FSCE 11 plus: what you need to know

What is the FSCE 11 plus?

The FSCE 11 plus is a Year 7 entrance test created by Future Stories Community Enterprise – a subsidiary of Reading School. The test is used to estimate children's academic potential. Grammar schools use the results to decide which children are more likely to thrive at their school.

FSCE was created in early 2022. It aims to ensure children from disadvantaged backgrounds have equal opportunities to get into grammar schools. The exam is paper-based, making it easier for all schools to facilitate. Children are not tested beyond the Year 5 curriculum or on verbal or non-verbal reasoning, as these subjects are not taught at school. All children who take the test in the autumn term of Year 6 will have been taught the content covered in the exam.

What is the format of the FSCE 11 plus?

The FSCE 11 plus exam is taken on paper. There are three papers in total:

1. Multiple-choice. This paper contains a mixture of English and maths multiple-choice questions. Your child will have a separate answer sheet to complete and will need to select the best answer by shading the matching oval (A, B, C or D) on their answer sheet. Horizontal or vertical lines, drawn through the oval, are not accepted.

2. Free response. This paper also contains a mixture of English and maths questions, but your child will need to provide written answers to questions. They must write their answer in the space provided. For maths questions, your child will need to write one digit per box. For example, if an answer has two digits (20), then they should write 2 in one box and 0 in the box next to it.

3. Creative writing. We've included more information about this paper below.

For all papers, your child must write their answers in the spaces provided. Any other work will not be seen or marked.

The instructions are read out via a voice recording. At the start of each section, the voice recording will tell children:

• which page number they must turn to

• the section number and name

• instructions for how to answer the questions

• an example question (also printed in the question booklet, so they can follow along)

• how much time they have to complete the section

• when they can start answering the questions

• how much time they have left before the end of the section.

At least one invigilator will be present in the room to help your child if they need any support.

Your child’s details, such as their name, primary school, and date of birth, plus the date and time of the test, will be pre-written on each of their answer sheets. At the start of each test, your child will be asked to check that this information is correct. If any information is incorrect, they can raise their hand and an invigilator will help.

What subjects does the FSCE 11 plus assess?

The FSCE 11 plus tests English, maths and creative writing.

English and maths are covered across two papers with a mixture of question types. Some questions are multiple-choice, while others require 'constrained' (free text) responses.

The creative writing test is a third separate paper.

1. English

English questions in the FSCE 11 plus cover reading comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling.

Reading comprehension

For reading comprehension, children will need to read a short passage of text. The questions will assess how well they understand what they have read, and their ability to analyse and interpret the text. The text could be a piece of fiction or non-fiction.

Take a look at some example comprehension questions from the FSCE familiarisation guide.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary questions test the words your child currently knows and how well they understand their meaning. For example, your child may need to identify the word from the choice of options that is an exact or close match (synonym) of the main word in the question.

The vocabulary questions and answers below are examples from the FSCE familiarisation guide.

Missing letters

Spelling is assessed through missing letters questions. In each question, children will see a word with some letters removed. They will need to identify the full word in the context of the sentence and complete the word so that it is spelt correctly.

There is only one correct answer for each question. The words will be different lengths, so the number of missing letters will vary for each question.

Have a look at some example ‘missing letters’ questions below.

2. Maths

FSCE 11 plus maths questions test your child’s knowledge from Year 5 of the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum. This covers the following topics:

• Number and place value: round numbers, negative numbers, and Roman numerals

• Calculations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, plus factors and prime, square and cube numbers

• Fractions, decimals and percentages: comparing and ordering, adding and subtracting, multiplying and rounding, and beginning to understand percentages

• Measurement: units, perimeter, area and volume

• Geometry: 2D shapes, 3D shapes, angles, reflection and translation

• Statistics: tables and line graphs

Your child will be able to use the available space in the question booklet to work out their answers. However, answers must be recorded on the answer sheet provided. No marks will be awarded for working out.

If the answer has a unit attached (e.g. degrees, £, metres etc.), this will be pre-written on the answer sheet. Your child should pay attention to this and make sure their answer is relevant to the unit provided. Answers written in the wrong format will not receive any marks.

See the sorts of maths questions your child might be asked in the following examples from the FSCE familiarisation guide.

3. Creative writing

The third subject assessed in the FSCE 11 plus exam is creative writing. This enables schools to assess children from a more holistic angle.

Your child will see a prompt, which they will use as the title for a piece of original writing. Time will be built into the test for your child to plan their answer before they are told to start writing.

Planning

Space will be provided in the question booklet for your child to plan their creative writing piece. This will not be marked, but they should use this time to structure their ideas and organise their thoughts. They may wish to write notes, plot out the steps in their story, or draw a spider diagram. They will not be able to write on the answer sheet during the planning time.

Writing

Your child will be told when the planning time has finished, and when to start writing on the answer sheet. Any work written in the question booklet will not be marked.

Examiners will be looking for children who can demonstrate:

• creativity and imagination

• good structure and pace

• correct and effective use of spelling, punctuation and grammar

• an extensive and interesting vocabulary

• varied sentence structures

How to prepare for the FSCE 11 plus

Here are our top tips for helping your child prepare effectively for the FSCE 11 plus exam.

Build knowledge

When preparing for an exam, it can be tempting to jump straight into using practice papers. However, this is not an effective way to learn and can cause children to feel demotivated.

Your child should have a good understanding of Year 5 content before testing their knowledge under exam conditions. Using a 'little and often' approach is key, as our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. Experts recommend study sessions of 20–30 minutes for 10-year-olds.

Building knowledge is easy and fun with Atom Home. When you enter your target schools, Atom gives your child a clear weekly plan to pass the entrance exams. Know exactly what your child needs to do each week to confidently pass.

Read widely

The English paper will test your child’s ability to read and analyse text. The best way to prepare for this is to read widely at home, including both fiction and non-fiction texts.

Encourage your child 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.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.

With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.

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 have the ability to improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.