Exam format not yet verified. We have not confirmed this school's exam board or paper format from an official source. Where this guide describes the test, treat it as a working assumption and check the school's admissions page before relying on it.
The exam at a glance
Queenswood is an independent girls’ school and its 11+ entry process is run by the school rather than a local authority. For Year 7 entry in September 2028, our working assumption, not yet verified with the school, is that the assessment uses the school’s own paper, in a GL-style format across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. That means families should prepare steadily across all four areas rather than focusing on only English and maths.
The school’s admissions process also says that entry is based on an entrance assessment, an interview and a positive reference from the headteacher of the applicant’s current school. In practice, parents should expect the assessment to be one part of the decision rather than the whole picture.
For the most recent published 11+ timeline we found, candidates were invited to sit their entrance papers at Queenswood and were then allocated one of the available assessment days after the registration deadline. The school also published separate scholarship assessment weeks later in November.
Because Queenswood’s format is school-run, parents should not assume it will look exactly like a shared grammar-school test. The safest preparation is:
- secure Year 5 and early Year 6 maths methods
- strong reading, comprehension and spelling habits
- regular verbal reasoning practice
- steady non-verbal reasoning practice so question types feel familiar
- timed work in short sections, building accuracy before speed
The school website does not clearly set out, on the pages we found, whether the test is paper-based or delivered on screen, so it is best to check the latest admissions information directly with Queenswood when registration opens for your child’s year.
Registration and key dates
Queenswood manages its own admissions process. The main admissions page explains that parents begin by making an enquiry or registering with the school, and it publishes a registration form and fee information for applicants.
For the latest dated 11+ timeline available on the school website, for September 2027 entry, the dates were:
- Registration deadline: Thursday 1 October 2026
- Assessment days: Wednesday 4 November 2026 and Thursday 12 November 2026
- Scholarship assessment weeks: weeks commencing 16 November 2026 and 23 November 2026
- Decision letters: emailed prior to Christmas
- Acceptance deadline: Monday 1 March 2027
As of today, we have not found a separate published timetable yet for September 2028 entry. So for families applying next year, the safest wording is that Queenswood usually asks for 11+ registration by early October, holds assessment days in November, and sends decisions before Christmas, based on the most recent school timeline available.
The school also publishes its registration fees. The admissions materials state a £130 registration fee for UK applicants and those applying for one term, and £260 for international applicants joining for more than one term.
Before you register, it is sensible to have:
- your child’s basic details and current school information
- contact details for parents or guardians
- payment ready for the registration fee
- any information the school requests for interview or reference arrangements
Because school-run independent admissions can change from year to year, we would suggest three quick checks when Queenswood opens the 2028 process: the exact registration deadline, whether there is more than one assessment day, and whether any part of the assessment format has changed.
Who can apply: catchment and admissions
Queenswood is an independent girls’ school, so there is no catchment area in the state-school sense. Families do not need to live within a defined distance, but they do need to meet the school’s admissions requirements.
The school’s admissions information says that offers are based on three main elements:
- performance in the entrance assessment
- an interview
- a positive reference from the headteacher of the applicant’s current school
That matters for preparation. A child does need academic readiness for the test, but schools like Queenswood also want to see that she will engage well with school life and is likely to thrive in the setting.
We did not find an official published number of Year 7 places, a published pass mark, or a published cut-off score for 11+ entry on the sources we reviewed. Independent schools often do not publish those figures. Parents should therefore avoid forum claims about “safe scores” and instead rely on the school’s own admissions pages and direct contact with the admissions team.
If you are comparing Queenswood with grammar-school applications, the key difference is that there is no local-authority ranking or catchment allocation system here. Queenswood considers applicants through its own admissions process, and acceptance is then confirmed directly with the school.
A month-by-month preparation plan
For a child starting Year 7 in September 2028, the assessment is likely to fall in the autumn of Year 6, probably around November if the school keeps a similar timetable. A calm plan beginning in Year 5 is usually enough.
January to March of Year 5
Keep it light: around 1 to 1.5 hours a week in total, split into short sessions. Focus on reading fluency, secure arithmetic, and gentle introductions to verbal and non-verbal reasoning. The goal is not speed yet; it is familiarity.
