11-plus
- noun
- /ˈɛlɛvən plʌs/
- Archaic
- The 11-plus was an important milestone for many children aiming for academic excellence.
Examples
-
Students prepare for the 11-plus exam to gain admission to prestigious grammar schools.
-
One's fate here is not determined by an 11-plus exam as in England, or by one's high school record, or even one's college record.
Academic text (1998) -
Many families begin tutoring their children well in advance of the 11-plus examination.
Synonyms
An exam once taken in Britain at about eleven to decide if a child can go to a grammar school
Surface Forms
Morphology
11-plus = 11 (semi-transparent) = plus + 11
The compound signals '11 and above' (an age/category marker) which is clear from the components, but the specific reference to a UK entrance examination requires cultural knowledge. [Postprocessing: moved 'plus' from base_words to prefix]
Etymology
11-Plus is a British name that is very literal: the 11 shows the age and plus means 'and over', so it was an exam for children around eleven that decided entry to grammar schools.