City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Pretest Entrance Exam Information
Table of Contents
Introduction
City of London School, better known as CLS or City, is an independent day school for boys located on the banks of the River Thames, opposite Tate Modern. One of the country’s most academically selective schools, City has educated a vast number of high-achievers in the areas of science, medicine, politics and literature. [1]
Its broad and relevant education maximises pupils’ intellectual skills and cognitive capacity, successfully reflecting the demands of the 21st century landscape. In line with its rich academic tradition, CLS moulds boys into agile and outward-looking thinkers who approach learning with excitement, benefitting from engaging and vigorous lessons in humanities, science, technology and arts.
The co-curricular provision further invests in students’ overall development, inspiring happiness and provoking curiosity by catering for a wide range of interests. The balanced and well-resourced activities programme features an impressive selection of clubs and societies, which, together with community related pursuits, help boys develop character and versatility. [2]
Articulate, eloquent and respectful of the motto Domine dirige nos (Lord guide us), City’s leavers frequently access further education at some of the country’s top universities and beyond. The school’s strong performance reflects a diverse and welcoming ethos which produces young adults of high integrity, determined to change the world for the better through fierce leadership and effective involvement in social processes.
City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Pretest Exam Information
Address: Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 3AL
County: Greater London
Admissions info: admissions@cityoflondonschool.org.uk or 020 3680 6300
School type: Independent day school for boys
Open day: In the Spring and Autumn terms
13+ Exam date, Stage 1: Autumn term of Year 6
13+ Exam date, Stage 2: Spring term of Year 6
13+ Exam type / Board: ISEB Pretest & School’s own
Open Events for City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Pretest Entry
CLS recommends that all prospective families attend Open Days as part of the initial stage of the 13+ assessment process. The events include guided tours of campus, informal one-on-ones with key members of staff and an address from the Head.
City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Admissions
For 13+ entry, the registration deadline is in October of Year 6. City uses a 2-stage exam to assess pupils, including an online assessment (Stage 1) and papers & interviews (Stage 2).
As part of the evaluation procedure, confidential reports and references from your son’s current school will be obtained. He will also be asked to sit further examinations while in Year 8 and will be expected to score above 70% in each paper.
CLS sends out offers of places in the Spring term of Year 6. Please note that acceptance of places includes a payment of a deposit.
City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Scholarships and Bursaries
Scholarships are valued at £250 per annum. They are awarded for Academics, Music and Sports.
Academic Scholarships are offered to top-performing candidates in the online and paper-based examinations, as well as further scholarship assessments, taken in Year 8.
Music Scholarships are awarded to applicants who excel in an audition and interview, performing at a Grade 6 standard on piano and strings and Grade 5 on other orchestral instruments.
Sports Scholarships are allocated on the basis of performance in a sports trial. Please note that applicants must satisfy the school’s academic standard as well.
Bursaries are awarded to families in need of financial support. Parents of academically bright students who couldn’t otherwise benefit from City’s offering are strongly encouraged to apply.
Please note that the evaluation process will look into your finances and assets. Families who earn less than £45,000 will qualify for a full place (100%). Costs for extras, such as uniforms, lunches and exam fees will also be covered. More details are available here.
City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Exam Format
The City of London School Stage 1 13+ entrance examination consists of the following test:
- ISEB Common Pretest
The Pretest is an online assessment that assesses skills in Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. This test is taken in Year 6.
The City of London School Stage 2 13+ entrance examination consists of the following assessments:
- English
- Mathematics
- Interview
The English paper examines both comprehension and writing skills, including inference, spelling, vocabulary and punctuation.
The maths exam assesses your child’s problem-solving abilities and arithmetic skills. The paper will include questions on number, measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics.
The interview helps the school determine your child’ compatibility with their ethos and philosophy by learning more about his interests and passions.
This assessment takes place in Year 6.
In Year 8, your son will sit the Common Entrance exam, or City’s own exam if his current school no longer follows the full Common Entrance curriculum. The papers will cover:
- English
- Mathematics
- French
- Latin
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the City of London School 13+ entrance examinations.
How to Prepare for the City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Pretest Exam
To successfully prepare your child for the highly selective City of London School 13+ entrance exam, we recommend using practice tests. Our resources fully reflect the actual exam by covering all the question types that could come up, whilst helping your child become familiar with the exam layout.
Coupled with a structured study plan, our practice tests will help you define any weak areas that require additional work at the earliest. They will also help you recognise your child’s strengths, resulting in a significant boost of their confidence in the lead up to the big day.
Furthermore, your child will get used to answering questions quickly and effectively, under time pressure.
Our resources are designed to be age-appropriate, yet challenging, and, as such, they are used successfully by tens of thousands of students every year. Our recommendations to help your child prepare for the City of London School 13 Plus entrance examination can be found below.
City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Exam Practice Papers
Recommendations for each section of the City of London School 13 Plus exam can be found below:
Stage 1 Exam
ISEB Pretest
To help your child prepare for the ISEB Pretest, we recommend the following online resources, covering all key question types known to come up in the exam:
Full Practice Tests
Video Courses
ISEB Pretest Non-Verbal Reasoning Course
ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning Course
Skill Practice
ISEB Pretest English – Comprehension
ISEB Pretest English – Sentence Completion
ISEB Pretest English – Spelling & Punctuation
ISEB Pretest Non-Verbal Reasoning
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GL-Style Material
The ISEB Common Pretest is created by a company called GL Assessment. This company also creates the 11+ exam for many schools. There is a lot of overlap between these tests. As such, GL-style material often provides ideal preparation for the ISEB Common Pretest.
Click here to view our recommendations to drill down on very specific topics that are tested in the ISEB Common Pretest.
ISEB Pretest Workbooks
If you’re interested in our range of popular ISEB Pretest Workbooks that are delivered directly to your home, please click here.
Stage 2 Exam
*As the CLS Stage 2 exam is taken in Year 6 as opposed to Year 8, we highly recommend the following 11+ practice papers to help your child prepare.
English (11+)
We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the City of London School 13+ English paper:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
Mathematics (11+)
We highly recommend the use of the following packs to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the City of London School 13 Plus maths test:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
Interviews
11+ Interviews – The Complete Guide
Year 8 Exam
English (13+)
The following practice papers will successfully prepare your child for the City of London School Year 8 (13+) English examination:
Mathematics (13+)
We highly recommend the use of the following papers to help your child prepare for the City of London School Year 8 (13+) maths test:
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Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in City of London School 13+ past papers. The information provided about City of London School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.
