City of London School 10 Plus (10+) Exam Guide

About City of London School

City of London School, the boys’ school on the Thames at Queen Victoria Street, runs a fully branded 10+ entry into Year 6, the year group it calls Old Grammar. Boys sit the assessment in the autumn of Year 5.

It is one of the most modern assessments at this age anywhere in London: an adaptive, multi-part online test plus a handwritten story. (For the school’s main senior entry, see our CLS 11+ guide; for the shared junior school at 7+, our City Junior School guide.)

Key information for 2027 entry to City of London School at 10 Plus (10+)

• School type: boys’ independent school, 107 Queen Victoria Street, EC4; 10+ enters Year 6 (‘Old Grammar’)
• Assessment: Wednesday 25 November 2026, about 2.5 hours on the day, sat on school-provided computers
• Part 1 (online, 105 minutes): maths (20 min), English (30 min), non-verbal reasoning (10 min), verbal reasoning (10 min), puzzles and problem solving (15 min), creative comprehension (20 min); the maths and reasoning sections are adaptive
• Part 2 (handwritten, 30 minutes): creative writing, a short story
• Shortlisted boys: a 15 to 20 minute interview plus a group activity, January 2027
• Registration closes Monday 2 November 2026 (fee non-refundable; amount not published, confirm with the school)
• Offers: by email, early February 2027
• No means-tested bursaries at 10+ (they start at 11+ and 16+); £35 academic, music and sport prizes exist for top entrance performers

Admissions information for 2027 entry to City of London School at 10 Plus (10+)

Registration closes on Monday 2 November 2026 and the assessment follows on Wednesday 25 November, all in one visit of around two and a half hours. Boys who impress return in January for a short interview and a group activity, and offers go out by email in early February 2027.

One financial fact to have straight from the start: CLS’s transformational means-tested bursaries apply at 11+ and 16+, not at 10+. A boy needing bursary support is better routed to the 11+ a year later, where that support exists.

How can I register my child for the 10 Plus (10+) assessment at City of London School?

Register through the school’s admissions pages by 2 November 2026. The registration fee is non-refundable but its amount isn’t published on the 10+ pages, so confirm it when you apply. The test is sat at the school on its own machines; nothing needs installing at home.

What is the 10 Plus (10+) assessment format at City of London School?

Part 1 is 105 minutes online across six named sections: maths, English, non-verbal reasoning, verbal reasoning, puzzles and problem solving, and creative comprehension. The maths, VR and NVR sections are adaptive, so the questions get harder as your son gets them right; the other three are fixed. Part 2 swaps the screen for a pen: 30 minutes of creative writing.

Two preparation notes follow directly from that design. First, warn your son that adaptive tests are supposed to feel hard; reaching difficult questions means it’s going well. Second, handwriting still matters here: a boy who has done all his practice on screens will feel the 30-minute story in his hand.

City of London School 10 Plus (10+) top tips for your child

• Practise short, timed creative writing by hand every week; it’s the only handwritten paper and the easiest to neglect
• Cover verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning as well as English and maths; all four appear in part 1
• Explain how adaptive testing works so difficulty doesn’t read as failure on the day
• Puzzle-style problem solving has its own 15-minute section: logic puzzles and brainteasers are legitimate practice here
• If bursary support matters, plan for the 11+ instead, where CLS’s means-tested support actually applies

How to prepare your child for the 10 Plus (10+) City of London School assessment

Our 10+ English and maths packs below cover the two biggest sections with full answers, the Verbal Reasoning Boost series builds the VR techniques the adaptive section rewards, and the non-verbal reasoning pack covers the NVR section, and the spelling and vocabulary books feed both the English section and the written story. Mix in weekly handwritten writing practice and every part of the CLS day is covered.