What You Need To Know About The Eleven Plus Exam In Essex
Both the eleven plus in Essex and the Southend admission are managed under the same group. The group is the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex or the CSSE. They are open from 9 am until 4:30 pm, weekdays during the school term only. Their website also provides lots of valuable information, click here to view.
All of the schools that offer the eleven plus in Essex and the Southend use one selection test that was created by the CSSE. There are exceptions, the main one being Chelmsford County High School for Girls, as they have decided to use their own test from 2013 onwards. King John School also has their own special admission’s test, as they are a selective school.
Beyond these two schools, the places that are allocated to students are based on the criteria that are set by each school. Each school has its own criteria for admissions.
The grammar schools located in Essex are:
- Chelmsford County High School For Girls
- King Edward VI Grammar School
- Colchester High School For Girls
- Colchester Royal Grammar School
- King John School – Benfleet (Not part of CSSE)
And the grammar schools located in Southend are:
- Southend High School For Boys
- Southend High School For Girls
- Cecil Jones College
- Shoeburyness High School
- St. Bernards High School
- St. Thomas More High School
- Westcliff High School For Boys
- Westcliff High School For Girls
Eleven Plus Exam Registration
If you want your child to test for a place at a grammar school in the region, you will need to register for the eleven plus exam through the CAF, and in addition, the Supplementary Information Form to register your child for the school’s selection test. These forms can be filled out online, and the forms can be found on the CSSE website.
You can also fill out a physical copy, which can be picked up from all of the schools that have selective places on offer and the CSSE.
If you are applying for Chelmsford High, the forms can be downloaded from their website.
To note; if your child is applying for a non-selective and selective placement at one school, this is classed as one preference on the CAF.
The Eleven Plus Exam in Essex
The eleven plus exam held at Chelmsford County High School generally follows the Durham CEM guidelines. They have changed the Verbal Reasoning questions on the papers to consist of greater English components focusing on comprehension and literacy.
The other parts of the Durham CEM exams have been utilised by Chelmsford High, with the eleven plus exam testing Non-Verbal Reasoning, Maths, and English.
The CSSE, in 2014, announced that there would be changes made to the testing arrangements. The eleven plus exam would be more in line with the Level 5 Maths and English of the KS2 program. This means that Verbal Reasoning will no longer need its own paper, and would be incorporated in the English paper.
The eleven plus exam for CSSE is made up of two papers, Maths and English. Each has their own paper. Each paper will take one hour, and is worth a total of 60 marks. Most of the schools in the CSSE will have the same test, but the passing score will depend on the school that your child applies to. The exam papers are written by teachers from the CSSE schools.
There is more information about the testing on the CSSE website, so you can prepare your child for the exam.
So What Next
Free Assessment
Why not take our free assessment. We have given free access to both a Year 4 and Year 5 test paper so you can see for yourself your child’s current ability and how they might currently fair in the eleven plus exam.
Free Worksheets
To get started on your eleven plus journey, we have free worksheets available for your child whether they are in Year 4 or Year 5. Within our free worksheets, you can access various different work samples across the eleven plus exam range.
Click here to access our free eleven plus exam resources.
FSL 11+ Online
Whether you choose to enrol your child on an 11+ course, one-to-one lessons, or you simply want them to do some more gentle preparation at home, FSL 11+ Online is here to help with everything your child needs to succeed in the exam.
