The King’s School, Gloucester, 11 Plus Entrance Exam Information 2024
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Table of Contents
Introduction
The King’s School is a co-educational independent day school in Gloucester. It is known for being a pupil-centered school with a stunning campus of historic buildings and tranquil gardens near Gloucester Cathedral.
The school was founded in 1541, however, the origins of the school go back many years before the Tudor period. The Abbey of St Peter, the predecessor of Gloucester Cathedral, sponsored a number of educational ventures during the Middle Ages in the form of a cloister school, an almonry school and a song school. Each of these partially survived Reformation and are now seen as forerunners of King’s.
The school’s wide curriculum includes foreign languages, the Classics and separately taught sciences, adapted according to the preferences of each student. Year 7 pupils get to choose from a variety of subjects, such as art, computing, DT, economics and business, English and drama, geography, history, maths, philosophy, religion and ethics, and many more.
Characterised by small class sizes, King’s Gloucester aims to ensure that all students can participate actively in class. Lessons and activities are designed to engage and encourage independent thinking and to ensure that every student’s talents and strengths are nurtured. Teaching methods are tailored in accordance with individual needs, which is the core principle of the school’s approach.
Recently, The King’s School pupils celebrated the best GCSE results in the school’s history with 55% of pupils gaining Grades 9 – 7 (A* – A) and 100% of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs at Grades 9 – 4 (A* – C). Both boys and girls achieved equally exceptional results, proving, yet again, that co-educational schooling can produce great academic results and well-rounded individuals.
The King’s School, Gloucester, 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2024
Address: Pitt Street Gloucester GL1 2BG
County: Gloucestershire
Admissions info: admissions@thekingsschool.co.uk or 01452 337 337
School type: Co-ed independent day school
Number of students: 507 (approx.)
Open day: March, May and October
11+ Exam date: November of Year 6
11+ Exam type / Board: School’s own + Aptitude Test
Pass mark (Papers): Aim for 75%+ in our paper-based practice tests.
Pass mark (Online Aptitude Test): Aim for 60%+ in our online practice tests.
Open Events for The King’s School, Gloucester, 11 Plus (11+) Entry
You can visit the school, meet current pupils and staff and enjoy the inspirational Cathedral setting during the school’s Open Mornings. An individual visit for the family in the form of a personal visit or a Taster Day for the child can be arranged through the Admissions Office.
Open Mornings are held each year in March, May and October. The events help you and your child learn more about the school by visiting the classrooms and meeting teachers who are happy to provide information about life at King’s.
At the end of your tour, there will be refreshments and an opportunity to chat with key members of the senior staff, as well as members of the Admissions team. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:
The King’s School, Gloucester, 11 Plus (11+) Admissions
If places are available, the school accepts pupils in all year groups. The main entry points in the Senior School are 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9) and Sixth Form, and on occasion, pupils are admitted into Year 8 and Year 10.
The school has a Learning Support Department to enable those pupils with specific learning difficulties to successfully access the academic curriculum. Pupils with physical disabilities are also welcome to apply for entry.
Special educational needs/learning difficulties or physical disabilities should be discussed prior to the Entrance examination or Academic Scholarship examination so that adequate provision can be offered. In such cases, a copy of an Educational Psychologist’s report or a medical report will be required.
Candidates applying for entry into Year 7 are required to sit an 11+ entrance assessment which consists of papers and aptitude tests.
After visiting the school on an open day, the next step requires submitting a registration form. The registration fee is a total of £75. Registration will be confirmed once the payment of the fee is received.
Once the form and fee are received, further information will be sent to parents regarding the next stage of the child’s application.
All candidates will be required to bring a piece of current schoolwork with them to the assessment day and will have an interview with a member of staff. A report from the candidate’s current school will also be obtained and reviewed.
The King’s School, Gloucester, 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format
The 11+ exam at King’s Gloucester consists of the following assessments:
- English paper
- Mathematics paper
- Aptitude test (CEM Select)
The English paper aims to evaluate your child’s reading, comprehension and writing skills, including punctuation, vocabulary and grammar.
