City of London School Entrance Guide

City of London School regularly holds Open Afternoons and Evenings, bookable via the school website. Tickets are released in batches to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to visit, and a virtual tour is available for those unable to attend in person.

10+ entry to City of London School is a two-stage process. Following registration and completion of the application form, boys are invited to an assessment day in the Autumn term of Year 5. This consists of papers in English, Maths and Reasoning. Sample papers are available on the school website for English and Maths. The English paper comprises multiple choice comprehension questions followed by creative writing which asks the pupil to continue the story. The Maths paper is non-calculator and contains a mix of simple calculations and more complex problem-solving questions. The second stage of assessment for 10+ entry to City of London School is an interview, held in the Spring Term for boys who have passed the first stage assessments. Offers are sent out following these interviews and must be accepted promptly. 

11+ entry to City of London School is the most popular entry point, and is a three-stage process, although boys are invited to both the second and third stages once they have passed the first. In the Autumn Term of Year 6, boys are assessed in both Maths and English, with sample papers available on the school website. The English paper consists of multiple choice comprehension questions followed by a creative writing question, and the Maths paper is non-calculator and contains a mix of basic calculation and problem-solving questions. For those boys who pass this first stage, the second stage is a further assessment day, this time in Reasoning, both Verbal and Non-Verbal. These boys are also invited to attend an interview, with all three stages completed around the start of the Spring Term of Year 6. Offers are sent out based on performance at all three stages and must be accepted promptly. 

13+ entry to City of London School has four components, although all prospective pupils undertake all parts of the process. The first stage is the ISEB pre-test, which boys take in the Autumn term of Year 6 for entry in Year 9. Following this test, all candidates for 13+ entry undertake school assessments in Maths and English towards the end of the term. They are also invited for an interview at City of London School in the Spring Term, and sit Reasoning assessments (both Verbal and Non-Verbal) around the same time. As there are a number of years between assessments and start dates, City of London School makes conditional offers for 13+ entry based on continued performance at the boy’s current school and asks for an updated reference prior to confirming the place. 

16+ entry to City of London School is via entrance assessments, a reference from the boy’s current school, an interview and predicted GCSE grades. Following registration, boys are invited to assessments in the Autumn term of Year 11 in three subjects they wish to study at A-Level. Additionally, they will sit a CAT (Cognitive Ability) test which is computer-based. There is detailed additional information about each exam available on the school website. Following this assessment day, successful boys will attend an interview at the school, and offers will be made subject to GCSE grades. 

Scholarships are available at City of London School. All scholarships are worth a nominal financial amount and are awarded up to the end of Year 11 only (not for 16+). Academic scholarships are awarded following the entrance assessments at 10+, 11+ and 13+. Music and Sport scholarships are available at 10+, 11+ and 13+ and are based on auditions and assessments which take place in the Spring Term prior to entry.

Bursaries are available at City of London School at all standard entry points and can be worth up to 100% of the fees, with extras such as uniform, compulsory trips and travel also being subsidized. Boys who require bursary support to attend the school must pass the entrance assessments prior to being considered for a bursary. Chorister bursaries at The Temple Church are also awarded for boys who successfully audition for this busy role and also attend City of London School.