Essex and Southend (CSSE) 11+ pass marks and cut-off history
Facts checked 19 October 2026By ExamKind Editorial Team
Some details are being re-checked
We check every fact against the official source on a schedule, and some details on this page are due their next check (last verified 19 October 2026). We'll update the page if anything has changed. How we check facts
In short
The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) does not make an offer to any child whose total standardised score is under 303Essex and Southend (CSSE): Qualifying scoreChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: CSSE secondary school offers are not made to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303.
View the official source. That minimum appears in every year we have checked, from September 2021 to September 2025 entry. It is a floor, not the score that secures a place. Each school's own admission rules decide the order in which places are offered.
The qualifying rule
Score to qualify
303or more
For September 2026 entry.
Checked, source: Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE), checked
Pass marks by year
| Entry year | Qualifying score | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 entry: pass marks and school cut-offs in detail | 303Qualifying score, 2026 entryChecked 13 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: This table provides the lowest score in the 2025 11+ Test to secure a place on March offer day in 2026 for entry in September 2026. ... CSSE secondary school offers are not made to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303.View the official source | Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) |
| 2025 | 303Qualifying score, 2025 entryChecked 12 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: 2025 ENTRY ... This table provides the lowest score in the 2024 11+ Test to secure a place on March offer day in 2025 for entry in September 2025. ... CSSE secondary school offers are not made to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303.View the official source | Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) |
| 2024 | 303Qualifying score, 2024 entryChecked 12 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: 2024 ENTRY ... This table provides the lowest score in the 2023 11+ Test to secure a place on March offer day in 2024 for entry in September 2024. ... CSSE secondary school offers are not made to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303.View the official source | Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) |
| 2023 | 303Qualifying score, 2023 entryChecked 12 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: 2023 ENTRY ... This table provides the lowest score in the 2022 11+ Test to secure a place on March offer day in 2023 for entry in September 2023. ... CSSE secondary school offers are not made to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303.View the official source | Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) |
| 2022 | 303Qualifying score, 2022 entryChecked 12 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: 2022 ENTRY ... This table provides the lowest score in the 2021 11+ Test to secure a place on March offer day in 2022 for entry in September 2022. ... CSSE secondary school offers are not made to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303.View the official source | Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) |
| 2021 | 303Qualifying score, 2021 entryChecked 12 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: 2021 ENTRY ... This table provides the lowest score in the 2020 11+ Test to secure a place on March offer day in 2021 for entry in September 2021. ... CSSE secondary school offers are not made to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303.View the official source | Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) |
Select a year to see that year's school cut-offs and results in detail.
- 2026 entry
The qualifying score was 303. The same as for 2025 entry.
- 2025 entry
The qualifying score was 303. The same as for 2024 entry.
- 2024 entry
The qualifying score was 303. The same as for 2023 entry.
- 2023 entry
The qualifying score was 303. The same as for 2022 entry.
- 2022 entry
The qualifying score was 303. The same as for 2021 entry.
- 2021 entry
The qualifying score was 303.
"Not published" means we have no checked value from an official source for that year. A pass mark is history, not a prediction of next year's.
School cut-offs
The latest lowest score and furthest distance each school offered places to, with the entry year. Schools use their own admission rules and sometimes their own score scales, so compare each school with its own past years rather than with other schools.