The maths paper is specifically designed to provide an opportunity for your child to demonstrate their ability in problem-solving and arithmetic. The questions are in standard format, not multiple-choice.
The Aptitude test is called CEM Select. It assesses Verbal, Non-Verbal and Numerical Ability through a series of short, online modules.
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the King’s Gloucester 11+ exam.
How to Prepare for The King’s School, Gloucester, 11 Plus (11+) Exam
In order to help boost the child’s confidence in the lead up to the big day, we highly recommend that you make use of our practice tests. They help students become familiar with the style and layout of the King’s Gloucester entrance exams, whilst covering all the question types that could be asked in the actual assessment.
Our practice tests can help you identify any weaker areas that require additional work, and can assist you in devising a specific study schedule for your child. With a structured approach towards 11+ exam preparation, you will be able to remove unnecessary stress from the preparation process, making it overall a more pleasant process.
With the use of practice tests under timed conditions, children can get used to answering questions quickly and under time pressure. This way, they obtain a significant advantage over their peers who take a less-structured approach to preparation.
The King’s School, Gloucester, 11 Plus (11+) Exam Pass Marks and Target Scores
Pupils who are able to score 75%+ consistently in our practice papers should be on track to pass the written sections of the King’s Gloucester 11+ exam.
The King’s Gloucester 11+ online Aptitude Test (CEM Select) is highly time pressured and students are not expected to answer all the questions. In terms of pass marks, 60%+ is considered an excellent score and 50%+ is considered a very good score in our CEM Select Practice Tests.
Whilst there are no guarantees, this has historically been a fairly strong indicator that your child should do well in The King’s School, Gloucester, 11 Plus examinations.
Don’t worry if your child is not scoring well in our practice tests and papers from the outset. With targeted practice and focus, it’s possible to make big improvements in a short amount of time!
The King’s School, Gloucester, 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers
NOTE: The following English and Mathematics practice tests are in standard format, which means that students need to write in their own answers rather than choose from a list of multiple-choice options. This matches the 11+ Exam format used by the school.
English
The following packs are highly recommended for successful preparation for The King’s School 11+ English paper. They will help improve comprehension and writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and inference:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the King’s Gloucester English exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ English Bundle - Save 30%
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.
Mathematics
For The King’s School 11+ maths test, we strongly suggest the use of the following resources:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the King’s Gloucester mathematics exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ Mathematics Bundle - Save 30%
Aptitude Test
The following full practice online tests are specifically designed to help your child become familiar with the demands of the King’s Gloucester CEM Select Aptitude Test:
Full Practice
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the King’s Gloucester CEM Select exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
CEM Select Practice Tests 1-10 Bundle - Save 30%
✅ Alternatively, you can choose a bundle of five of our recommended full practice tests for the King’s Gloucester CEM Select exam and still save 25%. Select the relevant bundle below to learn more:
CEM Select Practice Tests 1-5 Bundle - Save 25%
CEM Select Practice Tests 6-10 Bundle - Save 25%
The following resources consist of focused tests that allow students to target specific question formats that appear in CEM Select:
Skill Practice: Verbal Ability
CEM Select – Comprehension Pack 1
CEM Select – Comprehension Pack 2
CEM Select – Missing Words Pack 1
CEM Select – Missing Words Pack 2
CEM Select – Shuffled Sentences
CEM Select – Letter Connections
CEM Select – Multiple Meanings
Skill Practice: Non-Verbal Ability
Skill Practice: Numerical Ability
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the King’s Gloucester CEM Select exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
CEM Select Skill Practice Bundle - Save 30%
Interviews
This guide covers all the key concepts your child needs to be aware of for the 11+ Interview:
11+ Interviews – The Complete Guide
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in The King’s School, Gloucester 11+ exam past papers. The information provided about The King’s School, Gloucester 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 The King’s School, Gloucester:
Click here to learn about Year 3 entry via the 7 Plus (7+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 4 entry via the 8 Plus (8+) Exam
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