A plain, factual overview of how the 11+ admissions process works at a range of London grammar and independent schools, plus Buckinghamshire and Slough grammar schools — how many stages, what's tested, and the format of the papers. Collated from each school's own admissions information as a quick reference while you're researching options.
About this guide: This page summarises information published by each school or consortium, current for 2027 entry as of autumn 2026. Exam formats, dates and requirements are set by each school individually and can change from year to year — sometimes significantly, as a few entries below show. Each entry links to the school's own website: always confirm the latest details there before relying on this for your application.
State grammar schools select on academic ability through entrance exams. Most use a multi-stage process: an initial multiple-choice test, followed by a written stage for shortlisted candidates.
GL Assessment multiple-choice papers covering Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and English.
Written papers in English (comprehension and creative writing) and Maths, set by the school. Only the top-scoring candidates from Round 1 — around the top 300 — are invited.
Boys sit two GL Assessment multiple-choice papers, English and Maths, in a single session. There is one round only and no creative writing component. Scores are combined, and boys reaching the published qualifying score are considered for a place.
Multiple-choice Maths and Verbal Reasoning papers, marked first. Only candidates ranked in the top 700 go on to Stage 2.
English paper marked for the top 700 candidates only — comprehension and creative writing. Offers based on combined ranking across both stages.
Multiple-choice English and Maths papers, set by the school and based on Key Stage 2 content up to the end of Year 5. Used to decide who is invited to Stage 2.
Written, open-answer English and Maths papers, set and marked by the school. The English score comes from Stage 2; the Maths score combines both stages.
Shared Selective Eligibility Test, common to all Sutton grammar schools. Multiple-choice English and Maths, around 40–50 minutes each. No separate Verbal or Non-Verbal Reasoning sections.
Written English and Maths. The boys' schools (Wilson's, Sutton Grammar, Wallington County) sit one joint set of papers, where English is an extended writing task — the 2025 paper also included comprehension questions. The girls' schools (Nonsuch, Wallington Girls') sit the NWSSEE, where English is a continuous piece of writing.
Buckinghamshire and Slough each run their own shared entrance test, with results used across a group of grammar schools.
Buckinghamshire operates a fully selective system of 13 grammar schools, all using a single shared entrance test — the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STT). A child only needs to sit this once to be considered for any of the 13 schools. The test consists of two multiple-choice papers (Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English and Maths, GL Assessment style), each around 60 minutes including instructions and unmarked practice questions. There is no creative writing task as part of the test itself.
Slough is a separate local authority from Buckinghamshire, with its own group of four grammar schools sharing a single common 11+ exam. A child sits one set of tests to be considered for all four. The exam consists of two papers: Verbal Skills (English and Verbal Reasoning) and Non-Verbal Skills (Maths and Non-Verbal/Spatial Reasoning).
Independent schools set their own entrance assessments. Some use a computer-based pre-test (such as the ISEB Common Pre-Test) to shortlist candidates before written papers; others run their own single-day assessments.
No pre-test. Every registered candidate sits written papers in English and Maths, on paper at the school. English includes comprehension and creative writing.
Shortlisted candidates are invited to a 30-minute interview, which includes further English and Maths questions asked verbally.
Single paper-based assessment: Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning (45 min), English and Verbal Reasoning (40 min) — both multiple-choice — plus Creative Comprehension (20 min) and Creative Writing (20 min). Shortlisted candidates are then invited to interview.
Same format as Habs Girls (shared assessment from 2026): Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning, English and Verbal Reasoning (multiple-choice), plus Creative Comprehension and Creative Writing, all in one sitting. Shortlisted candidates are then invited to interview.
The ISEB Common Pre-Test — a computer-based, adaptive assessment.
Three written papers at the school: Mathematics, English and General Comprehension.
A 20-minute interview assessing creativity, engagement and independent thought.
All candidates take the ISEB Common Pre-Test (online, adaptive), registered through ISEB.
Candidates who do well in the pre-test are invited back to sit written English and Mathematics papers at the school in January.
Three written papers, 45 minutes each: English, Mathematics, and the Merchant Taylors' General Paper (a school-specific paper designed to encourage creativity and lateral thinking, with no published specimen papers). Plus a short online test: 20-minute Maths and 10-minute Verbal Reasoning. Shortlisted candidates are invited to a 20-minute interview in January; top performers may also be invited to an Academic Scholarship Assessment Day.
English and Mathematics, set by the school. The English paper covers comprehension and creative writing — typically a comprehension passage followed by a creative writing task, often based on a picture stimulus, which may be fiction or non-fiction.
Group activities and discussion assess how candidates work together in practical settings.
A group of independent girls' schools across London that share a single entrance assessment, so candidates only sit one test regardless of how many member schools they apply to. The assessment is 100 minutes, online, taken in six parts: 20 min Maths, 10 min Non-Verbal Reasoning, 20 min English, 10 min Verbal Reasoning, a 30-minute break, then 15 min Problem Solving and 25 min Creative Comprehension. The English section covers comprehension, spelling and grammar — there is no extended writing. After the assessment, candidates may be invited to interview; some schools (such as Godolphin and Latymer, and South Hampstead High School) select for interview based on assessment results, while others interview everyone.
This page will be updated periodically. Admissions formats can and do change — sometimes significantly, as several entries above show. If you spot anything that's changed, or have a question about a specific school, do get in touch.
Some of the language around 11+ exams can feel like its own world. Here are a few terms that come up often.
If you would like to talk through what your child's target schools involve, get in touch.
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