Plymouth High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2026

Introduction

Plymouth High School for Girls (PHSG) is a selective state school for girls only in Years 7 to 11 and girls and boys in the Sixth Form. Founded in 1874, PHSG was established to give girls access to a strong academic education and encourage them to pursue ambitions beyond the expectations of the time.

Academic standards at PHSG are high. In 2025, 89.3% of students achieved grades in the 9–5 range across five or more GCSEs, and 51.8% of A-level grades were in the A*–B range. The school’s latest Ofsted report notes that students leave the school equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in further education and employment.

The school’s commitment to producing well-rounded and accomplished young people is reflected in its extensive extracurricular programme. Students can choose from a wide range of activities, including debating, choir, knitting and badminton. Additionally, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is available from Year 9, when students sign up for the Bronze level, progressing to Silver in Year 10 and Gold in Years 11 and 12.

Student wellbeing is important at PHSG. Anti-Bullying Ambassadors work hard to promote kindness, helping to make the school community safe and caring. They have even set up ‘Talk it Tuesday’, enabling other students to come and talk to them about any worries they have. 

If you want to learn about the 11+ admissions process for Plymouth High School for Girls, please read on.

Plymouth High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Admissions

Visiting PHSG is advisable so you can get a feel for the place and decide whether it is a good fit for your daughter. Open evenings are held in June and September, allowing you to hear an address from the Headteacher, explore the facilities and meet members of the school community. Alternatively, you can contact the school to be booked onto one of their tours. 

Towards the end of April in Year 5, the 11+ registration form will become available on PHSG’s website. You must complete it before the end of August.

Please note that you should not register with both PHSG and Devonport High School for Girls for the 11+ examination, as both schools hold the same 11+ tests on the same days. You can apply to either school or both, regardless of which school your daughter sits the tests at. 

On two consecutive Saturdays in September of Year 6, your daughter will sit tests. On the first date, she will sit an English Quest assessment, and on the second date, a maths Quest assessment.   

In mid-October, you will receive your daughter’s results by email, which will help you decide whether a selective school is a viable option.

Before the end of October, you must complete your local authority’s common application form. The 120 places at PHSG are typically filled by those who have it as their first choice. 

At the beginning of March, you will learn from your local authority whether your daughter has secured a place at PHSG.

Applicants who reach an eligible score in the 11+ examination and have an EHCP that names PHSG will be allocated places first. Then, if there are more applicants than available places, priority will be given as follows:

1. To looked after or previously looked after children who reach an adjusted eligible score.
2. To up to 12 applicants who currently receive free school meals or qualified for them at some point in the previous six years and who reach an adjusted eligible score. You must complete the relevant form if this criterion is relevant to your daughter. 
3. To the candidates who achieve the highest scores.  

For more detailed information, please see the school’s Admissions Policy. 

PHSG does hold a practice examination in July of Year 5, which you can read about here.

How to Prepare for the Plymouth High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam?

We hope that you find the following tips helpful:

• Revise Year 5 work as the assessments will test your daughter’s knowledge of Year 5 topics. Break information down into bite-sized pieces so that it feels manageable and highlight key points.
  
• Keep study sessions short because research shows that most Year 5 children can focus effectively for around 20-30 minutes at a time. Also, short sessions won’t feel overwhelming but can fit in around your daughter’s other activities and relaxation time.
  
• Encourage regular reading of a variety of texts to broaden your daughter’s vocabulary and enhance her reading comprehension. Ask her questions about what she has read to promote a deeper understanding and encourage her to stop at words she doesn’t know to work out their meaning or look them up.
  
• Make learning enjoyable by playing games together and using puzzles. Scrabble, for example, is great for developing vocabulary, and chess is good for problem-solving skills. You could ask your daughter mental arithmetic questions. Why not see how many she can get right in a minute and then see if she can beat her record? 
  
• Prioritise your daughter’s wellbeing by praising her for all her achievements, no matter how small, encouraging her to see setbacks and mistakes as opportunities for growth. Ensure she gets sufficient sleep, eats nutritious meals and participates in physical activities, all of which will help her feel calm and boost her cognitive abilities.   
  
• Use our Quest practice tests so that your daughter becomes familiar with what to expect in the English and maths Quest assessments. Working through them will help her identify any weak areas she needs to focus on or gaps in her knowledge she needs to address. The answers and explanations provided will help her learn from her mistakes, leading to a more polished performance in the real assessments.   

Please have a look at the section below for details about our PHSG 11+ examination practice resources. 

Plymouth High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Practice Exam Papers

Practice exam papers should form an integral part of your daughter’s 11 Plus preparation. These will give her an understanding of the exam layout and structure, which will go a long way towards making her feel more comfortable under exam conditions.

For the Plymouth High School for Girls’ 11 Plus exam, we would specifically recommend the following practice resources:

English

12 Products

Practice Papers

11+ English (Grammar Schools) Pack 1

11+ English (Grammar Schools) Pack 2

11+ English (Grammar Schools) Pack 3

11+ English (Grammar Schools) Pack 4

11+ English (Grammar Schools) Pack 5

11+ English: Spelling Pack 3

11+ English: Punctuation

11+ English: Sentence Completion

11+ English (Grammar Schools) Comprehension Pack 1

11+ English (Grammar Schools) Comprehension Pack 2

11+ English: Inference Skills Pack 1

11+ English: Inference Skills Pack 2

Plymouth 11+ English Bundle

You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the English section of the Plymouth 11+ Exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more.

View Bundle

Mathematics

25 Products

Practice Papers

11+ Mathematics (Grammar Schools) Pack 1

11+ Mathematics (Grammar Schools) Pack 2

11+ Mathematics (Grammar Schools) Pack 3

11+ Mathematics (Grammar Schools) Pack 4

11+ Mathematics: Algebra (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Angles & Degrees (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: BODMAS (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Estimation & Place Value (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Factors & Multiples (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Fractions, Decimals & Percentages (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Measurements (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Money (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Operations (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Perimeter, Area & Volume (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Position & Direction (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Probability (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Problem Solving (Grammar Schools) Pack 1

11+ Mathematics: Problem Solving (Grammar Schools) Pack 2

11+ Mathematics: Properties of Shapes (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Ratio & Proportion (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Sequences (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Special Numbers (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Speed, Distance & Time (Grammar Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Statistics (Grammar Schools)

Plymouth 11+ Mathematics Bundle

You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the Mathematics section of the Plymouth 11+ Exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more.

View Bundle

Please do contact us if you have any questions about our resources. We will do our best to help you. We want to take this opportunity to wish your daughter all the best on her assessment days at PHSG.

The information provided about PHSG was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware that there may be future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you need clarification on anything. School contact details are provided within the post.

Please note that Exam Papers Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publishers of the Quest paper assessments or any other test publisher.