City Of London School For Boys: Admissions & Entrance Exam Advice (10+ & 11+)
City of London (or CLS) is an academically selective senior day school for boys in the heart of the Square Mile in London.
There are four main entry points to the School:
10+, or Year 6, (also known as Old Grammar)
11+, or Year 7, (First Form)
13+, or Year 9, (Third Form
16+, (Sixth Form)
The prestigious School offers Academic, Music and Sports Scholarships, alongside an excellent Bursary scheme.
City of London School For Boys has its first entry point in Year 6, with children taking a 10+ entrance exam and interview in Year 5. The next entry point is in Year 7.
In this informative guide, I’ll be sharing tips on how to maximise your child’s chances of getting in.
The entry processes and exams at 10+ and 11+ are very similar, so the advice we give will be applicable for both.
*Please note that the information below was correct at the time of publication. We always recommend that parents contact the school directly for admissions information.
Photo of City of London School.
Joining CLS at 10+
Each year the school welcomes between 40 and 44 boys into the Old Grammar (Year 6).
Bursaries are available and they cover up to 100% of school fees.
Pupils benefit from being taught by experienced staff and benefit from having access to the outstanding facilities that the Senior School has to offer. This is particularly beneficial for pupils who may have outgrown their current school.
The 10+ Admissions Process
Here are some things to consider:
● The deadline for applications is in November of Year 5.
● English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning exams are held in early January.
● High-performing candidates are called for an interview in late January.
The 11+ Admissions Process
The 11+ is the School's largest intake and they welcome up to 60 boys from schools across London.
Bursaries covering up to 100% off school fees are available to eligible pupils.
A boy’s age is calculated on 1 September in the year of desired entry. For 11+ entry, a boy will be aged between 11 and 12, and will have completed Year 6 at his current school.
Important Application Information
● The deadline for applications is in November of Year 6. However, bursary deadlines are slightly earlier.
● Bursary applicants take a computerised pre-test in late November.
● English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning exams are held in mid January.
● High-performing candidates are called for an interview in mid February.
At both 10+ and 11+, a reference from the current school is needed.
Shortlisted candidates are invited back to the School to sit written papers in Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning; they will also be invited for an interview, which usually takes place in late January. The interview lasts for approximately 20 minutes and provides the School with an opportunity to get to know your son beyond his examination results. It is also useful for him to be able to find out more about the School.
The offer of a place at the School is made on the evidence of the examination and interview, together with a confidential report from the Head of the candidate’s current school. An offer of a bursary is also dependent on satisfying the financial eligibility criteria.
Scholarships and bursaries
City of London School offers scholarships for academic, musical and sporting ability at both 10+ and 11+ entry points. The amount of money offered, however, is small. The awards are offered mainly as a badge of achievement and potential, and to make sure the most outstanding applicants choose them, rather than another school. However, music scholars receive free instrumental tuition. This can add up to a good amount of money across the student’s entire school career.
● Academic scholarships are based on performance in the ordinary entrance exam and interview.
● Music scholarships are based on an audition.
● Sports scholarships are assessed through trial sessions.
CLS state that Scholarships are worth £250. Recipients may also be eligible for a means tested bursary (up to the value of 100% off fees). For further information, we recommend contacting the School directly.
Academic Scholarships at cls
Academic Scholarship candidates are selected based on their performance in the School’s entrance examinations. In other words, your child will be considered for an academic scholarship if they perform well in the initial entrance examination.
In order to receive an academic scholarship, your son will be expected to demonstrate that he possesses superb academic calibre and potential. Scholarship recipients are also expected to maintain superb academic standards throughout their time at CLS.
Music scholarships at city of london school
Music Scholarships are awarded based upon a candidate’s performance at the audition, exam and interview. It's therefore important that your son is well-prepared for both the academic and music components of the admissions process. Scholarships are also offered for orchestral instruments.
