Colyton Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About Colyton Grammar School

Colyton Grammar School is a highly selective, co-educational state grammar school for pupils aged 11 to 18, located in Colyton, Devon. The school has a Published Admission Number of 160 for Year 7.

Entry into Year 7 is by competitive entrance test, sat in the September of Year 6.

Colyton previously used the FSCE entrance test but has moved to Quest Assessments for 2027 entry. If you have read anywhere that Colyton uses FSCE, that information is now out of date. For the full picture of how Quest tests work across the schools that use them, see our Quest 11+ guide.

Key information for 2027 entry to Colyton Grammar School at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: co-educational grammar school
• Test provider: Quest Assessments
• Registration opens – deadline: 31 March – 31 July 2026 (midday)
• Exam date: Saturday 12 September 2026
• Results date: October 2026
• CAF deadline: 31 October 2026
• National Offer Day: 1 March 2027
• Year 7 places available: 160
• Contact details: colytongrammar.com

Admissions information for 2027 entry to Colyton Grammar School at 11 Plus (11+)

Colyton sets its own entrance test with Quest Assessments, which has historically provided online entrance assessments for independent schools and has now begun writing paper-based 11+ tests for state grammar schools too, including Colyton and, for its Stage 1 papers, Tiffin School. Quest sets each school’s test individually, so what your child sits at Colyton is specific to Colyton.

To apply for 2027 entry, you register your child directly with the school through its online admissions portal. Registration opens on 31 March 2026 and closes at midday on 31 July 2026. The test takes place on Saturday 12 September 2026, and results are issued in October 2026, at least a week before the Common Application Form deadline.

You must also name Colyton on your local authority’s Common Application Form (CAF) by its deadline of 31 October 2026. Registering with the school for the test is not the same as applying for a school place, and both steps are required. The Local Authority informs parents of the school place allocated to their child on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027.

There is no fixed pass mark at Colyton. Children who reach the required standard are ranked by their aggregate test score, and if more than 160 meet that standard, places are awarded in rank order. Scores are understood to be age-standardised, so a child born in August is not judged against the same raw marks as classmates who are nearly a year older.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exams at Colyton Grammar School?

Registration for 2026 entry opens on 31 March 2026 and closes at midday on 31 July 2026. You register directly with the school through its online admissions portal; check the school’s Joining Our School page for the current registration link, as dates can change from year to year.

The application process is:

• Register your child for the entrance test via the Colyton online admissions portal
• Sit the entrance test on 12 September 2026
• Receive the test result in October 2026
• Complete your local authority’s Common Application Form (CAF), naming Colyton, by 31 October 2026
• Receive your offer on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for Colyton Grammar School?

Children sit three papers, all on the same day, with breaks scheduled in between. The whole test takes around two and a half hours including breaks. The three papers are:

• English – around 40 minutes, testing comprehension and use of language
• Maths – around 40 minutes, based on the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum
• Writing – 20 minutes, an extended writing task

There is no verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning in the Colyton test. According to the school, most of the test is marked using Optical Mark Recognition, with scores standardised for age.

A rough guide to topics covered:

• Maths – arithmetic, fractions, decimals and percentages, measurement and unit conversions, geometry, statistics and word questions
• English – reading comprehension, inference, vocabulary in context, spelling, punctuation and grammar

Quest publishes its own familiarisation guides and sample questions for parents and children, which are the best first look at the layout and question style your child will meet on the day.

Colyton Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Make sure you are confident with the KS2 syllabus, especially in English and maths, as this is what the questions are based on.
• Read as much as possible in the run-up to the exam. This builds your vocabulary and helps you read and understand texts quickly, which matters in both the English and writing papers.
• For the writing task, plan for a minute or two before you start writing. A short plan helps you use the twenty minutes well.
• Leave a minute at the end of the writing task to check your spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Listen to and read all instructions carefully. Do not turn over any pages or start a new paper before you are told to.
• Read questions carefully in the English and maths papers. There is often an option designed to look right, so don’t rush.
• Show your workings in maths. Even if you don’t reach the right answer, you may still pick up marks for the correct method.
• Don’t leave any blanks! It is always worth filling in an answer, even if you are unsure.
• Pay attention to the time across all three papers, and use any breaks to reset and refocus rather than to worry about the paper before.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) Colyton Grammar School exam

Start with Quest’s own familiarisation guides and sample questions at questassessments.com/parent-guidance. These show your child the style of question and the format they will meet on the day.

Beyond that, the most useful way to prepare is to use practice tests to build your child’s English and maths skills and give them experience of working to a clock across separate papers. For the writing paper, regular short, timed writing practice, followed by checking and editing, builds the habits that matter most in twenty minutes.

There is no verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning at Colyton, so we would not recommend buying reasoning material for this school. English, maths and extended writing practice are the most useful preparation.

For Colyton Grammar School 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: