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The Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough 11+ entrance test
The Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough is a mixed state grammar school in Gainsborough for ages 11 to 18. Children applying for a Year 7 place sit the Lincolnshire 11+ (two reasoning tests). This page explains that test and how to prepare. Admission rules change, so always check the school’s own admissions policy.
School at a glance
- School
- Mixed state grammar school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Area
- Gainsborough (Lincolnshire)
- Website
- www.qehs.lincs.sch.uk
Source: Get Information about Schools (Department for Education), read 1 November 2026. NITU is not connected with the school.
The test
What we know about the Lincolnshire 11+ (two reasoning tests). Each detail is labelled with where it comes from.
- Reported
- Two tests only, verbal reasoning and non-verbal and spatial reasoning, with no English or maths. They are sat on separate Saturdays in September (for 2027 entry: 12 and 19 September 2026), with results emailed in October.
- Reported
- The tests are sat once and shared across the Lincolnshire grammar schools. Caistor Grammar School runs a different arrangement (two verbal reasoning papers).
- Reported
- For 2027 entry, school pages gave registration from January to late March 2026 (sources differ on the exact closing date); dates for 2028 entry are expected around January 2027. A qualifying score of 220 is quoted by tutoring sites but is not confirmed by the schools.
- Not published
- The number of questions, the time allowed (about 45 minutes for verbal reasoning and 40 minutes for non-verbal and spatial), the question types, the multiple-choice layout and five answer options. The schools do not publish these and say the live layout may differ from practice material.
Check with your chosen school’s admissions page before relying on any detail.
Other schools that use this test
- Boston High School, Boston
- Bourne Grammar School, Bourne
- Caistor Grammar School, Market Rasen (sets its own test)
- Carre’s Grammar School, Sleaford
- Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School, Grantham
- Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective Academy, Sleaford
- King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth
- Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar Alford - A Selective Academy, Alford
- Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Horncastle
- Skegness Grammar School, Skegness
- Spalding Grammar School, Spalding
- Spalding High School, Spalding
- The Boston Grammar School, Boston
- The King’s School, Grantham
How to prepare
- Practise filling in a separate answer sheet, so marking the right box becomes automatic and no time is lost on test day.
- Learn the verbal reasoning question types one at a time, then mix them. Vocabulary grows fastest through wide reading.
- For non-verbal reasoning, check one feature at a time (shape, number, shading, size, position, direction) and rule options out.
- Spatial questions (rotations, reflections, cube nets) improve with hands-on practice: fold paper nets and turn shapes on the table.
- Sit full mock tests under timed conditions only every week or two, and spend the time in between on the question types that cost marks.
Read our full guide to this test.
Practice papers for this test
Original mock papers based on the published format, with answers explained. Every option has a free sample.
Four full mock tests, each with a 60-question verbal reasoning paper and a 50-question non-verbal and spatial paper, answer sheets, explanations and a parent guide.
Four more full mock tests in the same format as Set 1, with new questions throughout, answer sheets, answers and the parent guide.
A revision handbook for the Lincolnshire 11+: 43 lessons teaching the methods for verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with worked examples, practice questions, must-know lists and a 12-week plan.
Everything for this test in one download: Set 1 and Set 2 (eight full mock tests) and the revision handbook. £39.97 if bought separately.
Questions parents ask
Which 11+ test does The Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough use?
Children applying for a Year 7 place sit the Lincolnshire 11+ (two reasoning tests). Arrangements can change from year to year, so check the school’s admissions policy.
Is The Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough a boys’, girls’ or mixed school?
The Department for Education’s register lists it as a mixed school for ages 11 to 18. It has a sixth form. Some schools admit other pupils into the sixth form, so check the school’s website.
Does a good test score guarantee a place?
No. A test score on its own does not guarantee a place. Places are offered under the school’s admission rules, which can include a qualifying score, distance or other criteria. Read the school’s admissions policy for the year you are applying.
Are your papers produced by the school?
No. NITU is independent. Our papers are original practice material based on the published format of the test; they are not produced or endorsed by The Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough or any test provider.
Sources: check these yourself
The facts on this page come from these official pages. Use them to check anything before you rely on it.
- Department for Education register: The Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough
- The Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough: school website
Links checked in November 2026. Schools and councils update their pages each year, and the school’s current admissions policy always comes first.