choose "it's".
Common mistake 2 of 4
Writing "could of" instead of "could have".
Tip: "Could of" is never correct, it just sounds like the contraction "could've". The same goes for "should of" and "would of". The rule is always could have, should have, would have, followed by the past participle.
Common mistake 3 of 4
Treating each gap on its own.
Tip: The cloze passage is one continuous story, usually in the past tense. A child who answers each blank in isolation slips into the present tense partway through. Encourage reading the whole passage first to lock in the tense before choosing any answers.
Common mistake 4 of 4
Muddling past simple and past participle.
Tip: "I done it" and "I seen it" sound normal in speech but are wrong in writing (did, saw). GL loves irregular verbs where the two forms differ (do/did/done, see/saw/seen, write/wrote/written). Learn these as a trio so the right form comes automatically.
Every PrepStep 11+ question is original, written to mirror the style and difficulty of the GL Assessment 11+ and grounded in a library of real past-paper patterns, with a worked explanation for each one. PrepStep is built by Ben Jackson, its founder and a parent who has taken one child through the 11+ with another preparing now. Last reviewed: August 2026.
GL tests homophones in context, verb tenses and forms, subject-verb agreement, modal verbs, conjunctions, prepositions, comparatives and superlatives, and at the hardest level the passive voice and subjunctive. Most of it appears in the cloze (sentence-completion) section, where children choose the one correct word to fill a gap. Every question is multiple choice with five options (A to E).
It is a short passage with words missing, where each gap offers five options and the child picks the grammatically correct one. The options are usually all real words, so the child has to apply a rule rather than guess. Because the passage reads as one continuous story, the tense and meaning of earlier sentences often decide the right answer later on.
It is the most common grammar error in the whole paper, because children are taught that an apostrophe shows possession and then wrongly add one to "its". In fact "it's" only ever means "it is" or "it has". The quickest fix is the swap test: read the sentence with "it is" in place, and if it makes sense the answer is "it's".
Most of it is Year 5 and Year 6 curriculum content, covered in school as part of grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS). Homophones, tenses and agreement are taught earlier and consolidated by Year 6, while the passive voice and subjunctive are new in Year 6. As GL exams are often sat at the start of Year 6, a little practice ahead of school teaching helps.
Use timed, five-option questions that mirror the real cloze format, and target the highest-frequency skills first: homophones in context and verb tenses. Drill the famous traps (its/it's, could have not could of, did/done) until the correct form is automatic, and teach the habit of testing a sentence rather than relying on what sounds right.
Comprehension is about understanding: your child reads a passage of around 500 words and answers questions on its meaning, worth roughly half the English marks. The SPaG parts (spelling, punctuation and grammar) test technical accuracy instead. Spelling and punctuation use an error-spotting format, four sections plus "No mistake", while grammar is usually a gap-fill where your child picks the correct word. Comprehension asks what a text means; SPaG asks whether it is written correctly.
Explore the other GL Assessment english topics, each with free sample questions and worked explanations.
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