How to prepare for The King's School 11+ exam

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

The King's School in Chester is an independent, academically selective school. For Senior School entry, the school says admission is by examination each January for the following September.

For 2028 entry, the working assumption for this guide, not yet verified with the school, is a school-run entrance assessment using a GL Assessment paper covering Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The delivery is mixed, so families should be ready for a test day that may combine different section styles rather than assuming one single paper format throughout.

In practical terms, children should prepare for standard timed sections across all four subjects. That means two things matter most:

secure core knowledge, especially in Maths and English;
steady timed accuracy, especially in Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning where speed and method both matter.

The school does not publish a detailed public breakdown of exactly how long each section lasts, so it is best to work on balanced practice across all four areas rather than over-focusing on one.

What the day usually looks like at an independent school entrance assessment is straightforward: arrival and registration, a short welcome, one or more timed test sessions, and collection afterwards. Because The King's says Senior School admissions are by examination in January, families should expect the assessment to take place during that period and should watch the school's admissions communications carefully once registration opens.

Registration and key dates

The King's School handles its own admissions rather than using a local-authority 11+ registration system. The school's admissions page directs families to contact the Admissions Team and to complete an application form for entry. For Senior School entry, the school states that the form should be completed no later than one week before the assessment.

For the current published cycle that was visible during research, the explicit Senior School entrance test date given for September 2027 entry was 15 January 2027, with a stated application deadline of 8 January 2027. The same admissions information also says that Senior School examinations are held each January for entry the following September.

For children starting Year 7 in September 2028, the school has not yet published the full 2028-entry timetable on the pages reviewed. Parents should therefore treat the following as typical timing based on the school's published pattern:

registration and application: check with the school during the autumn term before the exam;
deadline: typically around one week before the January assessment;
exam date: usually in January;
entry point: September of the same calendar year.

The safest next step is to use the school's admissions page and ask the Admissions Team to confirm when applications for 2028 entry open, what documents are needed, and whether any interview, school report or reference is required alongside the test.

If you want a simple reminder system, you can also use Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=the-kings-school.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

The King's School is an independent school, so there is no catchment area for entry. Families do not apply through the local authority's secondary transfer process in order to secure a place at the school; instead, they apply directly to the school through its own admissions route.

The school describes itself as a coeducational day school for ages 4 to 18, and states that entry to the Senior School is by examination in January for the following September.

During research, no official published figure for the number of Year 7 places available each year was found on the school's admissions pages reviewed. The school also did not publish a public pass mark, cut-off score or standardised score threshold. Because independent schools can vary their offers year by year depending on the cohort and available places, parents should not rely on rumours about a "required score". Instead, check the school's admissions page directly and ask the Admissions Team how offers are made for the relevant entry year.

Fees matter for planning as well as admissions. For the 2026/27 academic year, the school states Senior School tuition fees of £6,826 per term, with compulsory lunches at £370 per term. If you are applying for 2028 entry, do bear in mind that fees can change before your child's start date.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because The King's School's Senior School assessment is typically in January, most families will be preparing through Year 5 and into the start of Year 6. The most effective approach is steady and calm rather than intensive and late.

February to April of Year 5

Aim for 1 to 1.5 hours a week in short sessions.
Build arithmetic fluency: number facts, written methods, fractions, decimals and percentages.
Strengthen English basics: reading comprehension, inference, vocabulary, spelling patterns and accurate sentence writing.
Introduce Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning gently so the question styles do not feel unfamiliar later.

May to July of Year 5

Increase to around 2 hours a week.
Work evenly across all four subjects because the exam is balanced.
Start topic-based practice rather than full papers: one skill at a time, done carefully.
Keep reading daily. Strong comprehension and vocabulary help well beyond the English section.

Summer holiday before Year 6

Keep it light but regular: around 2 to 3 hours a week.
Consolidate methods already learned rather than racing ahead.
Use short timed drills in reasoning to build pace without making every session feel like a test.
If your child has never sat a mock-style paper, try one partial paper at home simply to practise staying focused.

