City of London School: entry, tests, dates and fees

City of London School is in the City of London, and boys can start in Old Grammar (Year 6)Source for City of London School: JoinsCity of London School: JoinsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: 10+: aged between 10 and 11, for entry into Old Grammar (Year 6).View the official source, in First Form (Year 7)Source for City of London School: JoinsCity of London School: JoinsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: 11+: aged between 11 and 12, for entry into First Form (Year 7).View the official source or in the Junior Sixth Form (Year 12)Source for City of London School: JoinsCity of London School: JoinsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: 16+: aged between 16 and 17, for entry into the Junior Sixth Form (Year 12).View the official source. At 10+ and 11+ the school runs its own assessment, so the format is particular to this school. Every boy who registers in time is invited to sit it, and those who do well are then asked back to meet staff.

11+: First Form (Year 7)Source for City of London School: JoinsCity of London School: JoinsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: 11+: aged between 11 and 12, for entry into First Form (Year 7).View the official source

The 11+ has the most places, with up to 85Source for City of London School: PlacesCity of London School: PlacesCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: 11+ in 2027 | Up to 85 placesView the official source for September 2027 entrySource for City of London School: Current cycleCity of London School: Current cycleCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Registration for 11+ 2027 is now open.View the official source. The process has these parts:

• the school's own English paperSource for City of London School: Own englishCity of London School: Own englishCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: All registered candidates will be invited to the School on Friday 27 November 2026 to sit computerised assessments in English, Mathematics, Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), Creative Comprehension and Puzzles, and Creative Writing.View the official source
• the school's own maths paperSource for City of London School: Own mathsCity of London School: Own mathsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: All registered candidates will be invited to the School on Friday 27 November 2026 to sit computerised assessments in English, Mathematics, Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), Creative Comprehension and Puzzles, and Creative Writing.View the official source
• the school's own reasoning paperSource for City of London School: Own reasoningCity of London School: Own reasoningCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: All registered candidates will be invited to the School on Friday 27 November 2026 to sit computerised assessments in English, Mathematics, Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), Creative Comprehension and Puzzles, and Creative Writing.View the official source
• other assessmentSource for City of London School: OtherCity of London School: OtherCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: All registered candidates will be invited to the School on Friday 27 November 2026 to sit computerised assessments in English, Mathematics, Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), Creative Comprehension and Puzzles, and Creative Writing.View the official source
• the school's own creative writing taskSource for City of London School: Own creative writingCity of London School: Own creative writingCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: All registered candidates will be invited to the School on Friday 27 November 2026 to sit computerised assessments in English, Mathematics, Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), Creative Comprehension and Puzzles, and Creative Writing.View the official source
• group activitySource for City of London School: Group activityCity of London School: Group activityCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Candidates who perform well in these assessments will be invited back for an interview and group activity in January 2027.View the official source
• interviewSource for City of London School: InterviewCity of London School: InterviewCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Candidates who perform well in these assessments will be invited back for an interview and group activity in January 2027.View the official source
• reference from the current schoolSource for City of London School: ReferenceCity of London School: ReferenceCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: The offer of a place at the School is made on the evidence of the assessments and interview, together with a confidential report from the candidate’s current school.View the official source

Assessment day. All registered boys come to the school on 27 November 2026Source for City of London School: Assessment date (2027)City of London School: Assessment date (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Entrance assessments Friday 27 November 2026View the official source and sit two parts on the same day. Part one is an online assessment on a school computer. It has sections on maths, English, and verbal and non-verbal reasoning, plus two the school calls Creative Comprehension and Puzzles and Problem Solving. In part two, each boy writes a short story by hand from a prompt. Boys with special educational needs may sit on a different day, depending on their access arrangements.

Interview and group activity. Boys who do well are invited back in January 2027Source for City of London School: Interview date (2027)City of London School: Interview date (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Interviews for shortlisted candidates January 2027View the official source. They have a short interview and take part in a group activity. The interview is a chance for staff to get to know a boy beyond his marks, and for him to find out about the school.

Offers. The school also asks the head of a boy's current school for a confidential report. It looks at the assessments, the interview and that report together. Offers are emailed in mid February 2027Source for City of London School: Offer date (2027)City of London School: Offer date (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Offers sent out by email Mid February 2027View the official source, and families accept by early March 2027Source for City of London School: Acceptance deadline (2027)City of London School: Acceptance deadline (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Acceptance deadline Early March 2027View the official source.

The school's admissions pages explain each part of the assessment. We do not publish past papers for it.

10+: Old Grammar (Year 6)Source for City of London School: JoinsCity of London School: JoinsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: 10+: aged between 10 and 11, for entry into Old Grammar (Year 6).View the official source

The school also takes boys a year earlier, into Year 6. There are up to 40Source for City of London School: PlacesCity of London School: PlacesCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: 10+ in 2027 | Up to 40 placesView the official source places for September 2027 entrySource for City of London School: Current cycleCity of London School: Current cycleCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Registration for 10+ 2027 is now open.View the official source. The assessment follows the same pattern as at 11+:

