Independent School 11+ Past Papers by School: 2026 Guide







11+ school-specific past papers library

Independent School 11+ Past Papers by School

Find the closest available 11+ specimen and past papers for your target independent school, then match your preparation to the school’s actual English, Maths, reasoning, Pre-Test, interview or assessment-day route.

Use this page as a school-specific paper finder

The most useful 11+ paper is usually the one closest to the exam your child will actually sit. Independent schools vary considerably: some publish their own English and Maths papers, some use the ISEB Common Pre-Test, some use computer-based reasoning assessments and others add writing, interviews or assessment days.

This flagship therefore has one clear job: help pupils, parents and tutors identify the target school’s assessment route and find the closest available specimen or past papers. For general free-paper strategy, use SET’s separate free-papers guide; for broader independent-school admissions advice, use the Independent School 11+ flagship.

Independent-school 11+ test finder

The table below summarises the main assessment routes represented in SET’s existing school-paper archive. Schools can change arrangements, so always verify the current admissions year directly with the school before relying on an older specimen paper.

School Typical assessment areas in SET archive Route
Aldenham School English, Maths and Reasoning School-specific written papers
Alleyn’s School ISEB Common Pre-Test followed by school entrance papers Two-stage route
Bancroft’s School Computer-based reasoning, English and Maths School-specific competitive exam
Channing School ISEB Common Pre-Test, reference and interview Pre-Test route
City of London School for Boys English and Maths, followed by reasoning and interview Two-stage route
City of London School for Girls Computer-based numerical/verbal/non-verbal assessment, followed by English and Maths Two-stage route
Emanuel School English and Maths School-specific written papers
Forest School Non-calculator Maths plus English reading and writing School-specific written papers
Francis Holland School ISEB Common Pre-Test Pre-Test route
Hampton School Creative Writing, Words and Reasoning, Mathematics, interview and reference Multi-stage selection
Highgate School English, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning School-specific written papers
Ibstock Place School Computer-based assessment plus Learning Workshop Computer-based route
James Allen’s Girls’ School ISEB Common Pre-Test Pre-Test route
John Lyon School Maths, English and group activity Written plus assessment-day route
King’s College School, Wimbledon English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning School-specific written papers
Lady Eleanor Holles School Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and problem solving Reasoning-led route
Latymer Upper School English and Maths School-specific written papers
Merchant Taylors’ School English, Mathematics and general paper School-specific written papers
North London Collegiate School English and Maths School-specific written papers
Northwood College ISEB Common Pre-Test Pre-Test route
Putney High School Maths and English School-specific written papers
Queen’s College London ISEB Common Pre-Test Consortium / Pre-Test route
Queen’s Gate School ISEB Common Pre-Test Consortium / Pre-Test route
South Hampstead High School ISEB Common Pre-Test Consortium / Pre-Test route
St James Senior Girls’ School ISEB Common Pre-Test Consortium / Pre-Test route
St Paul’s Girls’ School On-screen cognitive ability test followed by English, Maths and Comprehension Two-stage route
St Paul’s Juniors ISEB Common Pre-Test followed by English and Maths Two-stage route
Trinity School English Comprehension, Maths and Verbal Reasoning School-specific written papers
University College School English and Maths School-specific written papers
Westminster School ISEB Common Pre-Test followed by Maths and English Two-stage route
Wetherby Senior School ISEB Common Pre-Test Pre-Test route

Featured official and school-specific 11+ papers

London private-school archive

SET’s dedicated London archive includes school-specific information and sample-paper links for Aldenham, Alleyn’s, Bancroft’s, City of London schools, Emanuel, Forest, Hampton, Highgate, Latymer Upper, Merchant Taylors’, St Paul’s, Trinity, Westminster and many more.

Browse London independent-school 11+ papers

Maths paper library

Use the SET Maths flagship for additional school-specific papers from schools including Stockport Grammar, Reigate Grammar, Emanuel, Forest and Trinity.

Browse 11+ Maths papers

English paper library

Use the SET English flagship for comprehension, writing and school-specific English practice.

Browse 11+ English papers

ISEB Common Pre-Test schools

Where a school uses the ISEB Common Pre-Test, prepare for the current online adaptive English, Maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning assessments rather than relying only on written papers.

ISEB Common Pre-Test practice

CEM / computer-based routes

Where a school uses CEM/Cambridge-style or another computer-based assessment, use current familiarisation and school-specific guidance rather than an unrelated written paper.

CEM / Cambridge-style practice

How to choose a useful paper

1. Match the school

Use the target school’s own official specimen paper first whenever one is available.

2. Match the subjects

An English-and-Maths school should not drive months of unnecessary VR or NVR preparation.

3. Match the delivery

Online adaptive testing, multiple-choice answer sheets and traditional written papers require different familiarisation.

4. Match the level

Use papers of similar difficulty. A paper can be excellent but still be inappropriate for the pupil’s current stage.

5. Review, do not just mark

Classify errors by missing knowledge, weak method, misreading or timing and teach the cause.

6. Save realistic papers

Keep some of the closest school-specific papers for later mock rehearsal instead of exhausting them early.

Age-related 11+ paper practice

Year 3

Build reading, vocabulary and number fluency. Use short question samples rather than full school papers.

Year 4

Introduce school-entry question types and begin identifying the likely target-school assessment route.

Year 5

Use official specimen papers diagnostically, build school-specific skills and introduce timed sections progressively.

Year 6

Use the closest remaining school papers as realistic mocks, review recurring errors and rehearse the actual exam process.

Independent-school 11+ routes represented in this archive

English + Maths

A common written-paper combination. Some schools add writing, reasoning or interviews at a later stage.

ISEB Common Pre-Test

Used as a first-stage online screening route by a number of independent schools before interviews or later school-written assessments.

Computer-based reasoning

Some schools use numerical, verbal and non-verbal cognitive testing rather than traditional paper-only entry.

Two-stage selection

First-stage screening can be followed by school-specific English, Maths, comprehension, reasoning or interview assessment.

Understanding independent-school assessment

Related RWA assessment guide: Independent School Entrance Exams.

SET focuses on finding the right papers and preparing for the actual school test. For the psychometric perspective on what independent-school assessments measure, how different selection mechanisms work and how test results should be interpreted, use the RWA assessment guide.

Independent-school 11+ past papers FAQs

What is this page for?

This flagship is a school-specific 11+ past-paper and specimen-paper finder for independent-school entry, rather than another general guide to 11+ preparation.

Should we use papers from other schools?

Yes, selectively. A paper from another school can be useful when its subjects, level and format resemble the target school, but the target school’s own official samples should come first.

Are all independent-school 11+ tests the same?

No. Schools may use English, Maths, reasoning, ISEB Common Pre-Tests, computer-based testing, writing, interviews and assessment days in different combinations.

How many past papers should a child complete?

There is no ideal fixed number. Use enough to diagnose weaknesses, learn the target format and rehearse timing without replacing targeted teaching.

When should full papers become timed?

After the pupil understands the relevant methods and can work accurately. Start with sections before moving to whole papers.

What if a school publishes no past papers?

Use its current admissions description to identify the subjects and assessment route, then choose the closest available specimen papers and official familiarisation materials.

Find the closest paper to the school your child will actually sit

Start with the target school’s official samples, match the subjects and delivery format, use papers diagnostically and save the closest specimens for realistic final rehearsal.