How to prepare for the Collège Français Bilingue de Londres 11+

The exam at a glance

For September 2028 entry to Year 7, Collège Français Bilingue de Londres uses the school’s own admissions process. The school’s website explains that applications are made through its online admissions system and considered by an allocation committee. Official pages also make clear that places are offered within the school’s bilingual setting in Kentish Town.

What is not yet confirmed in the official material we found is the detailed Year 7 assessment format for 2028 entry: the school pages we reviewed do not set out a published list of tested subjects, the exact paper style, timings or whether any part is completed online or on paper. Because of that, it would be wrong to label it as GL, CEM or any other familiar 11+ format.

So, for families preparing now, the safest position is:

expect a school-run assessment process rather than a shared grammar-school test;
check the school’s admissions page regularly for the published Year 7 procedure for your child’s entry year;
prepare broadly for independent-school style admissions by building secure literacy, numeracy and interview confidence, while waiting for official detail.

In practical terms, the admissions journey is likely to include an application first, then some form of assessment and/or review by the school, followed by offers through the school’s own process. Until CFBL publishes the exact structure for 2028 entry, parents should treat any unofficial online claims about papers or pass marks with caution.

Registration and key dates

CFBL runs admissions through its own online portal. The school’s homepage states that applications for the 2027–2028 school year opened on 7 October 2026 at 10:00 and should be submitted by 21 October 2026 to be considered at the first allocation committee. For families aiming at September 2028 entry, those are the latest official dates currently visible and they show how the school is handling the next admissions round.

Because your child is applying for 2028 entry, not 2027 entry, you should treat these as the current published pattern rather than confirmed 2027 dates for your child’s cohort. At the time of writing, we did not find a separate published timetable for 2028 Year 7 entry.

Stage	What we can verify
Applications open	7 October 2026 at 10:00 for the 2027–2028 school year, according to the school homepage.
Application deadline	21 October 2026 for first allocation committee consideration, according to the school homepage.
Open day	The homepage states the next open day is Saturday 26 September.
Assessment date	Not published in the official sources we found for 2028 entry.
Results date	Not published in the official sources we found for 2028 entry.

How to register:

Visit the school website and go to the admissions area.
Create or log into the school’s online admissions account if prompted.
Complete the relevant application for Year 7 entry.
Upload any requested supporting documents. The exact list can vary, so use the portal instructions for your child’s year group.
Submit before the published deadline if you want the application considered in the first allocation round.

If you want updates as soon as they are published, keep an eye on the school page and you can also use Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

For a quick overview page, see The College Francais Bilingue De Londres 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

CFBL is an independent coeducational bilingual school in Kentish Town. The school says it welcomes pupils from Petite Section de la maternelle to 3ème and describes itself as offering 50% French and 50% English up to 4ème. It also states that the school was founded in 2011 and has 700 pupils.

What we could not verify from the official pages reviewed is a published Year 7 catchment area, distance priority, oversubscription ranking for external applicants, or a fixed number of Year 7 places available in this admissions round. We also did not find a published 11+ style pass mark or cut-off score. If your child is joining from outside the school, it is especially important to read the current admissions guidance carefully and ask the admissions team directly how places are prioritised for your child’s year of entry.

For parents, the main practical point is that this is not a state grammar-school allocation system. Admissions are managed by the school itself, so priorities, deadlines and decisions should be taken from the school’s own admissions information rather than from a local-authority secondary transfer booklet.

If your child is already in the school, ask whether there is an internal transfer process for moving into the relevant secondary year group. If your child is applying from another school, check the application route for external candidates and whether any extra academic records, reports or interviews are required.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because CFBL has not yet published the detailed Year 7 assessment format we found for 2028 entry, the best approach is broad, steady preparation rather than drilling one question style too early. For most Year 5 children, 2 to 3 hours a week in the early stages is enough, rising gradually only when the school publishes more detail.

