Torquay Boys' Grammar School 11+ guide

Atom Learning is partnered with Torquay Boys' Grammar School. You can read more about our partnership here.

Thinking about applying to Torquay Boys' Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about admissions in 2025–2026 and how to prepare your child for success in the 11 plus entrance exam.

Key information for Torquay Boys' Grammar School

• Address: Torquay Boys' Grammar School, Shiphay Manor Drive, Torquay, Devon TQ2 7EL
• Number of pupils: 1,000+
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 168
• 11+ exam: GL Assessment
• Catchment area: no

Dates for your diary

• Mid-March 2025: Torquay Boys' Grammar School 11+ registration opens
• Wednesday 16th July 2025: preferable 11+ registration deadline
• Tuesday 2nd September 2025: final 11+ registration deadline
• Saturday 20th September 2025: 11+ exam at Torquay Boys' Grammar School
• Friday 17th October 2025: parents receive 11+ results on this date (or as soon as possible after)
• Friday 31st October 2025: secondary school applications close at 5pm
• Monday 2nd March 2026: secondary school national offers day

About Torquay Boys' Grammar School

Torquay Boys’ Grammar School is a selective state school for boys in Torquay, Devon. The school was founded in 1904 and occupies the 17th-century Shiphay Manor. Ofsted rates the school 'good', praising high expectations and a purposeful environment.

Sixth form students at Torquay Boys' Grammar School have the option to study A levels or the International Baccalaureate (IB). A varied extracurricular programme includes activities such as mountain biking, fencing and astronomy.

How to apply to Torquay Boys' Grammar School

Torquay Boys' Grammar School (TBGS) is a selective state school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place in Year 7.

All three grammar schools in Torquay (Churston Ferrers Grammar School, Torquay Boys’ and Torquay Girls’ Grammar School) use the same tests. This means that your child will only need to take the test once, even if you’re considering one of these schools as well as TGBS.

Registration for the Torquay Boys' Grammar School 11 plus opens on the school website in mid-March 2025. The preferred deadline for submitting your child’s registration form is Wednesday 16th July 2025. Your child will take the exam on Saturday 20th September 2025 during either a morning or afternoon session. You’ll receive their results in October.

To apply to Torquay Boys' Grammar School, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by Friday 31st October 2025.

Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for Torquay Boys' Grammar School below.

What subjects are on the Torquay Boys' Grammar School 11 plus?

The three grammar schools in Torquay use the same 11 plus exam. This exam is supplied by GL Assessment.

Your child will be allocated either a morning slot (9am–11am) or afternoon slot (1pm–3pm) on Saturday 20th September 2025.

They will take two multiple-choice papers, each lasting around 45–50 minutes. One paper tests English and the other paper tests maths.

English

GL Assessment 11 plus English papers are based on the content your child will have learned on the national curriculum at school.

Some questions will test reading comprehension. Your child will need to read a passage of text and answer questions to demonstrate their understanding. Other questions assess further English skills, such as spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.

Maths

GL Assessment 11 plus maths papers are also based on Year 5 curriculum content. However, some questions may be more challenging than what your child is used to.

Questions will assess your child’s knowledge of key maths concepts. This includes times tables, mental maths, shapes, space and measures, how to use the four basic operations, and reading graphs. Your child will need to use their skills to solve new kinds of problems for some more advanced questions.

How does place allocation work at Torquay Boys' Grammar School?

Your child’s marks in the English and maths papers are age-standardised to ensure that younger children aren’t disadvantaged. The standardised score for each paper is added together to form your child’s final 11 plus score. All children are then placed in rank order according to their score.

The school’s admissions panel then decides on the ‘qualifying’ score. If more than 168 children achieve this score, the school prioritises children for places in this order:

1. Looked after children and previously looked after children
2. Children eligible for pupil premium
3. Other children

In each of these categories, children are prioritised based on how close they live to the school.

Atom’s top tips for 11 plus preparation

The 11 plus is designed to select the most academically able children in the local area. Here are our top tips to help you and your child feel confident for exam day!

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. 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.

Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.

Read widely

11 plus exams test your child’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.

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 for the Devon 11 plus. 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’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.

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