Age Standardisation
The statistical adjustment applied to raw scores to account for a child's exact age, ensuring fairness across the year group.
Definition
Age standardisation converts a child's raw score (total correct answers) to a standardised score that accounts for their exact date of birth. A child born in August is the youngest possible in their Year 6 cohort — they will typically have had significantly less life experience and development time than a September-born child. Without standardisation, younger children would be systematically disadvantaged. GL Assessment's formula adjusts raw scores upward for younger children and downward for older children, so that the standardised score reflects ability relative to age peers rather than absolute performance. A score of 100 is always 'average for age' regardless of birthday.
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
Does being born in August affect the 11+ result?
Age standardisation is designed to remove this disadvantage. An August-born child who answers the same number of questions correctly as a September-born child will receive a higher standardised score. The system is specifically designed to level the playing field across the year group. In practice, August-born children do still tend to slightly underperform on average in selective assessments, but the standardisation significantly reduces this gap.
12 questions across all four domains — instant GL-style score and readiness band. No account needed.