City of London School

Entry points and who can apply

The school takes boys at two main points, and assesses them in the same way.

• 10+ (Year 6). For boys born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017, for entry in September 2027.
• 11+ (Year 7). For boys born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016, for entry in September 2027. This is the larger intake.
• 13+ (Year 9). The school says its Year 9 places for September 2027 are already filled. For September 2028 it may consider candidates in the autumn term of Year 8, but says it cannot guarantee it will assess at that point. If 13+ matters to your family, ask the admissions team directly.

You register online through the school's website and pay a non-refundable registration fee. Families receiving Universal Credit with a net household income of £35,000 or less can pay a reduced fee of £64. If your son needs access arrangements (for example extra time), you must say so when you register. Boys living overseas may, by prior arrangement and at extra cost, sit the assessments under exam conditions at their own school.

The assessment: what your son will sit

Both parts happen on one day at the school, and the whole visit takes about two and a half hours including breaks. The content follows the National Curriculum for your son's age.

Part 1: online test (105 minutes)

Your son works on a school laptop. Most questions are multiple choice, with a few short typed answers such as a single word or number. Each section has its own on-screen timer.

Calculators and dictionaries are not allowed. The school provides scrap paper; he needs only a pen or pencil.

Part 2: creative writing (30 minutes)

This part is usually handwritten. Your son writes a short story from a prompt, from any point of view, organised into paragraphs. The topic is not connected to Part 1.

The school marks for creativity, range of vocabulary, and accurate spelling and punctuation. It also says that markers can tell when a child uses memorised phrases or imagery, and that this does not help.

What this means in practice

• Timing matters more than usual. Four of the six sections last 10 to 20 minutes, so steady pacing is important.
• Adaptive sections reward care. Because he can't go back in maths and reasoning, he should check each answer before moving on.
• Typing is light. Answers are mostly clicks, so typing speed is not an issue, but he should be comfortable reading questions on a screen.

Interview, group activity and the decision

Shortlisted boys are invited back to the school in January for an interview and a group activity. The school's pages give the interview length as around 15 to 20 minutes in one place and around 20 minutes in another, so plan for 20. The school says the interview is there to get to know your son beyond his test results, and that no preparation is required or expected.

The school then decides using three things:

• the results of the online test and creative writing
• the interview and group activity
• a confidential report from your son's current Head, covering his attitude, progress and conduct

Offers for 10+ are made in early February and for 11+ in mid-February. For 11+, families accept or decline in early March.

For September 2028 entry, the school says booking for open events opens in spring 2027, and it recommends visiting in the six months before the assessment. We will update this guide when the 2028 dates are published.

Help with fees: bursaries and scholarships

The school offers means-tested bursaries, which it calls Transformational Bursaries, that can cover up to 100% of fees. They are available at 11+ and 16+, but not at 10+. Boys on the largest awards also receive help with lunch, uniform, travel, trips and exam fees.

The school's guide says families with a net household income of £35,000 or less are eligible to apply. It does not publish a fixed cut-off above that; its worked examples show a family on about £30,000 net income eligible for a full bursary and a family on about £75,000 unlikely to receive one except in exceptional circumstances. Applications have two stages (deadlines 10 November and 14 December 2026 for 2027 entry), and in many cases the school makes a home visit. Awards are reviewed every year.

Scholarships are awarded for academic work, music and sport. The school says they do not carry any fee remission.

How to prepare

The school says boys do not need special tuition, and advises wide reading and regular creative writing. That is sound advice, and it is where to start.

1. Read widely and talk about it. Fiction and non-fiction, with questions about why a character acts as they do or what a writer is suggesting. This supports English and creative comprehension.
2. Secure Year 5 and Year 6 maths. The maths section follows the National Curriculum, so fluency with the core topics matters more than tricks.
3. Practise short timed sections. Six sections of 10 to 30 minutes reward steady pacing. Practise each type on its own clock.
4. Get used to on-screen questions. Use the school's free familiarisation test, linked from its admissions pages, to see the style of questions and the timers.
5. Write short stories regularly. Thirty minutes, one prompt, clear paragraphs, careful punctuation. Read them back together, and avoid learning set phrases by heart.
6. Don't prepare for the interview. The school wants to meet your son as he is. Talking about things he enjoys is the best practice.

Akiru's City of London School 11+ mock papers are on sale: original practice papers with the same six sections and timings, a creative writing task, mark schemes and worked solutions. See the City of London School 11+ mock papers.