January to March in Year 5

Focus on reading fluency, comprehension, spelling accuracy and neat written work.
Keep maths secure: number facts, the four operations, fractions, decimals and multi-step word problems.
If your child is learning in both French and English, keep both languages active through reading, conversation and short written responses.
A realistic workload is 2 hours a week, split across three or four short sessions.

April to June in Year 5

Build stamina gently with longer comprehension tasks and mixed maths practice.
Introduce light reasoning work only as general enrichment, not because CFBL has confirmed it.
Practise listening carefully to instructions and checking work independently.
Increase to 2 to 2.5 hours a week if your child is coping well.

July to August before Year 6

Keep work regular but calm over the summer.
Read every day in English and, if relevant for your child, in French too.
Use one or two short mixed sessions each week for maths and written responses.
Visit the school website during the summer in case the admissions page is updated for the new cycle.

September in Year 6

This is the point to check the admissions page weekly.
Once the school confirms the format, adapt preparation to match it exactly.
If there is likely to be a written assessment, begin gentle timed work in small chunks rather than full papers straight away.
A sensible level is 3 hours a week.

October in Year 6

Submit the application within the school’s published window.
If the school has by then issued familiarisation details, move practice closer to the official format.
Use short timed tasks for pace, but keep one untimed session each week to build accuracy and confidence.

The final month before assessment

Start timed papers only when you know what the school actually uses. Until then, use timed sections rather than full mock papers.
Review errors carefully: did your child misunderstand, rush, or forget knowledge?
Keep evenings calm, sleep steady and routines predictable.

The final week

Reduce volume.
Use short confidence-building revision.
Prepare travel, stationery and any required documents.
Avoid introducing brand-new topics.

Subject by subject: what to practise

The school has not published, in the sources we found, a confirmed list of tested Year 7 subjects for 2028 entry. That means the safest preparation is to strengthen the core skills most independent-school assessments tend to draw on, while waiting for official guidance.

English

Practise fluent reading, careful comprehension and clear written expression. Your child should get used to retrieving information, making inferences, explaining vocabulary in context and supporting answers from a text. For writing, focus on accurate punctuation, paragraphing, interesting but controlled vocabulary and answering the exact task set.

Useful habits include reading quality fiction and non-fiction, summarising short passages aloud, and editing one piece of writing a week for spelling and grammar.

Mathematics

Keep arithmetic quick and accurate: times tables, place value, written methods and mental strategies. Then build confidence with fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, measures, perimeter, area and multi-step problems. Independent-school assessments often reward careful reading of word problems, so train your child to underline key information and estimate before answering.

Short mixed practice is usually better than long blocks on one topic.

French

Because CFBL is a bilingual school, many families will reasonably want to know whether French is assessed. We did not find an official page confirming this for 2028 Year 7 entry, so do not assume it is definitely part of the admissions test. That said, children applying to a bilingual setting will benefit from secure age-appropriate French reading, speaking and writing where relevant to their background and current schooling.

If your child already studies in French, maintain vocabulary, reading fluency and sentence accuracy. If not, follow only the school’s published requirements rather than making assumptions.

Reasoning or general thinking skills

No official source we found confirms verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning or any particular aptitude test. If you choose to do some practice, use it as light enrichment only: pattern spotting, vocabulary building, logic and visual reasoning can all support wider learning, but they should not replace strong English and maths foundations.

As soon as CFBL publishes a subject list or assessment format for your child’s year, switch from broad preparation to specific preparation.

Practice papers and mock exams

Because the official format is not yet published in the sources we found, practice papers should be used carefully. The goal at this stage is not to second-guess the school’s exact paper, but to build the habits that matter in almost any assessment: reading instructions properly, managing time, checking work and staying calm under light pressure.

A sensible approach is:

Start with untimed practice to secure method and accuracy.
Move to short timed sections once your child is comfortable.
Review every mistake together and sort it into knowledge gaps, misunderstanding or rushing.
Repeat weak areas a few days later.
Only use full mocks regularly once the school has published the real format.