| School | Lowest score offered | Furthest distance offered |
|---|---|---|
| Chelmsford County High School for Girls |
| Not published |
| Colchester County High School for Girls |
| Not published |
| Colchester Royal Grammar School | 346Lowest score offered at Colchester Royal Grammar School, no priority area (single figure)Checked 13 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: Colchester Royal Grammar School (Boys)* 346 ... Colchester Royal Grammar School No priority area.View the official source2026 entry, offer day, no priority area (single figure) | Not published |
| King Edward VI Grammar School |
| Not published |
| Shoeburyness High School | 303Lowest score offered at Shoeburyness High School, inside priority areaChecked 13 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: PARTIALLY SELECTIVE SCHOOLS Inside Priority Area Outside Priority Area Shoeburyness High School 303View the official source2026 entry, offer day, inside priority area | 28.492 milesFurthest distance offered at Shoeburyness High School, outside catchment areaChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says: with the last place being offered to a pupil living 28.492 miles from the school.View the official source2026 entry, outside catchment area |
| Southend High School for Boys |
| Not published |
| Southend High School for Girls |
| Not published |
| St Bernard’s High School | 307Lowest score offered at St Bernard’s High School, inside priority areaChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: St. Bernard’s High School (Girls) 307 Selective places are only offered to residents within their catchment area.View the official source2024 entry, offer day, inside priority area | Not published |
| St Thomas More High School | 303Lowest score offered at St Thomas More High School, inside priority areaChecked 13 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: St. Thomas More High School (Boys) Selective places are only offered to 303 residents within their catchment area. Accepted minimum score 303.View the official source2026 entry, offer day, inside priority area | Not published |
| Westcliff High School for Boys |
| Not published |
| Westcliff High School for Girls |
| Not published |
The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) does not make an offer to any child whose total standardised score is under 303Essex and Southend (CSSE): Qualifying scoreChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: CSSE secondary school offers are not made to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303.
View the official source. That minimum appears in every year we have checked, from September 2021 to September 2025 entry. It is a floor, not the score that secures a place. Each school's own admission rules decide the order in which places are offered, so the score that was enough at one school in one year can be some way above the floor.
The floor and how it is kept steady
The CSSE describes its approach like this: A pass mark is set annually so the entrance standard stays comparable with 1990-1994.Essex and Southend (CSSE): Qualifying ruleChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says: A pass mark for the examination is set annually, which ensures that the entrance standard remains comparable with that obtained in the period 1990 – 1994.
View the official source The test has two papers: English (60 minutes); Mathematics (60 minutes)CSSE 11+ examination (English and Mathematics): PapersChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: The English paper will last sixty minutes with ten minutes additional reading time. The Mathematics paper will last sixty minutes.
View the official source. They count equally: English and Mathematics weighted equally (1:1)CSSE 11+ examination (English and Mathematics): How the test sections are weightedChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: Thus a candidate, born on 01/09/2014, with average marks on each paper will obtain a total of 300, comprising the results in the two papers weighted 1:1.
View the official source. Raw marks are standardised and checked against date of birth, so the total is a scaled score, not a count of correct answers. A child whose results letter shows a total below the floor will be refused a place at a selective school and cannot join its selective waiting list.
The number that matters for each school
Above the floor, the score needed depends on the school, on where you live and on how many children applied that year. Many schools give priority to a defined area and publish one lowest score for children inside it and another for children outside. The CSSE puts these figures on a guidance sheet. It shows the total score of the last selective place offered at each school on national offer day, split by priority area, and leaves out places given on appeal. That makes the sheet history: it tells you what happened on offer day in a past year, not what will happen next March.
Two schools in the table above need care. Chelmsford County High School for Girls runs its own test outside the CSSE, so its figures sit on a different scale. The partially selective schools in Southend, Shoeburyness High School, St. Bernard’s High School and St. Thomas More High SchoolEssex and Southend (CSSE): Partially selective schoolsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says: Three other schools in Southend, Shoeburyness High School, St. Bernard’s High School and St. Thomas More High School admit a proportion of their intake through the selection test.
View the official source, offer some places by test score and others under their main admission rules.
How many children sit the test
The number of candidates changes from year to year, which is one reason school cut-offs move. The CSSE reported 4989Essex and Southend (CSSE) 2021 entry: CandidatesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: Total Number of CSSE 11+ Examination Candidates Intake Year Total Number of Candidates ... 2021 4989
View the official source candidates for September 2021 entry and 5295Essex and Southend (CSSE) 2025 entry: CandidatesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: Total Number of CSSE 11+ Examination Candidates Intake Year Total Number of Candidates ... 2025 5295
View the official source for September 2025 entry. More candidates applying for the same number of places can push a school's lowest offered score up.
Where to find the official figures
The guidance sheet for the latest year is published on the CSSE website under its Freedom of Information tab. Each figure on this page links to the document we checked it against. To read a score, use the 11+ score converter. The CSSE results page covers results day, the CSSE dates page lists each deadline, and the Essex and Southend 11+ guide explains the whole process.