City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Entrance Exam Information
Bookmark this page? Pop your email into the box below to receive a link to this article so you can easily refer back to it later.
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 powerful leadership and effective involvement in social processes.
City of London School 13 Plus (13+) 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: By the end of November of Year 6
13+ Exam date, Stage 2: December of Year 6
13+ Exam type / Board: ISEB Pretest, Bespoke Online Test + Writing
Open Events for City of London School 13 Plus (13+) 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 the campus, informal conversations with key members of staff and an address from the Head. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:
City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Admissions
For 13+ entry, the registration deadline is in October of Year 6. City uses a two-stage exam to assess pupils, including the ISEB Pretest (Stage 1) and an online test and written paper (Stage 2). The ISEB Pretest should be sat by the end of November. The entrance exam (online test and written paper) takes place in December.
As part of the evaluation procedure, a confidential report and references from your son’s current school will be obtained. There will also be an interview with a senior member of City’s staff (in January). CLS sends out offers of places in February. Please note that acceptance of a place includes a payment of a deposit.
City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Scholarships and Bursaries
The school offers Academic Prizes, Music Scholarships and Sports Prizes, each valued at £35. Academic Prizes are offered to top-performing candidates in the entrance examinations. The evaluation process includes an interview, for which students are not expected to prepare.
Music Scholarships are awarded to successful 13+ 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 Prizes are allocated on the basis of performance in a sports trial. Please note that applicants must satisfy the school’s academic standards, as well.
City awards a limited number of bursaries to families in need of financial support. Parents of academically bright students who couldn’t otherwise benefit from attending CLS are strongly encouraged to apply.
Please note that the means-testing process will look into your finances and assets. Families who earn less than £45,000 will qualify for a full bursary (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
Stage 1
The Stage 1 City of London School 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.
Stage 2
The Stage 2 City of London School 13+ entrance examination consists of the following assessments:
- Online test
- Creative Writing paper
The online test comprises the following sections:
– Mathematics (20 minutes)
– English (20 minutes)
– Non-Verbal Reasoning (10 minutes)
– Verbal Reasoning (10 minutes)
– Puzzles & Problem Solving (15 minutes)
– Creative Comprehension (20 minutes)
The maths section will evaluate your son’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills, with some questions containing diagrams or charts.
The English section will test your son’s comprehension, grammar and punctuation abilities through multiple-choice questions.
The Non-Verbal Reasoning section, also in the multiple-choice format, will focus on his spatial and visual reasoning capabilities.
The Verbal Reasoning section aims to assess his vocabulary skills, alongside his ability to interpret context-based meanings.
The Puzzles & Problem Solving module contains interactive puzzles and diagrams, followed by multiple-choice questions.
The Creative Comprehension assessment comprises multiple-choice questions based on different sources, such as texts, maps, timetables, diagrams and charts.
The English Writing paper will evaluate your son’s writing skills, including punctuation, imagination, creativity, form, purpose, organisation, cohesion and sentence structure. The assessment is a 30-minute exercise based on a given prompt, where your son will draw inspiration from an image to craft a story. He will have the flexibility to write from the first, third, or any other narrative perspective. The story can be purely fictional or inspired by his own or someone else’s experiences.
How to Prepare for the City of London School 13 Plus (13+) Exam
To successfully prepare your son for the highly selective City of London School 13+ entrance exam, we recommend using practice tests. Our 13+ resources fully reflect the actual exam by covering all the question types he might encounter, whilst familiarising him with the exam layout.
Coupled with a structured study plan, our 13+ practice tests will help you pinpoint any areas where your son may need additional work early on. They will also help you identify his strengths, significantly boosting his confidence as the exam day approaches.
Furthermore, he will become adept at answering questions quickly and effectively under time constraints.
Our 13+ mock tests are designed to be age-appropriate, yet challenging. As such, they are successfully used by tens of thousands of students every year. Our recommendations to help your son 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
City 13+ 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
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 1
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 2
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 3
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 4
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 5
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 6
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 7
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 8
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 9
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 10
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 11
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 12
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 13
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 14
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 15
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the City of London School ISEB Pretest exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 1-15 Bundle - Save 35%
Alternatively, you can choose a bundle of five of our recommended full practice tests for the City of London School ISEB Pretest exam and still save 25%. Select the relevant bundle below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 1-5 Bundle - Save 25%
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 6-10 Bundle - Save 25%
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 11-15 Bundle - Save 25%
Video Courses
The following video courses cover everything your child needs to know to do well in the ISEB Pretest:
ISEB Pretest Non-Verbal Reasoning Course
ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning Course
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended video courses for the City of London School ISEB Pretest exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Video Courses Bundle - Save 25%
Skill Practice
Our Skill Practice products consist of focused tests that allow your child to improve targeted skills ahead of the ISEB Pretest:
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Reading Comprehension
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Cloze Sentences
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Shuffled Sentences
NEW ISEB Pretest English – SPAG
NEW ISEB Pretest 2D Non-Verbal Reasoning
NEW ISEB Pretest Spatial Reasoning
NEW ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the City of London School ISEB Pretest exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Skill Practice Bundle - Save 30%
Stage 2 Exam
City 13+ Online Test
To prepare for the highly competitive City of London School 13+ Online Test, we would highly recommend using the following resources:
13+ City of London School Practice Test 1
13+ City of London School Practice Test 2
13+ City of London School Practice Test 3
13+ City of London School Practice Test 4
13+ City of London School Practice Test 5
13+ City of London School Practice Test 6
13+ City of London School Practice Test 7
13+ City of London School Practice Test 8
13+ City of London School Practice Test 9
13+ City of London School Practice Test 10
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the City of London School 13+ Online Test at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
13+ CLS Practice Tests 1-10 Bundle - Save 30%
Alternatively, you can choose a bundle of five of our recommended full practice tests for the City of London School 13+ Online Test and still save 25%. Select the relevant bundle below to learn more:
13+ CLS Practice Tests 1-5 bundle - Save 25%
13+ CLS Practice Tests 6-10 bundle - Save 25%
City 13+ Skill Practice
The following Skill Practice exercises focus on one module that will come up in the City of London School 13+ Online Test, allowing you to target the specific exam sections that your child finds challenging.
13+ City of London School Mathematics
13+ City of London School Creative Comprehension Pack 1
13+ City of London School Creative Comprehension Pack 2
13+ City of London School Puzzles & Problem Solving Pack 1
13+ City of London School Puzzles & Problem Solving Pack 2
Don’t forget to use the code ppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £80 and 20% off orders over £200 if you don’t buy a bundle.
City 13+ Creative Writing
As the City 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 for the 13+ English Writing paper:
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the City of London School English exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ English Bundle - Save 15%
If you’d like to have your child’s writing assessed and marked, you may be interested in our Writing Marking Service. Please click here to learn more.
Get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a Bundle. Use the code eppdiscount at checkout.
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.
Other entry points for City of London School:
Click here to learn about Year 7 entry via the 11 Plus (11+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 12 entry via the 16 Plus (16+) Exam
Bookmark this page? Pop your email into the box below to receive a link to this article so you can easily refer back to it later.
