How to prepare for the Concord College 11+ exam

The exam at a glance

Concord College is an independent co-educational day and boarding school at Acton Burnell, near Shrewsbury. The school says it has students from around 40 nationalities, which gives parents a useful sense of the community and the breadth of applications it receives.

For 2028 entry, ElevenReady’s verified information is that Concord College uses its own assessment. The school’s public admissions information makes clear that Year 7 applicants sit an entrance examination and then attend an interview if shortlisted. Beyond that, the exact paper format, tested subjects, timings and whether the assessment is paper-based or online are not confirmed in publicly available official detail on the pages reviewed for this guide. Because of that, parents should avoid assuming it follows a grammar-school style test or any named exam-board format.

What does the day usually involve in practical terms? Based on the school’s admissions process as published, families should expect:

an application to the school;
an entrance assessment set by Concord College;
an interview stage for suitable applicants;
for overseas candidates, the school also refers to online testing and online interviews where appropriate.

If you are applying for Year 7 in September 2028, the safest approach is to prepare your child for a school-set selective assessment: strong reading habits, secure Key Stage 2 English and maths, clear written expression, and calm interview communication. Keep checking the school’s admissions page because Concord is the authority on the exact structure for your child’s year.

Registration and key dates

Concord College runs its own admissions process, so registration is made directly with the school, not through a local authority grammar-school portal.

The school’s admissions page states that families should complete an online registration form and submit supporting documents. For school entry applications, Concord asks for documents including the child’s latest school report and a passport copy. The school’s international admissions guidance also refers to online testing arrangements for applicants who cannot attend in person, which may be relevant for some families.

For Year 7 entry, the pages reviewed confirm that the school examines applicants in the autumn of Year 6, but the school does not publish a full set of annual 11+ dates in one fixed public timetable on the pages reviewed. That means parents should treat timing as school-led and contact admissions early.

From the official pages reviewed, the typical pattern is:

Register directly with Concord College using its online form.
Assessment and interview take place as part of the school’s own admissions process.
Offers are then made by the school following assessment.

Because this year’s Year 7 2028 dates were not published in a clearly dated official schedule on the pages reviewed, it is best to say only this: families should expect the process to run during the autumn before entry, and should check the school’s admissions page regularly for the current cycle.

If you want a simple way to keep track of updates, you can use Free email alerts for this school's key dates. For a quick overview page, see The Concord College 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Concord College is an independent school, so there is no state-school catchment area. Applications are not governed by a local authority catchment rule in the way a grammar-school test would be.

The school admits both day pupils and boarders, and its admissions material makes clear that it considers applicants from the UK and overseas. For Year 7 entry, admission is selective and based on the school’s own process rather than a published local-authority rank order.

On the official pages reviewed, Concord does not publish the sort of detailed state-school admissions statistics parents often look for, such as a pass mark, standardised score threshold, cut-off score, cut-off distance or exact number of Year 7 places. If you are comparing schools, that is important: there is no published 11+ pass mark to work towards on the sources reviewed. Parents should therefore focus on broad academic readiness and contact the admissions team for the most current information on availability and boarding/day options.

The school also says that scholarships and bursaries are available, but families should read the latest admissions and fees information carefully because eligibility and timing can vary by year group and status.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because Concord sets its own entrance assessment and does not publicly spell out a detailed paper breakdown on the pages reviewed, the best preparation plan is steady, academic and flexible. For a Year 5 child aiming for an autumn Year 6 test, this usually means building strong English and maths first, then adding light timed practice later.

January to March in Year 5

Keep it gentle: around 1 to 2 hours a week in short sessions is enough for most children at this stage.

Read widely: fiction, nonfiction, quality children’s journalism and short poems.
Strengthen arithmetic fluency: number bonds, times tables, fractions, decimals and percentages.
Build written stamina with one short piece of writing each week.
Notice how your child explains answers aloud; clear thinking matters in interviews as well as tests.

April to June in Year 5

Increase to about 2 to 3 hours a week, still split into manageable sessions.

Review any gaps from school reports.
Practise comprehension using inference, vocabulary in context and evidence from the text.
For maths, include multi-step word problems and careful working.
Start occasional mixed mini-tests so your child gets used to changing between topics.

July to August before Year 6

Summer is a good time for consistency rather than pressure: around 2 to 4 hours a week is realistic for many families.

Keep reading daily.
Write short responses, summaries and descriptive paragraphs.
Use mixed maths practice covering Year 5 content securely and introducing Year 6 methods calmly.
If your child is likely to interview, begin simple conversation practice: speaking clearly, answering in full sentences and talking about books, interests and school life.

September in Year 6

This is usually the point to make preparation a little more structured: around 3 to 4 hours a week.

Introduce timed practice in short sections rather than full papers straight away.
Work on accuracy under mild time pressure.
Revise spelling, punctuation and neat presentation.
Check the school’s current admissions instructions in case the assessment format for your child’s year has been clarified.

October to the exam

Keep workload steady rather than cramming: often 3 to 5 hours a week is enough.

Use one or two timed sessions each week.
Review mistakes carefully and re-do questions a few days later.
Practise interview confidence if your child is likely to be invited to that stage.
Prioritise sleep, routine and calm.