- Read high-quality fiction and non-fiction most days
- Practise number facts, fractions, decimals and word problems
- Try short reasoning exercises to spot patterns and common formats
April to June of Year 5
Increase to about 2 hours a week. Start covering each of the four tested areas every fortnight. For English, add comprehension and vocabulary work. For maths, make sure methods are written clearly and accurately.
- One maths session each week
- One English session each week
- Alternate verbal and non-verbal reasoning practice
July to August before Year 6
This is a good time to build consistency without making the summer feel like school. Aim for 2 to 3 hours a week, in short bursts. Use mixed practice so your child gets used to changing subjects.
- Do one short timed section at a time
- Review mistakes carefully, especially careless ones
- Keep reading daily and discuss vocabulary in context
September of Year 6
Once Year 6 starts, move to about 3 to 4 hours a week if your child is coping well. This is the point to make practice more test-like. Begin timed sections regularly, but keep most sessions short enough that concentration stays sharp.
- Start using mixed papers covering all four subjects
- Track recurring weak areas
- Practise moving on quickly from difficult questions
October of Year 6
This is usually the key consolidation month if the assessment is in early November. Keep to 3 to 4 hours a week. Do not suddenly double the workload. Two focused timed papers or paper sections per week, with full review afterwards, is often more useful than constant drilling.
- Practise exam stamina in realistic conditions
- Refine timing rather than cramming new content
- Keep one or two lighter sessions each week for confidence
The final 7 to 10 days
Taper slightly. Your child should still do a little practice, but this is the time for confidence, sleep and routine. Brief mixed questions, error review and calm reassurance are better than full papers every day.
Subject by subject: what to practise
Maths
For Queenswood, maths preparation should be broad and methodical. Children should be comfortable with core Year 5 content and early Year 6 topics, especially arithmetic accuracy, place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, measures, perimeter, area and multi-step word problems.
Because the school’s format is GL-style across several subjects, maths practice should include:
- short calculations done accurately under time pressure
- word problems where the child must choose the method
- working systematically and checking answers
- estimating to catch obvious mistakes
A good habit is to spend as much time reviewing wrong answers as completing questions. Ask: was it a method gap, a reading error or rushing?
English
English preparation should cover both comprehension and the language skills that support it. Strong readers usually do best because they can understand tone, inference and vocabulary quickly.
Useful areas to practise include:
- retrieval from fiction and non-fiction passages
- inference based on evidence in the text
- understanding vocabulary from context
- spelling, punctuation and grammar accuracy
- clear written expression where needed
Daily reading is the best long-term preparation. Discuss word meanings, character motives and why an author has chosen particular phrases. That builds the depth children need for unfamiliar passages.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning rewards familiarity with common question types and strong vocabulary. Children often improve quickly once they understand the logic behind the questions.
Practise should include:
- letter and number codes
- word relationships and classifications
- sequences and patterns
- finding hidden words or letter-based rules
- careful handling of multi-step instructions
Keep sessions short and regular. Verbal reasoning is less about memorising huge amounts and more about recognising patterns fast and accurately.
Non-Verbal Reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning becomes much easier when children learn to scan shapes in a consistent order. They should get used to spotting changes in rotation, reflection, shading, size, position and number.
Useful practice areas are:
- shape sequences
- odd one out
- analogies
- matrices
- codes based on shapes or symbols
Encourage your child to talk through what changed from one shape to the next. That turns guesswork into method.
Practice papers and mock exams
The best practice for Queenswood is balanced, regular work across all four tested subjects. Because the assessment is school-run but GL-style, use materials that develop the relevant skills without assuming the paper will be identical to any one shared test.
Start with untimed or lightly timed work to learn methods. Once your child is secure, move to timed sections, then to mixed practice covering maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning in the same week.
When using practice papers:
- Do not use them all at once. Keep some back for the final six weeks.
- Mark carefully and classify errors: knowledge gap, misunderstanding, vocabulary gap or rushing.
- Redo only the questions that went wrong, a day or two later.
- Use timings realistically, but do not turn every session into a high-pressure test.
