When Did Prescott Sit His Exams?

I spotted an interesting use of words in today's Telegraph Comment Section:

"Mr Prescott's housing policy, like so much of the rest of his philosophy, was little more than a part of his revenge against his imagined enemies in Middle Britain for his failure to pass the 11-plus exam half a century ago."

Mr. Prescott is 67, did he wait till he was 17 to take the 11 plus and then fail it? There has to be some devil in that detail.