Exeter School 11+ Admissions: Entrance Assessment, Registration and Fees

Entry to Exeter School at 11+ depends on a school reference from the child's current school, together with performance in the school's own English and Mathematics papers and a computer-based CAT4 cognitive ability test. Year 7 is the school's largest entry point, alongside main entry points at Years 3, 5, 9 and 12.

Registration is completed well ahead of the assessment sittings, and the Admissions Office reviews the written papers, the CAT4 results and the school reference together; offers follow once this review is complete, without a separate formal interview for Year 7 candidates.

How 11+ entry works

Year 7 is the school's largest entry year, and 11+ candidates join a co-educational Senior School day cohort that already includes pupils who joined earlier through the Junior School. The school's main entry points run across Years 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12, and the Admissions Office will also consider applications outside these points where a year group has space. Because Year 7 draws the largest intake, it forms the primary route into the Senior School for children joining from other primary or prep schools.

• Main entry points: Years 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12
• Year 7 (11+) is the largest single entry year
• Places outside these points depend on year-group capacity

How the 11+ assessment is structured

The 11+ assessment combines two written papers with a computer-based reasoning test. Candidates sit a one-hour English paper, testing reading comprehension alongside a piece of extended writing, and a one-hour Mathematics paper covering arithmetic, fractions and problem-solving, taken without a calculator. Alongside these, candidates complete GL Assessment's CAT4, an adaptive computer-based test covering verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning, delivered through multiple-choice, drag-and-drop and word-completion questions. The school describes CAT4 as designed to be sat without prior practice, since it measures general reasoning ability and does not require revision of curriculum content.

• English: one hour, comprehension and extended writing
• Mathematics: one hour, arithmetic, fractions and problem-solving, no calculator
• CAT4: computer-based, verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning

Registration and the admissions process, step by step

Families register for Year 7 entry online ahead of a deadline the school publishes on its admissions page for each cycle. A confidential academic and pastoral reference is then requested from the child's current school ahead of the assessment sittings. Candidates sit the English, Mathematics and CAT4 assessments, either as part of the school's group testing day or, where necessary, at a pre-arranged individual sitting.

Families are notified of the outcome, and successful candidates are asked to sign a contract within three weeks of being offered a place. Those joining in September attend an orientation afternoon, where they meet their form tutor and take part in sports activities, followed by a welcome day before term starts.

• Register online by the published deadline
• School reference requested from the current school
• Sit English, Maths and CAT4 assessments
• Outcome notified; contract signed within three weeks of offer
• Orientation afternoon and welcome day before entry

How offers are decided

Offers at 11+ draw on the written English and Mathematics papers, the CAT4 results and the confidential reference from the child's current school, considered together as part of a single review. The school states that a single weaker score does not automatically rule a candidate out, since it weighs the overall picture across these elements before making a decision. The Admissions Office does not require a separate formal interview for Year 7 candidates, so the written and cognitive assessments, together with the school reference, form the core of the process.

Scholarships and bursaries

The school offers scholarships in art, drama, music and sport at the Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+) and Year 12 (16+) entry points. These are honorary awards recognising talent and achievement, and the school states they do not carry an automatic fee concession. Music, art and drama scholarships are assessed through separate auditions, and sport scholarships through trials, both held apart from the academic entrance assessment.

Bursaries are assessed separately, on the basis of parental income and assets, for candidates who meet the school's academic entry requirement. The school treats gross parental income above a set threshold, and net assets above a further threshold, as indicators that support is unlikely, though it reviews each family's circumstances individually. Applicants indicate interest at registration, then submit a full written statement of financial circumstances, which the school verifies and which may involve a visit to the family home, before deciding on an award; a bursary can be combined with a scholarship.

What the fees cover

Fees are billed termly and published on the school's own fees list, which is updated for each academic year and shown both before and after VAT. A sibling discount applies to a second child, and a further discount to a third or subsequent child, attending the school at the same time. Senior School lunches are optional, unlike lunches in the Junior School, which are compulsory; exam fees and learning-support charges are billed separately from tuition. A one-off registration fee and a refundable acceptance deposit apply once a place is confirmed.

How to prepare for the assessment

GL Assessment designs CAT4 to be sat without prior practice, since it measures how a child reasons instead of what they have been taught, so drilling test-style questions has limited value for that component. Preparation is more useful for the English and Mathematics papers: familiarity with comprehension technique, extended writing under time pressure, and arithmetic without a calculator all reflect what those papers test directly.

A calm, well-rested candidate matters on the day, given the combination of two timed written papers and a computer-based test in one sitting. Parents can also support the process by keeping the child's current school informed of the application, since a reference from that school forms part of the overall review alongside the assessments.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the Exeter School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

The Exeter School 11+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.

Because the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, and more than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status, families get a tutor who understands what the assessors are looking for. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.

Families in the South and South West 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.