City of London School 11+ Admissions: Assessment, Registration and Fees

You get into City of London School at 11+ by registering online, sitting the school's entrance assessment in November of Year 6, and, if shortlisted, attending an interview in January; offers follow by email in mid-February. The assessment combines an online adaptive test with a handwritten creative writing task, set by Quest Assessments, and selection also draws on a confidential report from the candidate's current head.

Year 7 entry, known at the school as First Form, is the school's largest intake and the natural point of transfer for children finishing primary or preparatory school. City of London School is a day school for boys aged 10 to 18 on Queen Victoria Street in the City of London, and also admits at 10+ and into the Sixth Form.

How 11+ entry works

Year 7 entry admits boys who have completed Year 6 at their current school and are aged 11, or will reach that age, within the academic year of entry, with age determined at the start of that academic year. It sits alongside 10+ entry and Sixth Form entry as one of the school's main admission points, plus occasional places outside these stages where available.

Registration is completed online with payment of a non-refundable registration fee, and every candidate must be registered by the published deadline to sit the entrance assessments.

How the 11+ assessment works

The 11+ assessment runs in two parts on the same day at the school, in Year 6. Part one is an online test of around 105 minutes, set by Quest Assessments, covering mathematics (20 minutes), English (30 minutes), non-verbal reasoning (10 minutes), verbal reasoning (10 minutes), puzzles and problem solving (15 minutes), and creative comprehension (20 minutes); the maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning sections are adaptive, meaning question difficulty adjusts to the candidate's responses, while the other sections are not. Candidates sit part one on school-provided laptops or desktops.

Part two is a 30-minute written creative writing task, in which candidates write a short story based on a given prompt; this is handwritten unless a candidate has access arrangements permitting typing.

Selection also takes into account a confidential report from the candidate's current head, alongside assessment performance.

Registration, assessment and offers step by step

The process runs in a fixed order: online registration with payment of the registration fee, sitting the entrance assessment at the school in Year 6, interview for shortlisted candidates, and finally offers, which are followed by an acceptance deadline. Interviews take the form of a 15 to 20 minute interview and group activity, intended to let staff get to know the child beyond their assessment results.

Results and offers are sent by email; families wishing to be considered for a transformational bursary must indicate this at the point of registration, since this is the only stage at which interest can be flagged.

• Register online and pay the registration fee
• Sit the entrance assessment (online test plus creative writing task) at the school
• Shortlisted candidates attend an interview and group activity
• Offers are sent by email, followed by an acceptance deadline

Scholarships, prizes and bursaries

The school does not offer means-blind scholarships at 11+ in the traditional sense; it awards prizes for strong performance in specific areas, presented at Prize Day at Guildhall. Academic prizes recognise strong achievement in the entrance assessment itself. Music prizes are awarded on audition and interview, tenable to the end of Fifth Form (Year 11), offered on all orchestral instruments (voice cannot be a first study, and singers must also play an instrument), with a minimum requirement of Grade 5 on piano or strings; prize-holders receive free tuition on one or two instruments. Sports prizes are awarded on the basis of a sports trial to candidates who can contribute significantly to at least two of the school's major team sports, especially football, with an expectation of representing the school across all three terms.

The school's transformational bursaries can cover up to 100% of fees, funded through its Charitable Trust, and are aimed at talented pupils who would not otherwise be able to afford the fees. Families with a low net household income who receive Universal Credit can also apply for a reduced registration fee. The bursary process runs in three stages: an initial financial declaration, a more detailed second-stage application with supporting documents if eligible, and in some cases an informal meeting with the family; means-testing takes place before any offer of a place is made, and a bursary can be awarded alongside a prize.

Bursary awards are reviewed annually and require an updated financial declaration each year.

How to prepare for the 11+ assessment

Because part one is timed and adaptive across maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, children tend to benefit from practising working at pace under time pressure across a range of question types instead of focusing on one subject alone. The creative comprehension and creative writing elements reward children who read widely and can organise a short piece of writing quickly and coherently within a set time.

Since the assessment sits on a computer for part one, familiarity with typing or navigating an on-screen test (where access arrangements do not apply) can help a child feel comfortable on the day, alongside the usual preparation for reasoning and English content.

Related guides

• Tutors for families in London
• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the City of London School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the City of London School 11+ tends to go best when it starts early and stays steady, and most families who work with us begin between twelve and eighteen months out. Our tutors, who have prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, plan the work backwards from the school's own assessment format and registration deadline.

The tutors we match to 11+ preparation are drawn from a pool in which more than half hold Qualified Teacher Status, around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and which includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.

Families in London and further afield work with us online, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee and a free initial consultation to talk through your child's current level and the timeline to the 11+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact, and we reply to enquiries within one working day with tutor recommendations.

Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.