FSCE 11 plus: what you need to know

If your child is aiming for a grammar school that uses the Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE) 11+ entrance exam, this guide explains what the exam is, how it works, and how to help them prepare.

Key takeaways:

• The exam is taken on paper and tests English, maths and creative writing as its core subjects.
• From September 2025, some schools' papers may also draw on a broader range of KS2 subjects, including art & design, computing, design & technology, geography, history, languages, music, physical education, and science.
• There are a mix of question types, including multiple-choice and free response questions, and some schools now use four named papers (Adventure, Beacon, Compass and Discovery) rather than three.
• The pass mark, or qualifying standard, is decided by individual schools.
• The number of schools using FSCE is growing. From September 2026, Ermysted's Grammar School and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith are using FSCE for their admissions process. 

What is the FSCE 11 plus?

The FSCE 11 plus is a Year 7 entrance test. It was created by Future Stories Community Enterprise, linked to Reading School, in 2022. The test helps grammar schools identify which students might thrive there.

The FSCE was designed to be a fairer, more accessible alternative to traditional 11+ exam formats. The exam focuses on how well children can apply knowledge they have already covered in school up to the end of Year 5.

Which grammar schools use the FSCE 11 plus?

Here are the schools using the FSCE 11+ for 2027 entry:

• Reading School (Berkshire)
• Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith (Cumbria)
• Chelmsford County High School for Girls (Essex)
• Ermysted's Grammar School (North Yorkshire) 
• Heckmondwike Grammar School (West Yorkshire)
• Lancaster Girls' Grammar School (Lancashire)
• Skipton Girls' High School (North Yorkshire)‍
• North Halifax Grammar School (West Yorkshire)‍
• The Crossley Heath School (West Yorkshire)

Always check your target school's website to confirm the latest exam arrangements.

What is the format of the FSCE 11 plus?

The FSCE 11 plus exam is taken on paper. Your child will write their answers in the spaces provided on their answer sheet; any work done elsewhere will not be seen or marked.

Instructions are read aloud via a pre-recorded voice recording. At the start of each section, the recording will tell children:

• which page number to turn to
• the section number and name
• how to answer the questions, with an example (also printed in the question booklet)
• how much time they have to complete the section
• when to start and when they have a short time left

At least one invigilator will be present throughout. Your child's name, primary school, date of birth, and test date will be pre-printed on their answer sheets. If anything is incorrect, they can raise their hand and an invigilator will help.

The three-paper structure

Most schools use three papers for the FSCE 11+ entrance exam:

1. Multiple-choice paper

• This paper contains a mixture of English and maths multiple-choice questions.
• Your child will select the best answer, A, B, C or D on a separate answer sheet.

2. Free response paper

• This paper also covers English and maths, but requires written answers rather than multiple-choice.
• Your child writes their answers in the spaces provided on the answer sheet.

3. Creative writing paper

• Your child responds to a prompt with an extended piece of original writing.
• Planning time is built into the test before writing begins.

The four-paper structure

Some schools, notably Reading School, use an extended version of the FSCE with four named papers:

• Adventure Paper: multiple-choice questions drawn from KS2 subjects including English, maths, science, geography, history and more
• Beacon Paper: short written response questions across a similar range of subjects
• Compass Paper: a second multiple-choice paper with a different subject focus
• Discovery Paper: a creative task assessing original thinking, imagination and problem-solving

Please check your target school's website to confirm which format they use.

What subjects are tested on the FSCE 11 plus?

The core subjects tested are English, maths and creative writing. These remain the foundation of the FSCE exam across all schools.

From September 2025, some schools' papers may also draw on a wider range of KS2 curriculum subjects. These can include: 

• Art & Design
• Computing
• Design & Technology
• Geography
• History
• Languages
• Music
• Physical Education
• Science

None of the subjects go beyond what children will have covered in primary school by the end of Year 5, so these topics will not be unfamiliar.

The aim is to assess how children apply what they already know, rather than testing for facts crammed outside the classroom.

1. English

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

Reading comprehension

Questions assess how well children understand a short passage of text, and their ability to analyse and interpret it. The passage could be fiction or non-fiction.

Take a look at an example comprehension question.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary questions test word knowledge and understanding. For example, children may be asked to identify the word that is a close match (synonym) for a given word from a set of options.

Take a look at an example below.

Missing letters (spelling)

Spelling is assessed through missing letters questions. Children see a word with some letters removed and must identify the full, correctly-spelt word in context.

Here is an example of a ‘missing letters’ question.

2. Maths

FSCE maths questions are based on the Year 5 Key Stage 2 curriculum. Topics covered include:

• Number and place value: round numbers, negative numbers, and Roman numerals
• Calculations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, factors, and prime, square and cube numbers
• Fractions, decimals and percentages: comparing and ordering, adding and subtracting, multiplying and rounding, and an introduction to percentages
• Measurement: units, perimeter, area and volume
• Geometry: 2D shapes, 3D shapes, angles, reflection and translation
• Statistics: tables and line graphs

Here is an example maths question.

3. Creative writing

The creative writing paper helps schools assess children from all angles. Your child will see a prompt, which they will use as the basis for a piece of original writing.

Planning

• Planning space will be provided in the question booklet. 
• This will not be marked, but your child should use this time to structure their ideas and organise their thoughts.
• They will not be able to write on the answer sheet during 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 show:

• 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 is the FSCE 11 plus exam marked?

Each school sets their own "eligible score" or qualifying standard.

The multiple-choice papers are marked electronically. OMR (Optical Mark Readers) scan the answer sheets and detect the marks your child has made. Raw scores from these papers are then age-standardised (SAS), which takes your child's age at the time of the test into account.

Only children who achieve an eligible score in the academic papers will have their creative writing paper assessed by examiners. This two-stage process means that performing well in the multiple-choice and free-response papers is essential.‍

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 solid KS2 knowledge

The FSCE is built around the Year 5 Key Stage 2 curriculum, so the strongest foundation your child can have is a confident understanding of what they've already been taught at school.

Using a 'little and often' approach works best as our brains learn new information more effectively in smaller chunks. Experts recommend study sessions of 20–30 minutes for 10-year-olds.

With Atom Home, your child gets:

• a personalised weekly learning plan tied to their target schools
• adaptive questions that meet them at the right level of difficulty
• coverage of all core KS2 topics tested in the FSCE

Enter your target schools on Atom Home and get started with a free trial today.

Encourage regular reading

Strong reading skills underpin almost every part of the FSCE exam.

Encourage your child to read for 10–15 minutes a day, focusing on variety – fiction, non-fiction, different genres and authors.

This helps build:

• vocabulary
• comprehension and inference skills
• confidence with unfamiliar texts

Looking for book ideas? Atom's recommended reading lists for Years 3–6 include a wide range of age-appropriate titles.

Build 11+ exam technique with realistic practice papers

Once your child feels secure with the main topics, paper practice tests help them feel more confident with the exam format.

Atom’s practice papers are designed to reflect real test conditions. Parents simply photograph their child’s answer sheets and upload them to Atom for instant marking.

You’ll get:

• a Standardised Age Score (SAS)
• clear insight into strengths and areas for improvement
• a comparison with other children applying to the same schools

The papers are unlimited, meaning your child can practise again and again with new questions each time.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you’re supporting your child through exam preparation, what really matters is knowing they’re moving in the right direction.

Atom’s progress tracking gives you a clear, simple view of how your child is doing across topics and how their performance is developing over time.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady and focus on consistent improvement – not just one-off test results.