Contents
Considering City of London School for Girls for your child? We’ve collated everything you need to know about 11+ entry. Learn how to apply, what’s on the entrance exam, and how to help your child prepare for success.
Key information for City of London School for Girls
Address: City of London School for Girls, St Giles' Terrace, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8BB
Age range and gender: girls aged 11 – 18
Type of school: independent day
Number of students: 750+
Admissions contact: [email protected]
11+ open days: September and October
11+ selection criteria: CEM test, English and maths papers, interview
Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
11+ scholarships: music
About City of London School for Girls
City of London School for Girls (CLSG) is an independent day school for girls aged 11 - 18. It’s located in the Barbican, in the heart of London. It was opened in 1894.
The school says it is ‘Academic yet unstuffy, modern yet acutely aware of its history, diverse yet with a strong sense of identity’. It offers a related atmosphere, and emphasises it’s a modern place in which to learn.
Learning is highly valued at the school, as shown by its excellent academic track record and consistently high exam results. Co-curricular activities are considered equally as important. There are many societies and groups for students to get involved with. Guest speakers regularly come to the school.
CLSG offers a ‘pioneer programme’. This provides students with skills for life that are needed in order to thrive after they leave the school. The school’s location means it benefits from excellent transport links within the capital and beyond.
According to the Independent Schools Inspectorate, at CLSG 'Pupils are inspired to find their space to pioneer by being given the freedom in almost all lessons to explore, discover and create tasks for themselves, while being encouraged to do so by supportive, but highly challenging teaching.'
Dates for your diary
Registration closes: beginning November in Year 6
CEM test: November in Year 6
Interviews: December in Year 6
Second stage assessment (English and Maths papers): January in Year 6
Offers of places: February in Year 6
Acceptance deadline: March in Year 6
City of London School for Girls 11+ entrance exam
All children applying for 11+ entry to City of London School for Girls take the CEM Select exam. This is a computer assessment designed by the Centre of Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM). Schools use the exam to get an idea of a child’s academic potential and ability.
The CEM Select exam has a time limit of one hour and is split into six sections. This is a non-adaptive test, so all children see the same questions in the same order. Question types include multiple-choice, drag and drop, and auto-complete.
The core sections in the test are comprehension, missing words, numerical ability and pictures. These sections are often supplemented with one or two more sections which test verbal reasoning.
Comprehension: the reading comprehension section is one of the longest in the test. Your child will need to read a passage of fiction or non-fiction text, and answer questions to assess their understanding of the text and the extent of their vocabulary.
Missing words: your child will see two passages of text, one after the other. Both contain missing words. They will need to work out the missing words in each passage.
Numerical ability: this section of the test assesses your child’s maths skills and knowledge. These questions are aligned to the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum.
Pictures: the pictures section assesses non-verbal reasoning. For each question, your child will need to choose a picture to complete a set.
After the CEM test, a second stage of examinations takes place. Applicants must sit a 45 minute paper in English and a 45 minute paper in maths. An interview is also conducted at the school.
Complete guide to CEM Select
Find out everything you need to know about the format and subjects tested on the CEM Select exam. Learn about different types of questions and get free subject resources to help your child prepare.
Atom’s top tips for applying to City of London School for Girls
City of London School for Girls is a selective school, and competition for places can be high. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the selection process.
Bitesize learning
It’s important to build a good knowledge base before school entrance exams. Your child should have a good understanding of the content they’ve been taught at school before testing their knowledge with practice tests.
Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.
With Atom Home, you don’t need to worry about creating a study schedule. When you enter your target schools, you’ll get a bespoke learning plan tailored to your schools’ entrance exams. Know exactly what your child needs to do each week to confidently pass.
Read widely
Entrance exams test children’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.
Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.
Looking for reading inspiration? Check out our Key Stage 2 reading list.
Hone curiosity
Selective schools are often looking for children who are interested in learning. You can help by supporting your child’s broader learning, their intellectual curiosity, and their passion for developing an understanding of the world.
Talk to your child about the world we live in and inspire an interest in current affairs with age-appropriate journalism. It’s also a good idea to make sure they’re benefitting from a rich variety of experiences, such as visiting libraries, museums and galleries.
Refine exam technique
When your child feels confident with their knowledge of the exam topics, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.
Mock tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and refine exam technique. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning, while highlighting any knowledge gaps they might want to tackle before exam day.
When you set City of London School for Girls as a target school on Atom Home, your child will get CEM Select mock tests as part of their learning plan. Know what to expect on exam day.
Celebrate progress
Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.
Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.
Tailored exam prep for City of London School for Girls
Get your child’s roadmap to success with Atom Home. Atom has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.
Know what to revise with clear weekly plans tailored to your target schools
Enjoy learning with 90,000+ questions and 500+ hours of videos
Refine exam technique with CEM Select and second stage mock tests
See your child’s performance compared to other candidates
School offers – easy with Atom.
In 2024, 91% of Atom kids got offered a place at their top-choice school. Your child can be one of them. Get started with Atom for free today.
Contents