• the school's own English paperSource for City of London School: Own englishCity of London School: Own englishCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: All registered candidates will be invited to the School to sit computerised assessments in English, Maths, Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), Creative Comprehension and Puzzles and a creative writing assessment on Wednesday 25 November 2026.View the official source, the school's own maths paperSource for City of London School: Own mathsCity of London School: Own mathsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: All registered candidates will be invited to the School to sit computerised assessments in English, Maths, Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), Creative Comprehension and Puzzles and a creative writing assessment on Wednesday 25 November 2026.View the official source and the school's own reasoning paperSource for City of London School: Own reasoningCity of London School: Own reasoningCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: All registered candidates will be invited to the School to sit computerised assessments in English, Maths, Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), Creative Comprehension and Puzzles and a creative writing assessment on Wednesday 25 November 2026.View the official source
• other assessmentSource for City of London School: OtherCity of London School: OtherCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: All registered candidates will be invited to the School to sit computerised assessments in English, Maths, Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), Creative Comprehension and Puzzles and a creative writing assessment on Wednesday 25 November 2026.View the official source
• the school's own creative writing taskSource for City of London School: Own creative writingCity of London School: Own creative writingCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: All registered candidates will be invited to the School to sit computerised assessments in English, Maths, Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), Creative Comprehension and Puzzles and a creative writing assessment on Wednesday 25 November 2026.View the official source
• group activitySource for City of London School: Group activityCity of London School: Group activityCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Candidates who perform well in these assessments will be invited back for an interview and group activity in January 2027.View the official source and interviewSource for City of London School: InterviewCity of London School: InterviewCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Candidates who perform well in these assessments will be invited back for an interview and group activity in January 2027.View the official source
• reference from the current schoolSource for City of London School: ReferenceCity of London School: ReferenceCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: The offer of a place at the School is made on the evidence of the assessments and interview, together with a confidential report from the candidate’s current school.View the official source

Registration closes on 2 November 2026Source for City of London School: Registration deadline (2027)City of London School: Registration deadline (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: For 10+ entry in 2027 (for children born 1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017), the registration deadline will be Monday 2 November 2026 for all applicants.View the official source, and the assessment day is 25 November 2026Source for City of London School: Assessment date (2027)City of London School: Assessment date (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Entrance assessments Wednesday 25 November 2026View the official source. Boys who do well return for interview in January 2027Source for City of London School: Interview date (2027)City of London School: Interview date (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Interviews for shortlisted candidates January 2027View the official source, and offers follow in February 2027Source for City of London School: Offer date (2027)City of London School: Offer date (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Offers sent out by email Early February 2027View the official source. If your family might need help with fees, note that the school's admissions pages describe bursaries as available at 11+ and 16+ rather than 10+. It is worth checking with the school before you choose which year to apply in.

16+: Junior Sixth Form (Year 12)Source for City of London School: JoinsCity of London School: JoinsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: 16+: aged between 16 and 17, for entry into the Junior Sixth Form (Year 12).View the official source

Up to 25Source for City of London School: PlacesCity of London School: PlacesCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: 16+ in 2027 | Up to 25 placesView the official source new students join the Junior Sixth Form (Year 12)Source for City of London School: JoinsCity of London School: JoinsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: 16+: aged between 16 and 17, for entry into the Junior Sixth Form (Year 12).View the official source for September 2027 entrySource for City of London School: Current cycleCity of London School: Current cycleCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: For 16+ entry in 2027, this will be open to candidates born between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2011.View the official source. The process has these parts:

• subject papers set by the schoolSource for City of London School: Own subject papersCity of London School: Own subject papersCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: They will sit written assessments in the subjects they wish to study for A-Level; they will also complete the GL CAT 4 cognitive ability test.View the official source
• CAT4Source for City of London School: Cat4City of London School: Cat4CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: They will sit written assessments in the subjects they wish to study for A-Level; they will also complete the GL CAT 4 cognitive ability test.View the official source
• interviewSource for City of London School: InterviewCity of London School: InterviewCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview in mid November 2026.View the official source
• reference from the current schoolSource for City of London School: ReferenceCity of London School: ReferenceCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: We will request a reference from the candidate’s current school shortly after the registration deadline.View the official source
• GCSE grade requirementsSource for City of London School: Gcse requirementsCity of London School: Gcse requirementsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: The minimum requirement for external candidates to gain admission into the Sixth Form is six full course GCSE or IGCSE passes at grade A* or 8/9, to include the chosen or related Sixth Form subjects.View the official source

This round is well under way. Registration closed on 25 September 2026Source for City of London School: Registration deadline (2027)City of London School: Registration deadline (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: for Sixth Form entry in 2027, the registration deadline is Friday 25 September 2026View the official source, and the assessment day was 6 October 2026Source for City of London School: Assessment date (2027)City of London School: Assessment date (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Registered candidates are invited to a day of assessments at CLS on Tuesday 6 October 2026.View the official source. On that day, students sat a paper in each subject they hope to take at A level, and the CAT4. CAT4 is an online reasoning test from GL Assessment. It looks at how a student thinks with words, numbers and shapes, rather than at what they have revised.

Shortlisted students are invited to interview in November 2026Source for City of London School: Interview date (2027)City of London School: Interview date (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview in mid November 2026.View the official source. The school asks each student's current school for a reference soon after registration closes. Any place also depends on GCSE results: the school sets minimum grades, including in the subjects a student plans to study. Families must accept a place by 10 December 2026Source for City of London School: Acceptance deadline (2027)City of London School: Acceptance deadline (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against City of London School.The source says: Acceptance deadline 9am on Thursday 10 December 2026View the official source.

The school's published information differs on the date 16+ offers are sent this round, so we have left it out and asked the school to confirm.