For piano and strings, the minimum requirement is Grade 5. In addition to the monetary value of a Scholarship, Music Scholars will also receive free tuition for up to two instruments studied at the School. Music Scholars are expected to fully participate fully and contribute to the musical life of the School. They are therefore required to take part in activities and events that showcase their talents and are required to be involved in a number of music-related activities. Furthermore, Music Scholars are also be expected to sit the Music IGCSE.
SPORTS SCHOLARSHIPS AT CLS
Sports Scholarships are awarded to gifted candidates who have the ability to make a significant contribution to at least two of the School's team sports. In addition to the monetary value of a Scholarship, Sports Scholars are eligible to receive funding from the Sports Scholarship Fund to support their personal and team sporting development. As with all CLS scholarships, students are expected to contribute positively and fully to the School and are expected to partake in a reasonable number of activities out of normal School hours.
PREPARING FOR THE CLS ENTRANCE EXAM
Both the 10+ and 11+ exams are similar, and so we’ll be talking about them together.
The 10+ exam is very similar to many independent school 11+ exams.
The 11+ exam sits between an orthodox 11+ and 13+. The comprehension exams are multiple-choice, so they slightly differ from the independent school norm.
PREPARING FOR THE English Exam
Reading Comprehension
The reading comprehension is a challenging, multi-choice paper which is more complex than those of most schools. The passage is generally quite long, and contains lengthy paragraphs.
As a tutor, I recommend reading the text carefully and dedicate time to reading the questions carefully too. Too often, students focus so much on the text that they lose marks by misreading questions.
Another point to consider is that each question is worth the same amount of points - so do not spend time on a question you do not understand or can’t answer because you might be running out of time and might miss other questions.
Creative Writing
Both papers typically ask you to continue the story in the comprehension passage. This kind of task requires a particular thought process, which it is worth your child practising in their writing.
Ask your child to consider the following:
Who are the main characters in your story?
What are their personality traits?
What is the style and mood of the passage?
What kind of vocabulary would suit the story or composition?
Your child’s writing should make sense as a continuation of the text and should seem as if it were written by the author.
It’s important to ask: which direction was the plot taking at the point where the passage ended?
Don’t continue in a way that does not fit with the tone of the story, or make it accidentally comical. For example, an alien landing in a Dickens novel would not be a natural progression of the story.
Exam Technique REVISION TIPS
It’s always important to read the rubric on an exam paper carefully, because it gives information about how the task will be marked. For example:
● “You should spend around 30 minutes on this section.”
Timing is everything. It’s wise to spend 5 minutes planning, and 5 minutes reviewing, so that leaves about 20 minutes writing time. Without a good plan, a student will have to stop and think about their plot after each paragraph or even sentence. However, a plan will allow the student to keep writing. The best plans are simple plans. Remember, a good exam story will only have one significant plot event so there’s no need to squeeze tons of dramatic events into one story.
● “You do not have to finish the story: quality over quantity is preferred.”
Of course, a finished story will score better. However, the examiners want to find the best writers – children who can use English as a tool to write compelling stories and characters. The markers are looking to reward descriptive writing with intelligent vocabulary, which shows insight about characters’ personalities, and is well punctuated.
● “Write using accurate sentences, spelling and punctuation.”
This is important. However, it’s worth mentioning that a completely flawless piece of writing that does not capture the marker will not score highly. A certain amount of risk taking when it comes to writing the story can be very beneficial. The most important thing is that any mistakes don’t make the story hard to read. This is why punctuation is often more important than spelling.
● “Develop a realistic, well-paced story.”
Make sure that the story naturally continues the original text.
● “Write engagingly to interest the reader.”
The CLS BOYS Maths Exam
The 10+ Maths Paper
The exam is likely to be 45 minutes long, and the level is equivalent to standard 11+ papers. It’s important to have knowledge of primary school maths curriculum, focussing on core skills such as (paper calculation methods, fractions, averages, simple probability, and more.
