(in the UK) an examination taken at the age of 11–12 to determine the type of secondary school a child should enter.
‘The old eleven-plus put tremendous strain on middle-class families: success was thought essential, but failure meant a public school which most could not afford or, worse, the secondary modern.’
‘There may be more selection in schools now than when we first came to office, but never mind, we'll scrap the eleven-plus.’
‘When I passed my eleven-plus, she dragged me up to school, no bus fares, we had to walk.’
‘And when I passed my eleven-plus I realised that history was also written by people who actually existed.’
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