Wells Cathedral School 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information 2024

Introduction

Wells Cathedral School is a co-educational independent school located in Wells, Somerset. Considered as one of the oldest extant schools in the world, the school is also one of the five specialist musical schools for school-age children in the UK.

Distinguished musicians visit Wells to give masterclasses, whilst many of the country’s esteemed choral conductors have served as Headmasters/Deputy Heads, including Peter Stanley Lyons and James William Webb-Jones. £3.5 million of government funding helped build a new concert hall and classrooms at Cedars Hall, the Wells Cathedral School’s performing arts venue where the school’s musicians listen to lectures, rehearse and perform.

The Year 7 curriculum comprises art, classics, English, French, geography, history, maths, music, religious studies, science and PSHE, along with a range of technology subjects. Students can also choose from additional modern foreign languages, such as German, Spanish and Italian.

Although the school is recognised for its specialist music scheme, it has a proven track record in academic excellence too, producing well-rounded pupils who go on to become successful individuals in their later lives. In line with the motto Be what you are, Wells tailors its flexible learning programme so that it fits each pupil’s individual needs, thus enabling them to make the most of their time at school.

Wells Cathedral School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2024

Address: The Liberty, Wells BA5 2ST

County: Somerset

Admissions info: admissions@wells.cathedral.school or +44 (0)1749 834 213

School type: Independent co-ed day and boarding school

Open day: Throughout the year

11+ Exam date: January of Year 6

11+ Exam type / Board: CAT4 

Open Events for Wells Cathedral School 11 Plus (11+) Entry

The school holds several types of open events. Open Days include speeches, pupil-led tours and opportunities to ask questions and explore the school. A spot can be booked via an online form. 

The Be a Specialist Musician for a Day events cover a range of activities, such as shadowing a pupil, attending a concert, rehearsing with current pupils and meeting key staff members. Booking is available on the school’s website.

Be a Mathematician for a Day is in a ‘Taster Day’ format, offering children a variety of activities as part of the specialist maths scheme at Wells. You can register your attendance via an online form.

Individual visits, including meetings with staff and tours of facilities, can be arranged with the Admissions Team. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:

Wells Cathedral School 11 Plus (11+) Admissions

Wells is an academically selective school, admitting children on the basis of academic merit assessed via an entry test, an interview and a current-school reference. Results are posted to families within one month of the assessments or sooner.

Please note that the following fees are payable throughout the admissions process: a non-refundable registration fee on application for a place and a deposit on acceptance of an offer. The latter will be refunded when your child leaves the school.

Wells Cathedral School 11 Plus (11+) Scholarships and Bursaries

At 11+, the school offers scholarships in the following areas: Academic ability, Mathematics, Sport, Music, All-Round ability and Choristership. Scholarship awards are based on merit and carry a value of 10% of day fees. To truly exceptional candidates, the school awards scholarships worth up to 50% of day fees.

A scholarship may be coupled with a bursary. These need-based financial awards are offered to families from a broad range of income levels. They typically cover a percentage of tuition or boarding fees, a proportion of the difference between tuition and boarding fees, or a fixed sum.

If you decide to apply for a bursary, you will be notified of the school’s decision at the same time that you are notified of the outcome of your child’s application. Please note that the school cooperates with Bursary Administration Limited, who carry out financial circumstances assessments via a home visit and reports, later reviewed by the school’s Bursary Committee. 

Wells Cathedral School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format

The Wells Cathedral School 11+ entrance examination consists of the following assessment:

• CAT4 (Cognitive Abilities Test)

CAT4 is an online assessment which measures developed abilities via modules testing Verbal, Non-Verbal, Spatial and Quantitative Reasoning.

Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the Wells Cathedral School 11+ entrance examinations.

How to Prepare for the Wells Cathedral School 11 Plus (11+) Exam

Consisting of thoroughly researched and up to date questions, our practice tests successfully reflect the actual 11+ exam. They offer a methodical approach towards 11+ exam preparation which can help you identify the strong and weak areas in your child’s knowledge base. 

Aside from identifying potential weaknesses, our practice tests will help you recognise your child’s strengths, and thus you will be able to adjust their study schedule accordingly. The preparation process should become a little less demanding with a carefully thought-out revision plan that focuses on studying ‘little and often’.

Whilst age-appropriate, our practice tests are challenging, and are successfully used by hundreds of thousands of students every year. Our recommendations to help your child prepare for the Wells Cathedral School 11 plus entrance examination can be found below.

Wells Cathedral School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Tests

Cognitive Abilities Test

The following Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) online practice tests are highly recommended for successful preparation for the Wells Cathedral School 11+ CAT. They help familiarise students with the various modules and question types that will come up in the CAT4 Level C, which is taken for Year 7 (11+) entry.

CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 1

CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 2

CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 3

CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 4

CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 5

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the Wells Cathedral School CAT4 at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

Non-Verbal Reasoning

CAT4 – Level C – Figure Matrices

CAT4 – Level C – Figure Classification

Verbal Reasoning

CAT4 – Level C – Verbal Classification

CAT4 – Level C – Verbal Analogies

Quantitative Reasoning

CAT4 – Level C – Number Analogies

CAT4 – Level C – Number Series

Spatial Reasoning

CAT4 – Level C – Figure Analysis

CAT4 – Level C – Figure Recognition

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the Wells Cathedral School CAT4 at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

The following video courses cover everything your child needs to know to do well in the Wells Cathedral School CAT4:

CAT4 Quantitative Reasoning Course

CAT4 Non-Verbal Reasoning Course

CAT4 Spatial Reasoning Course

CAT4 Verbal Reasoning Course

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended video courses for the Wells Cathedral School CAT4 at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

Get 10% off orders over £80 and 20% off orders over £200 if you don’t buy a bundle. Use the code ppdiscount at checkout.

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 Wells Cathedral School 11+ past papers. The information provided about Wells Cathedral 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.