September of Year 6

Move to around 3 hours a week, split across several sessions.
Begin timed sections properly.
Review errors carefully: was it knowledge, misunderstanding, vocabulary, timing or carelessness?
Create a notebook of common traps, especially in Maths and reasoning.

October

Continue at 3 to 4 hours a week.
Start mixing subjects within a week so your child practises changing gear.
Do one longer timed piece at weekends, but keep weekdays shorter.
Focus on accuracy first, then pace.

November

Use regular timed practice papers or paper sections.
Keep a close eye on stamina and concentration.
For English, make sure your child can read a passage carefully under time pressure without rushing the meaning.
For Maths, revisit weak topics rather than endlessly repeating strengths.

December

Reduce the temptation to overdo it during the holidays.
Use 2 to 3 strong sessions a week plus light review.
Practise exam routines: working neatly, checking answers, moving on from hard questions.
Sleep, routine and confidence matter now as much as new content.

January, just before the exam

Do brief refreshers, not cramming.
One or two final timed sections are enough.
Focus on calm starts, careful reading and leaving each paper feeling composed.

If your child starts later than this, do not panic. A shorter plan can still work well if you stay consistent and practise all four tested areas rather than chasing a last-minute burst of papers.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

For The King's School, Maths preparation should centre on secure Key Stage 2 arithmetic and problem solving. Children should be confident with the four operations, place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, averages, perimeter, area, angles, time and money. In a selective test, the challenge is often not advanced content but applying familiar knowledge quickly and accurately.

Practise mental arithmetic every week.
Use short problem-solving sets with mixed topics.
Teach your child to underline key information and decide the method before calculating.
Review errors to spot whether the issue is method, number accuracy or rushing.

English

English preparation should cover both comprehension and written accuracy. Independent school entrance tests often reward children who read carefully, infer meaning, explain word choice and write clearly in full sentences. Vocabulary matters too, especially for understanding subtle comprehension questions.

Read widely: classic children's fiction, modern fiction and quality non-fiction.
Practise retrieving facts, inferring feelings and intentions, and explaining language choices.
Revise grammar, punctuation and spelling patterns.
Encourage concise but precise written answers rather than overlong ones.

Verbal Reasoning

GL-style Verbal Reasoning usually tests how well children work with language patterns, codes, letter sequences, word relationships and structured logic under time pressure. Children often improve most when they learn the common question types and the method for each one.

Introduce one question type at a time until the method becomes familiar.
Build vocabulary alongside technique.
Use short timed drills to improve speed without losing accuracy.
Keep an error log of recurring question types that need reteaching.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

GL-style Non-Verbal Reasoning focuses on visual patterns, sequences, rotations, reflections, shape codes and similarities or differences. Many children find this easier once they learn to look systematically for changes in shape, position, number, shading and direction.

Teach your child to check one feature at a time rather than guessing from the overall look.
Practise spotting rotation and reflection accurately.
Use short, regular sessions because visual reasoning improves with familiarity.
Work on timing only after the method is secure.

Across all four subjects, balanced preparation is especially important here. Because the school's format in our directory (not yet verified with the school) covers Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, children should not neglect any one area.

Practice papers and mock exams

Practice papers help most when they are used as a learning tool, not just a score. Start with untimed or lightly timed work so your child learns the method. Move on to timed sections once the question types feel familiar. Full papers are useful later, when stamina and pacing become part of preparation.

A sensible pattern is:

learn the skill untimed;
practise a small set of similar questions;
complete a mixed timed section;
review every mistake properly;
redo only the questions that exposed a weakness.

Do not use endless papers too early. It is better to complete fewer papers and review them well than to rush through many and repeat the same mistakes.

For school-specific practice, use Free The King's School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers): /schools/the-kings-school-mock-tests.

For a quick overview of format, admissions and dates, see The The King's School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates): /schools/the-kings-school.

