Torquay Boys’ Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About Torquay Boys’ Grammar School

Torquay Boys’ Grammar School is a selective boys’ grammar school in Torquay, in Torbay, with a sixth form that also admits external candidates.

Its published admission number for Year 7 is 168.

The other Torbay selective schools are Churston Ferrers Grammar School and Torquay Girls’ Grammar School, and all of them use the same test. Our guide to the grammar schools in Devon covers the area.

Key information for 2027 entry to Torquay Boys’ Grammar School at 11 Plus (11+)

• Entrance test: the shared Torbay selective schools test, set by GL Assessment
• Papers: English and mathematics, about 50 minutes each
• No verbal reasoning, no non-verbal reasoning and no writing task
• Scores are standardised for age, and the threshold is set after marking rather than published in advance
• Intake: boys
• Published admission number: 168 places in Year 7
• Registration: the Torquay schools ask for the form by midday on Wednesday 15 July 2026 where possible, and by midday on Friday 4 September 2026 at the latest
• Test date: Saturday 19 September 2026, with Friday 25 September 2026 as the alternative sitting for a child who cannot sit the main date through illness
• Results: on, or as soon as possible after, Monday 12 October 2026, and given as a yes or no rather than a score
• Local authority application deadline: Saturday 31 October 2026
• Offer day: Monday 1 March 2027

Admissions information for 2027 entry to Torquay Boys’ Grammar School at 11 Plus (11+)

The school’s determined policy for September 2027 gives a published admission number of 168 for Year 7, with a further 40 external places in Year 12.

Selection is on the two shared tests, taken at the school or at another selective school in the area. Papers are marked, scores are standardised for age, and the pass threshold is set afterwards. Parents are told the outcome on, or as soon as possible after, Monday 12 October 2026, and are given a yes or no rather than a score.

The school is careful to say that meeting the threshold is not an offer. Late tests and moderation can both move a candidate’s position in the ranking at any point before formal offers are made, so a yes in October is a qualification rather than a place.

Special arrangements for the tests are based on support your son already receives regularly at school, such as large-print papers or a magnifier, rather than on a request made for the test alone.

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

1. Register for the test with one Torbay selective school. The schools share scores, so you do not register three times.
2. The Torquay schools ask for the registration form by midday on Wednesday 15 July 2026 where possible, and by midday on Friday 4 September 2026 at the latest.
3. Ask about access arrangements when you register. They are based on the support your child already receives at school, such as large-print papers or coloured overlays, rather than on a request made at the time.
4. Your child sits both papers on Saturday 19 September 2026.
5. You are told the outcome on, or as soon as possible after, Monday 12 October 2026, as a yes or no.
6. Apply separately to your local authority on the common application form by Saturday 31 October 2026. Registering for the test is not an application for a place.
7. Offers are sent on Monday 1 March 2027.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for Torquay Boys’ Grammar School?

The Torbay selective schools share one entrance test, so preparation is the same whichever
of them you are aiming for. The papers are set by GL Assessment.

• English, about 50 minutes.
• Mathematics, about 50 minutes.

There is no verbal reasoning paper and no non-verbal reasoning paper. That is the single most
useful thing to know about this test, because it is unusual: most grammar school tests in England set at
least one reasoning paper, and a plan copied from another county will have your child practising
something Torbay does not assess.

There is no writing task either. The maths paper follows the Key Stage 2 curriculum, and the English
paper covers comprehension along with spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Raw scores are standardised for age, so a child born in August is not disadvantaged against one
born the previous September, and the threshold is set after the papers have been marked rather than
fixed in advance. Both Torquay schools tell parents the outcome as a yes or no rather than a
score.

You register with one Torbay selective school, and the schools share scores between them, so
sitting the test once keeps all of them open to you.

Torquay Boys’ Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Do not practise verbal or non-verbal reasoning for this test. Neither is set, and time spent there is time not spent on English and maths.
• Split practice evenly between the two papers. They carry equal weight and are the same length.
• Work on comprehension alongside spelling, punctuation and grammar. The English paper covers both.
• Use the free familiarisation materials the schools publish. They are the closest guide to the paper style.
• Register with one school only. Scores are shared across the Torbay selective schools.
• Treat a yes in October as qualifying, not as a place. Offers come on 1 March 2027 and the ranking can still move.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) Torquay Boys’ Grammar School exam

Preparation for Torquay Boys’ Grammar School is preparation for the shared Torbay test: two papers, English and maths, about 50 minutes each.

Because there is no reasoning paper, preparation is narrower than for most grammar school tests and closer to strong Key Stage 2 work done to time. A September test means the summer before Year 6 is the working window, with timed practice papers the most useful thing you can do in the last few weeks.

For Torquay Boys’ Grammar School 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: