South Wilts Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About South Wilts Grammar School

South Wilts Grammar School is a selective girls’ grammar school in Salisbury, Wiltshire, with a co-educational sixth form. It is the girls’ counterpart to Bishop Wordsworth’s School across the city.

Its published admission number is 160, a five-form entry.

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

• School type: girls’ grammar school with a co-educational sixth form
• Published admission number: 160 places in Year 7
• Entrance exam: set by GL Assessment. Three multiple-choice papers in one sitting, with breaks between them
• Papers: mathematics (50 minutes), English (45 minutes) and verbal reasoning (50 minutes). No non-verbal reasoning and no writing task
• Registration: opened midday Wednesday 25 March 2026 and closed at midnight on Tuesday 1 September 2026
• Familiarisation session: Saturday 19 September 2026
• Test date: Saturday 26 September 2026
• Results: through the school’s online portal in time for the 31 October 2026 application deadline. Offer day: Monday 1 March 2027
• Ten places are reserved for Pupil Premium applicants at a pass mark 3 per cent below the standard mark
• Contact details: swgs.wilts.sch.uk, [email protected], 01722 323326

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

The published admission number is 160, and meeting the academic standard does not by itself secure a place: the school’s oversubscription criteria put in-catchment children, Pupil Premium and Service Premium children, children of staff and out-of-catchment siblings ahead of plain distance, so a strong score from outside the catchment can still miss out in a heavily subscribed year.

Two published details are worth knowing. Ten places are ring-fenced for Pupil Premium applicants at a pass mark 3 per cent below the standard one. And catchment residency generally needs to have been in place by 1 May 2026 for this round, so a late house move does not buy catchment priority.

The exact qualifying score is not published: GL Assessment standardises scores for age and the standard moves with the cohort. Your child can sit the test once only, and an accepted place must be confirmed by 15 March 2027.

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

Registration for the September 2027 round has closed (midday 25 March to midnight 1 September 2026). If your child is registered, the test itself is still ahead.

1. Attend the familiarisation session at the school on Saturday 19 September 2026.
2. Your child sits the three papers in one sitting on Saturday 26 September 2026, with breaks between papers. An alternative sitting covers late registrations to 28 September, and a very late sitting in early December covers the period to 31 October.
3. Results appear on the school’s online portal in time for the local authority application deadline of Saturday 31 October 2026.
4. Offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027, and an accepted place must be confirmed by 15 March 2027.

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

The test is set by GL Assessment and sat in one sitting of three multiple-choice papers, with breaks between them:

• Mathematics, 50 minutes. Year 5 curriculum content, with some early Year 6 material.
• English, 45 minutes. Comprehension, spelling and punctuation.
• Verbal reasoning, 50 minutes.

There is no non-verbal reasoning paper and no writing task. Scores are standardised for age, weighted equally and summed, and no fixed numeric pass mark is published.

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

• Split practice across maths, English and verbal reasoning only. Non-verbal reasoning is not tested here.
• Work multiple-choice papers to time: 50, 45 and 50 minutes back to back with short breaks is a stamina test as well as a knowledge test.
• Use the familiarisation session on 19 September. It is the school’s own dress rehearsal.
• Remember your child sits this test once. There is no resit into Year 7.
• Check the school’s catchment map honestly before building hopes on distance alone.

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

Preparation for South Wilts is multiple-choice practice in maths, English and verbal reasoning, worked to the published timings. A late September test makes the summer holidays the natural working window.

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