And if you want reminders when dates are updated, use Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=the-kings-school.

If you use a mock exam, choose the timing carefully. The best point is usually once your child already knows the question types, so the mock tests exam habits rather than introducing everything at once. After any mock, spend at least as long reviewing it as sitting it.

On the day

Keep the morning simple. Aim for an early night beforehand, a familiar breakfast and plenty of time to travel without rushing. Children usually perform better when the day feels calm and predictable.

Check the school's instructions carefully the day before.
Pack any required stationery the night before, even if the school usually provides most materials.
Dress according to the school's guidance and the weather.
Arrive in good time so your child can settle.

Just before the test, the most helpful reminders are practical ones:

read every question carefully;
do the straightforward questions confidently;
do not get stuck too long on one item;
keep handwriting and working clear;
check answers if there is time.

Parents can help most by staying matter-of-fact. Avoid a last-minute quiz in the car or comments about how important the day is. A calm "show them what you know" approach is usually the best one.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

Because The King's School is an independent school, the post-exam process is different from local-authority grammar school allocation. There is no National Offer Day allocation through the council for the school itself. Instead, families hear directly from the school about the outcome of the entrance process and any next steps.

On the pages reviewed, the school did not publish a detailed public timetable for when Senior School entrance results are issued after the January examination. It also did not publish a public pass mark. Parents should therefore expect the school to communicate results directly and should ask the Admissions Team when outcomes are normally sent for the relevant year.

If your child is offered a place, read the acceptance instructions carefully and respond by the school's deadline. Independent schools often require a formal acceptance step, and sometimes a deposit, though families should confirm the exact process with the school for their year of entry.

If your child is not offered a place, ask politely whether there is a waiting list and whether any feedback is available. Formal appeals in the maintained-school sense do not usually operate in the same way for independent school admissions, so the right next step is to speak directly to the admissions office about options.

What has changed recently

From the official sources reviewed, the clearest recent published point is the school's current stated pattern for Senior School entry: admission by examination in January for the following September, with a specific published entrance test date of 15 January 2027 for September 2027 entry and an application deadline of 8 January 2027.

The school's fees page also confirms updated fees for the 2026/27 academic year, including Senior School tuition and compulsory lunch charges.

No separately announced recent change to catchment was found, which is consistent with the school's independent status and no-catchment admissions approach.

No official recent announcement was found on the reviewed pages showing a published change to the Senior School entrance exam subjects for 2028 entry beyond the current school-run assessment format already noted above.

Frequently asked questions

When is The King's School Chester 11+ exam usually held?

The school says Senior School entry examinations are held each January for entry the following September. For the most recently published cycle seen during research, the test date was 15 January 2027 for September 2027 entry.

Does The King's School have a catchment area?

No. It is an independent school and does not use a catchment area for entry.

What subjects should my child prepare for?

For 2028 entry, the working assumption for this guide, not yet verified with the school, is Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Preparation should be balanced across all four.

Is The King's School Chester 11+ run by the local authority?

No. Families apply directly to the school through its own admissions process rather than through a council 11+ registration portal.

Does the school publish a pass mark?

No public pass mark or cut-off score was found on the official pages reviewed. Parents should check directly with the school's admissions team for the latest information.

How much are the fees?

For 2026/27, the school lists Senior School tuition fees as £6,826 per term, with compulsory lunches at £370 per term. Fees can change, so check the latest school fees page for your child's entry year.

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Sources

The King's School Chester - Admissions: The school is independent and academically selective; Senior School entry is by examination in January for the following September; the application form should be completed no later than one week before the assessment; families apply directly to the school via its own admissions route.
The King's School Chester - Fees: Senior School tuition fees for 2026/27 are £6,826 per term including VAT; compulsory lunches are £370 per term; fees for 2026/27 have been confirmed.
The King's School Chester - Home: The school is coeducational and for ages 4 to 18.

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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.