What is the main difference between CEM and GL exams?
If you're in Bexley or Kent, you're probably thinking about getting your child a tutor for the 11 Plus in Bexley and Kent.
In a blogpost titled Do I need a tutor for the Bexley and Kent 11 Plus exams? we touched upon the fact that, if your child is to sit both the CEM and GL exams, then your child will need to study more because the Bexley (CEM) and Kent (GL) exams are different in some respects (though, in many respects, also similar).
You may be a confused parent who has been reading up on the Bexley (CEM) and the Kent (GL) exam and you know that both exams draw on the same four core areas (English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning) but just want to know "What actually is the difference between them?"
If this sounds like you, then here is a (very) high-level summary of their differences:
1. Verbal Reasoning
As we said, both the Bexley CEM and Kent GL draw on the main four core areas (English, Mathematics, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning). There is adequate overlap in Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning for us - at this high-level summary - not to worry about any variations between CEM maths and GL Mathematics or Non-Verbal Reasoning.
The big difference is between CEM Verbal Reasoning and GL Verbal Reasoning. CEM Verbal Reasoning is essentially English, as its emphases are on comprehension and vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, cloze etc); GL Verbal Reasoning is more logic-based and includes verbal logic puzzles and numerical logic puzzles. Confusingly, as verbal logic and numerical logic imply, there are elements of both English and Mathematics to be found in GL Verbal Reasoning. And while GL exams do test a child's verbal knowledge in the framework of logic puzzles, they do also test verbal ability in more straightforward ways, e.g., knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, cloze etc. (much like the CEM test).
2. English
If you've made it this far with us, you may be thinking: "CEM Verbal Reasoning sounds pretty much like English." You'd be right. CEM Verbal Reasoning is English. The easiest way to understand it is to simply accept that in CEM parlance Verbal Reasoning equals English.
Your next question might therefore be "Is GL's Verbal Reasoning its English exam seeing as CEM's Verbal Reasoning is its English exam?" The answer to this question is "No." In GL, English and Verbal Reasoning are two separate subjects.
GL English features comprehension (just like CEM's Verbal Reasoning) as well testing spelling & grammar and knowledge of literary devices.
So, in our opinion, the main difference between the GL exam and the CEM exam pivots on the respective examinations' definition of Verbal Reasoning (which has a knock-on effect on their definitions of English).
As we say this is a very high-level differentiation and we are only writing about the high-level difference in subject content. There are also differences in exam structure, timings etc., which we will cover in later posts.
For further reading on the differences between CEM and GL exams, there are several useful resources on the web, such as:
If you would like to talk to an 11 Plus Prep School tutor about the differences between GL and CEM and how we fit both of these different styles into our courses, please do contact us at 11 Plus Prep School. We're always happy to hear from you.
