Introduction

FSCE is an exam board and offers a different exam format for students taking the 11+ exam in the United Kingdom. The exam is not based on a specific curriculum. It is structured to assess a variety of skills and capabilities crucial for achieving success in secondary school and beyond. There are three schools which use the FSCE exam format: Reading School, Colyton Grammar School, and Chelmsford County High School for Girls.

Reading School  

Located in Reading, Berkshire

• Reading School is a boys' grammar school. It provides education for students aged 11 to 18.
• It was established in 1125, making it one of the oldest schools in the country.
• Admission to Reading School is selective and based on the 11-plus examination results.
• The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum, including a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
• Reading School has a strong academic reputation and has consistently achieved high results in national examinations.
• The school is equipped with modern facilities, including science laboratories, sports facilities, and technology resources.
• Reading School encourages participation in various extracurricular activities, including sports, music, drama, and academic clubs.
• Reading School has a rich history and has several traditions and ceremonies that contribute to its unique school culture.

Colyton Grammar School 

Located in Colyford, near Colyton, in East Devon, England

• Colyton Grammar School is a co-educational grammar school, providing education for students aged 11 to 18.
• Admission to the school is selective and based on academic ability, determined by the 11-plus examination.
• The school offers a comprehensive curriculum, including a strong emphasis on academic subjects, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
• Colyton Grammar School is known for its high academic standards and consistently achieves excellent results in national examinations.
• The school is equipped with modern facilities, including classrooms, laboratories, sports facilities, and technology resources.
• Colyton Grammar School encourages students to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, such as sports, music, drama, and academic clubs.
• The school is involved in community outreach programs and activities.
• Like many grammar schools, Colyton Grammar School likely has a rich history and may be associated with certain traditions.

Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Located in Chelmsford, Essex, England. 

• CCHS is a girls' grammar school, providing education for students aged 11 to 18.
• Admission to the school is based on academic ability, determined by the 11-plus examination.
• The school offers a comprehensive curriculum, covering a range of subjects with a strong focus on academic excellence.
• Chelmsford County High School for Girls has a reputation for high academic standards and consistently achieves excellent results in national examinations.
• The school is equipped with modern facilities, including classrooms, laboratories, sports facilities, and technology resources.
• CCHS encourages students to participate in various extracurricular activities, including sports, music, drama, and academic clubs. The school is involved in community outreach programs and activities.

FSCE is not based on any specific syllabus. The exam is designed to test a range of skills and abilities. The FSCE 11Plus Exam consists of three sections: Maths, English and Creative writing. 

The FSCE 11 Plus exam is conducted in a paper format. Each subject includes one question booklet and one corresponding answer sheet for your child. It's important to note that responses for all three subjects must be written on the designated answer sheet; any work in the question booklet will not be considered for marking.

During the exam, instructions are provided through a voice recording. At the beginning of each section, the recording will inform students about the page number to turn to, the section number and name, instructions for answering questions, an example question (also available in the question booklet for reference), the allotted time for that section, when they can commence answering, and the remaining time before the section concludes.

English Paper

The English paper examines reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. 

Reading Comprehension: Students read a short passage and answer the multiple-choice questions. The passage can be fiction or non-fiction. 

Vocabulary: This section is designed to test the student's existing vocabulary knowledge. They should select the word from the provided options that closely matches or is an exact synonym of the main word in the question.

Spelling: In this section, students will encounter a word with certain letters omitted. Their task is to recognise the entire word within the context of the sentence and fill in the missing letters to ensure correct spelling.

Maths Paper

The paper examines a range of mathematics topic taught in KS2. The questions will be a mixture of multiple-choice questions and free-response questions. Some answers will have pre-written units attached, students should pay attention to this. 

Creative Writing Paper

Students will be presented with a prompt that will serve as the title for their original piece of writing.

Planning section: There is no marks for this section, however time will be provided n the test for your child to plan their response before they are instructed to begin writing. They are not allowed to write on the answer sheet during this time. 

Writing section: Students will be instructed to write in the answer sheet. The examiners will look at:

• Creativity and imaginative thinking,
• Well-organised structure and pacing,
• Accurate and proficient utilisation of spelling, punctuation, and grammar,
• A wide-ranging and captivating vocabulary,
• Diverse sentence structures.

 

At Oxbridge we offer a number of resources, courses and mocks to help with your 11Plus Prep.
Ideal for students who are self-preparing or Home-preparing, our resources are custom made for success in FSCE, London Grammar and Private School Exams.
We recommend the following resources:

1.   Subject-wise courses:

We offer subject-specific camps: English Camp and Maths Camp. The camps are designed as one-week intensive courses focusing on key topics relevant to the 11Plus exam. These camps provide an excellent opportunity to refresh knowledge, enhance understanding, and boost confidence.
Key features: 

• Practice essential question types for each subject
• Timed Quizzes
• Access our partner resources
• Practice over 400 questions

2.    Online Practice Books:
Our brand new 'online test books’ help students develop: Stamina, Speed and Accuracy. It is comprised of 3 bundles of tests for each subject (English, Maths) :
•    10-minute tests (Beginner)
•    15-minute tests (Intermediate)
•    20-minute tests (Advanced)
Progression along the test series helps children develop effective time management and tackle increasingly difficult questions. Each test covers a wide range of topics, contains detailed solutions and shows ‘score analytics’ to benchmark performance.

3.    Mock Exams
Mock exams are a great way to prepare for the real exams. They can help you to:

• Start revising early and avoid time wastage.
• Improve your knowledge.
• Familiarise yourself with the exam conditions and pressure.
• Identify your strengths and weaknesses.

We offer a mix of Online, In-Person and At-Home Mock exams to guide your preparation. We highly recommend starting with mock exams six months prior to your main exam to ease into the test process.

4.    Special Courses
Special courses on vocabulary and courses to improve your accuracy and time-management.