The 11+ Maths Paper
The 11+ exam is difficult, compared to most other maths papers at this level. It requires children to apply their knowledge logically and creatively, in contexts which may be unfamiliar. The first half of the paper is fairly standard, but then it becomes increasingly more challenging.
Verbal Reasoning & Non-Verbal Reasoning
Non-Verbal Reasoning is only set for the 11+ exam and not the 10+.
The Interview
The School’s website says that “no specific preparation is required or expected for the interview.” This suggests that City of London School For Boys recognises that some preparation can be valuable for children.
If children receive no help before an interview, confident talkers flourish, and others don’t. The worst thing to do, however, is to prepare answers for you child, such as some adults would do before a job interview.
An adult might get away with it, but 10 and 11-year-old children will definitely give themselves away.
Here are some things you should consider before your son attends their interview:
● A good interview is a conversation. Students should avoid giving one-word answers and should aim to expand and extend their thoughts where possible.
● Make sure you son does not fiddle needlessly and sits with both feet on the floor and hands away from sight.
● A very popular 11+ (and 10+) interview question is about a child’s recent reading. Don’t make your child read complex books before the interview. Just encourage them to talk about anything they have just recently read, and create comparisons with other books, films, or even pieces of music they have heard. This will be much more impressive.
● If they are given a maths question or a short text to talk about in the interview, this should be nothing to worry about. They passed the exam, so they have already demonstrated that they are intelligent enough. Remind your child to remain calm and answer questions confidently.
13+ Entry
Entry to CLS at 13+ is primarily for boys who are at a preparatory school. Each year, the School welcomes around 40 boys who begin in Third Form.
Bursaries are available at this point of entry to cover up to 100% of school fees and CLS do not permit boys to be entered for both the 11+ and 13+ examinations.
Registration and payment of the non-refundable registration fee must be completed online.
All registered candidates must sit the ISEB Common Pre-test during the Autumn term of their Year 6. This is usually completed at the candidate’s current school. Full details of the test can be found on the ISEB website.
Confidential reports will be required from the Head of the candidate’s current school
Candidates who perform well in the Pre-test will be in invited to the School for short written assessments in Mathematics and English and an interview, in the Spring Term of Year 6. The interview affords us an opportunity to get to know your son beyond his examination results. It is also useful for him to be able to find out more about us. No specific preparation is required or expected for the interview.
An offer is made on the evidence of the examinations and interview, together with a confidential report from the Head of the candidate’s current school. All offers are conditional on continued hard work, excellent academic progress and good behaviour at the candidate's current school to the end of Year 8.
Candidates at schools preparing pupils for the Common Entrance examinations will be expected to sit these papers in the core subjects and achieve a high score (usually above 70%) in each subject. For candidates studying at schools which no longer follow the full Common Entrance curriculum, we will rely on evidence from his school that he has continued to demonstrate a strong work ethic and diligent approach to his learning.
For all candidates, we will maintain ongoing dialogue with their current school between offer and the candidate joining the Third Form.
CLS Sixth Form (Admissions information)
Every year, the City of London School welcomes between 12 and 15 boys to join their Sixth Form.
The School has a strong record of university entrance success and the majority of their students go onto win places at some of the country’s most prestigious universities. In the past five years, an impressive 20% of boys have received offers from Oxford and Cambridge and 90% of boys attend Russell Group Universities.
As with all applications, bursaries are available and cover up to 100% of school fees.
sixth form Subjects
What can students study in Sixth Form?
Students can choose from the following A-Level subjects offered at the School:
Economics, French, Spanish, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English Literature, History, Geography, Classical Civilisation, Philosophy and Theology, Government & Political Studies, German, Russian, Mandarin (Pre-U), Latin, Greek, Art, Drama and Music. All languages are for non-native speakers.
Typically, boys at CLS study either three or four A Level subjects.
That’s it for our rather comprehensive guide to City of London School For Boys. We’ve tried to cover as much as possible but we always recommend contacting the School directly to ask questions or gain clarity on the admissions process.
We hope this guide has been helpful and wish your son the best of luck.
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