- Keep a short notebook of patterns in mistakes.
Useful starting points from ElevenReady:
- Free Queenswood School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers)
- The Queenswood School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates)
- Free email alerts for this school's key dates
If you use mock exams, treat them as a confidence-building tool rather than a verdict. Their main value is helping your child manage timing, instructions, concentration and nerves in a more formal setting.
On the day
Independent-school assessment days are usually calmer when children know the routine in advance. Once Queenswood sends your daughter’s allocated date and arrangements, talk through the day simply and matter-of-factly.
- Check the arrival time, travel route and parking the day before
- Prepare clothing and any required items in advance
- Have a normal breakfast and leave plenty of time
- Avoid last-minute cramming on the journey
- Remind your child that one difficult question is normal and expected
Useful test-room reminders are simple:
- listen carefully to instructions
- keep an eye on timing, but do not panic
- move on if stuck and return later if possible
- check answers if there is time
Because Queenswood also includes an interview as part of admissions, it can help to remind your child that the school is not looking for a polished performance. Warm, thoughtful, natural answers are far more useful than rehearsed ones.
After the exam: results, allocation and appeals
For the latest published Queenswood 11+ timeline we found, decision letters were emailed prior to Christmas, with written confirmation of acceptance due by 1 March 2027 for that admissions cycle. If the school follows a similar pattern for September 2028 entry, families can expect a decision well before the spring.
Unlike state grammar schools, there is no National Offer Day allocation process for an independent school place. Queenswood makes decisions directly to families, and parents then decide whether to accept by the school’s deadline.
If your daughter is not offered a place, the next step is to speak to the admissions team courteously and promptly. Independent schools do not always use the same formal appeals structure as state schools, so the correct process is to ask Queenswood directly about waiting lists, reconsideration or any review route available for that year.
If your daughter is offered a place, make a note straight away of the acceptance deadline, deposit or paperwork requirements, and any scholarship or bursary follow-up dates that apply to your family.
What has changed recently
The main recent published update we found is that Queenswood’s 11+ timeline for September 2027 entry set out two assessment days in November 2026, with candidates allocated one of those days after registration closed, plus later scholarship assessment weeks in November. We did not find an official announcement on the pages reviewed of a change to a new exam board, a new catchment policy, or a new published admissions number within the last two years.
the information in our directory (not yet verified with the school) for 2028 entry is that preparation should be balanced across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning in a GL-style format using the school’s own paper. Parents should watch the school’s admissions page for the formal 2028 timeline when it is published.
Frequently asked questions
Does Queenswood School have a catchment area for 11+?
No. Queenswood is an independent girls’ school, so it does not use a state-school catchment area.
What subjects should my child prepare for at Queenswood 11+?
For 2028 entry, our working assumption, not yet verified with the school, is Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Who runs the Queenswood 11+ admissions process?
Queenswood runs its own admissions process as an independent school. It is not administered through a local authority grammar-school test system.
When is the Queenswood 11+ exam usually held?
The latest published school timeline shows assessment days in November for 2027 entry. For 2028 entry, parents should check the school’s admissions page for the confirmed dates when they are released.
Does Queenswood publish a pass mark or cut-off score?
We did not find an official published pass mark or cut-off score on the sources reviewed. If you need the latest detail, check directly with Queenswood’s admissions team.
Is the assessment the only thing Queenswood looks at?
No. The school says admissions are based on the entrance assessment, an interview and a positive reference from the headteacher of the child’s current school.
Sources
- Queenswood School – Admissions process: Queenswood is a girls’ independent school; admissions are based on an entrance assessment, an interview and a positive reference from the headteacher of the applicant’s current school; registration is handled by the school; registration fee is £130 for UK applicants and those applying for one term,
- Queenswood School – Home page: Queenswood is in Brookmans Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire and is a girls’ school.
Preparing for other schools in Hertfordshire
- Abbot's Hill School · practice papers
- Aldenham School · practice papers
- Berkhamsted School · practice papers
- Bishop's Stortford College · practice papers
- Egerton-Rothesay School · practice papers
- Haberdashers' Boys' School · practice papers
Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.