City of London School for Girls

Entry points and who can apply

City of London School for Girls is a selective day school for girls aged 11 to 18. Most girls join at 11+ (Year 7) or 16+ (sixth form). This guide covers 11+ entry for September 2027.

• 11+ (Year 7). The main entry point. Registration for September 2027 is open now and closes on Friday 30 October 2026.
• Occasional places (Years 8 and 9). The school says places are rare in Year 8 but it is likely to have Year 9 places. The process runs in the spring term before September entry: registration, then English, maths and a general paper, then an interview for successful candidates. Offers are made before the end of the spring term. For September 2027, fill in the expression of interest form on the occasional places page. Scholarships and bursaries are not offered at these entry points.

You register online and pay a non-refundable fee: £192 for UK applicants and £300 for overseas applicants. Families with a net household income of up to £27,000 a year may be able to pay a reduced fee of £64. Only the bursary team handles this, at bursaries@clsg.org.uk. If you want to apply for a bursary, you must say so on the registration form.

If your daughter may need access arrangements, such as extra time, send the evidence with her registration. The school follows JCQ guidelines and also looks for a history of need from her current school. A later pre-assessment form lets you flag anything else that could affect her on the day, such as illness or a bereavement.

The assessment: what your daughter will sit

There are two stages. Only girls who do well in the first are invited back.

Stage 1: the online test

This is the test the school has chosen for its first round. It describes it as a one-hour computer-based test assessing numerical, verbal and non-verbal skills. The school links to free familiarisation materials and asks parents to show them to their daughter beforehand. It does not publish section timings or question counts on its own pages.

Stage 2: English and maths papers

The school publishes a specimen paper for each. They date from 2021, and the school doesn't say whether this year's papers follow the same format.

• English. The specimen starts with 5 minutes to read a short literary extract and the questions. Then there are two tasks of about 20 minutes each: a detailed paragraph analysing the writer's language, using quotations, and a continuation of the story in your daughter's own words.
• Maths. No calculator. Pupils must show their working, and some questions ask them to explain an answer in a sentence or two. The specimen mixes number work with multi-step problems and questions that ask her to find and explain mistakes. It also tells pupils they may not finish, and to move on if stuck.

The school also plans to give girls a taste of lessons at City on the day.

What this means in practice

• One English task is analysis. She needs to pick out words and phrases and say what effect they have.
• Working out counts in maths. The specimen says marks may be given for working, and tells pupils not to rub it out.
• About 20 minutes per English task. The specimen suggests roughly 20 minutes for each, including planning and checking.

Interview and the decision

Invitations to the second stage are due in mid-December (the school's timeline gives Thursday 10 December 2026). Interviews then run from Monday 11 to Thursday 21 January 2027. The school does not publish how long they last.

On preparation, the school says its interviewers are experienced at putting pupils at ease. It is looking for academic potential and interest above anything else. It suggests that any practice your daughter gets in explaining her ideas with enthusiasm and reasons would help.

The school asks for a reference from your daughter's current headteacher, so tell her school you are applying. The admissions policy explains how girls are chosen for stage 2. The school sets a pass mark on the online test (not published) above which every girl is invited back, and a lower mark below which none are. Between the two, it picks from a pool using criteria such as:

• a top 10% score in one section of the test
• being, or having been, looked after
• attending a state school
• having a sibling at the school
• having a summer birthday

Offers, including scholarship and bursary offers, are emailed on Friday 12 February 2027. They are unconditional. You must accept by early March 2027 and pay a deposit, unless your daughter has been offered a bursary. The school does not publish the deposit amount. The school says it does not discuss assessment results with parents.

Open events for September 2027 entry ran from June to October 2026. The school says its next 11+ open events, for September 2028 entry, will be in the summer and autumn terms of 2027.

Help with fees: bursaries and scholarships

For 2026/27 the fee is £10,611 per term, including VAT but not lunches. The school offers means-tested bursaries of up to 100% of fees at 11+. It says it usually has 12 to 15 bursary places at 11+. As a general guide, families with a net household income of up to £70,000 and very limited assets may be eligible for some support. The school is clear that many more families meet this guide than receive a bursary, and that priority goes to girls for whom a bursary would be most transformational. Overseas applicants are not eligible.

The bursary process runs alongside the assessment:

1. Tick the bursary box when you register.
2. Complete the online bursary form by Thursday 12 November 2026. If you miss this stage, the school says it cannot consider your daughter for a bursary later.
3. If she reaches stage 2 and you are found eligible, upload supporting documents by Tuesday 5 January 2027.
4. The school may visit you at home before offers are made.

Awards are reassessed every year. A full bursary also brings help with costs such as lunches, a laptop, uniform, travel and exam fees.

At 11+ the only scholarships are for music. Girls should play their first instrument at grade 6 standard or above. A lower grade is considered for endangered instruments such as oboe, bassoon or viola. Only girls who pass the first assessment may apply, by sending details and videos of audition pieces. Shortlisted girls audition in January. The scholarships page says awards are worth up to 10% fee remission. There is also a joint scholarship with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

How to prepare

The school says it does not want girls to endure hours of extra tuition, and that it designs the assessment not to be "tutorable". It would rather they arrive fresh. It does recommend looking at the familiarisation materials and both specimen papers, so girls know what to expect.

1. Do the familiarisation materials together. Use the link on the school's 11+ page so the on-screen format is familiar before November.
2. Read the English specimen and talk about it. Ask her why a writer chose a word, and what it makes the reader feel. Then practise writing one focused paragraph with quotations.
3. Practise continuing a story. Twenty minutes, one or two paragraphs, a strong voice and careful checking.
4. Show working in maths. Without a calculator, with every step written down. Ask her to explain her answers out loud in a sentence.
5. Practise moving on. The maths specimen says she may not finish. Get her used to leaving a hard question and coming back.
6. For the interview, just talk. Discuss books, news or ideas at home and ask her to give reasons. That is what the school says helps.

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