Essex 11 Plus Exam Format

Background to the 11 Plus Exam in Essex

There are twelve Grammar Schools in Essex that children will need to take an 11 Plus Exam to get into.

Chelmsford County High School for Girls       Southend High School for Boys

Colchester County High School for Girls         Southend High School for Girls

Colchester Royal Grammar School                  St Thomas More High School

King Edward VI Grammar School                     St Bernard’s Girls High School 

King John School                                                 Westcliff High School for Boys

Shoeburyness High School                               Westcliff High School for Girls

Essex 11 Plus Exam Format Details

The  Chelmsford County High School for Girls exam for 2023 (entry 2024) has changed from CEM tests to FSCE (Future Schools Community Enterprise ltd) tests. This exam consists of three papers covering:

• Maths
• English
• Creative Writing

King John School is a partially selective grammar school and they administer their own tests but use the GL exam format. These tests are all multiple choice and include:

• Maths
• English
• Verbal Reasoning

For the other ten schools in Essex, they form the Consortium of Selective Grammar Schools in Essex (CSSE). These schools work together to write an exam that can grant entry to any school that is part of the CSSE. The 11plus exam covers:

• English
• Maths
• Verbal reasoning

Preparation for the 11 Plus Exam in Essex

Firstly it is important to understand what preparation options you have and what might be the most suitable route to go down. Go forward to our 11 Plus preparation options page to understand what the options are and to start thinking about which one might be best for you.

If your child is in year three or four currently then you might also find it useful to understand what advice we offer parents who want to start helping their children at this stage.

If your child is in the latter stages of year four or in year five then we offer different advice designed to help families who are closer to the exam date.

If your child is part way through year five or quite close to the exam then we have tried to show how you can use the time you might have available most effectively.