If the school later publishes subject details, adjust the plan around those. Until then, broad preparation is the sensible route.

Subject by subject: what to practise

The official sources reviewed confirm that Concord uses an entrance examination for Year 7, but they do not publicly set out a complete subject-by-subject breakdown for the 2028 entry cycle. So, rather than guessing, this section focuses on the areas most commonly worth strengthening for a selective independent-school assessment and interview.

English

Practise secure Key Stage 2 English: reading comprehension, vocabulary development, spelling accuracy, punctuation and clear written expression.

Read a passage and answer questions using evidence from the text.
Discuss word meanings in context.
Write short but well-structured responses: descriptions, narratives, letters and opinions.
Proofread for capitals, commas, apostrophes, tense consistency and sentence control.

A useful habit is to ask, “How do you know?” after comprehension answers. That encourages evidence-based reading rather than guessing.

Mathematics

Keep maths grounded in fluency and method. A school-set assessment may reward secure fundamentals more than obscure tricks.

Revise the four operations thoroughly.
Work on fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics and place value.
Practise word problems in which your child must decide what method to use.
Encourage neat layout and checking.

If your child tends to rush, build in a final checking habit: estimate first, calculate carefully, then check whether the answer is sensible.

Writing and communication

Because Concord’s admissions process includes interviews for suitable candidates, written and spoken communication both matter.

Practise speaking in full sentences.
Ask open questions about books, hobbies, school subjects and current interests.
Encourage thoughtful answers rather than rehearsed ones.
For writing, focus on planning, paragraphing and precise vocabulary.

If the school publishes a more specific assessment outline for your child’s year, use that as your final guide. Until then, avoid over-specialising.

Practice papers and mock exams

When a school sets its own paper and does not publish a full familiarisation pack, practice papers should be used as a skills tool, not as a promise of exact question style.

A sensible approach is:

Start untimed, so your child learns method and accuracy first.
Move to short timed sections once the basics are secure.
Mark together and sort mistakes into types: knowledge gap, misread question, poor timing or careless slip.
Repeat weak areas a few days later.
Use occasional mixed papers to build stamina.

For Concord-specific support, use these ElevenReady resources:

If you use mock exams, treat them as a chance to practise routines: listening carefully to instructions, pacing, and recovering after a difficult question. One mock can be useful; too many can make a child feel that every week is a high-stakes event.

On the day

For a school-set independent-school entrance assessment, calm practical preparation helps more than last-minute cramming.

Check the school’s joining instructions carefully the day before.
Prepare any required stationery and documents in advance.
Leave plenty of travel time, especially if your child has not visited the site before.
Eat a steady breakfast and bring water if permitted.
Remind your child that some questions are meant to feel stretching.
If they get stuck, they should move on and return if there is time.
For interview stages, encourage politeness, eye contact and honest answers in their own words.

The most helpful message for children is simple: this is a chance to show how they think and learn, not a performance of perfection.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

Because Concord College is an independent school, the process after the assessment is different from a state grammar-school allocation round.

In general, families can expect the school to:

review the entrance assessment;
invite suitable candidates to interview where relevant;
make offers directly to families rather than through National Offer Day.

On the official pages reviewed, Concord does not publish a standardised score threshold or a published appeal timetable in the way local authorities often do for maintained schools. If your child is unsuccessful, the practical next step is to ask the admissions team politely whether any feedback can be shared and whether a waiting list operates for that year group.

For fee-paying independent schools, formal admissions complaints and review routes differ from local-authority school appeals, so always follow the school’s own published admissions and complaints procedures.

What has changed recently

On the official and reputable pages reviewed for this guide, I did not find a clearly announced recent change within the last two years to Concord College’s Year 7 entrance exam board, published test format, catchment rules or place numbers. If the school publishes a new assessment outline for 2028 entry, parents should treat that as the current authority.

Frequently asked questions

Does Concord College use the same 11+ as grammar schools?

No. Concord College runs its own admissions process and uses its own entrance assessment rather than a local-authority grammar-school test.

Is there a published pass mark for Concord College Year 7 entry?

Not on the official pages reviewed for this guide. The school does not publicly give a standardised pass mark or cut-off score there.

Is there a catchment area for Concord College?

No. It is an independent school, so there is no state-school catchment system for entry.

Do children have an interview as well as an exam?

The school’s admissions information says Year 7 applicants sit an entrance examination and shortlisted candidates attend an interview.

When should my child start preparing for Concord College?

For most children, steady preparation from Year 5 is enough: focus first on reading, maths fluency and clear writing, then add timed practice closer to the exam.

Can overseas applicants apply for Year 7?

Yes. The school’s admissions information makes clear that it considers international applicants and refers to online testing and interviews where appropriate.

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Sources

Concord College official website: School identity, location context, independent co-educational boarding and day school, and statement that the school is home to students of around 40 nationalities.
Concord College admissions page: Admissions are run by the school; families register directly with Concord; Year 7 applicants sit an entrance examination; shortlisted applicants attend interview; process is school-led rather than local-authority based.

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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.