ElevenReady’s school-specific resources are here:

If the school later confirms an interview, treat mock interviews differently from written mocks: short, friendly practice at home is usually enough. Focus on speaking clearly, listening to the question, and answering in full sentences without sounding rehearsed.

On the day

If your child is invited to an assessment day, aim for a calm, ordinary tone. Children usually do better when the day feels important but manageable.

Check the school’s instructions the night before and pack anything requested.
Allow extra travel time so you are not rushed.
Choose comfortable uniform or clothing that matches the school’s guidance.
Eat a steady breakfast and bring water if permitted.
Remind your child to listen carefully to instructions and ask if they do not hear something.
If they get stuck, move on and return later if there is time.
Encourage neat working and checking, especially in maths and written answers.

The most helpful message to give is simple: do your best, one question at a time. Avoid discussing cut-offs, competition or what other children may be doing. For bilingual children in particular, keep the morning linguistically calm: use the language your child finds most reassuring unless the school has said otherwise.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

For CFBL, the process after assessment is handled through the school’s own admissions system rather than through the state secondary allocation process. The school homepage refers to applications being considered by a first allocation committee, which suggests that decisions are made in rounds through the school’s internal admissions arrangements.

We did not find an official published date for Year 7 assessment results for 2028 entry, nor a published appeals procedure specific to this entry point in the sources reviewed. As an independent school, CFBL may have its own review or complaint route rather than the same appeal framework used by state grammar schools, so families should follow the instructions that come with the decision letter and the school’s current admissions policy.

In general, after assessment you should expect some or all of the following:

notification from the school about the outcome;
if successful, a deadline to accept the place;
possible deposit or enrolment paperwork for independent-school admissions;
if unsuccessful, information about whether a waiting list, review process or later round is available.

If anything in the offer or refusal letter is unclear, contact the admissions team promptly and in writing so you have a record of the guidance you were given.

What has changed recently

The clearest recent published update we found is on the school homepage: applications for the 2027–2028 school year opened on 7 October 2026 at 10:00 and should be submitted by 21 October 2026 to be considered at the first allocation committee. The homepage also states that the next open day is Saturday 26 September.

We did not find an official announcement in the sources reviewed of a recent change to the Year 7 exam board, a newly published test format, catchment rules, or a change in the number of places. If the school publishes those later for 2028 entry, preparation should be adjusted to match the official guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Does CFBL use GL or CEM for Year 7 entry?

No official source we found says that it does. For 2028 entry, the safest description is that CFBL uses its own admissions process and parents should follow the school’s published guidance.

What subjects are tested for CFBL Year 7 entry?

We did not find an official published subject list for 2028 entry in the sources reviewed. Check the school’s admissions page regularly, as that is the right place for confirmed details.

When do applications open for CFBL?

The school homepage says applications for the 2027–2028 school year opened on 7 October 2026 at 10:00. For 2028 entry, wait for the school to publish the next cycle’s dates.

What is the deadline to apply?

The current published deadline on the school homepage is 21 October 2026 for first allocation committee consideration for the 2027–2028 school year. Your child’s cohort should use the deadline published for its own entry year.

Does CFBL have a catchment area?

We did not find an official published Year 7 catchment or distance rule in the sources reviewed. Because it is an independent school, admissions are managed by the school rather than through a grammar-school catchment system.

When do CFBL Year 7 results come out?

We did not find an official published results date for 2028 entry. The school should provide this through its admissions process once the assessment timetable is released.

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Sources

Collège Français Bilingue de Londres website: School homepage statements that applications for the 2027–2028 school year opened on 7 October 2026 at 10:00, should be submitted by 21 October 2026 to be considered at the first allocation committee, and that the next open day is Saturday 26 September; also supports that the school was founded in 2

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Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 20 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.