Torquay Girls' Grammar School 11+ guide

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

Thinking about applying to Torquay Girls' 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 Girls' Grammar School

• Address: Torquay Girls' Grammar School, 30 Shiphay Lane, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 7DY
• Number of pupils: approx. 1,000+
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 160
• 11+ exam: GL Assessment
• Catchment area: no

Dates for your diary

• March 2025: Torquay Girls' 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 Girls' Grammar School
• Monday 13th 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 Girls' Grammar School

Torquay Girls' Grammar School (TGGS) is a selective state school in Torquay for girls aged 11–18. It aims for students to become rounded individuals who make positive contributions to their community.

TGGS was one of the first schools in the UK to achieve Humanities Specialist School status. The school is proud of its pastoral system where students are enthusiastic and comfortable to speak out. A new wellbeing centre incorporates facilities for outdoor education and mental health support.

In late 2023, Ofsted rated Torquay Girls' Grammar School 'outstanding' in all areas. The report notes how pupils meet exceptionally high expectations and challenge gender stereotypes. Over half of sixth form students go on to study degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).

How to apply to Torquay Girls' Grammar School

Torquay Girls' Grammar School 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’ Grammar School and Torquay Girls’) 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 TGGS.

Registration for the Torquay Girls' Grammar School 11 plus opens on the school website in 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 Girls' 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 Girls' Grammar School below.

What subjects are on the Torquay Girls' 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 Girls' 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 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.

Children are prioritised for places at Torquay Girls’ Grammar School based which of the following categories they fall into:

Category A

Children in Category A have a total score equal to or higher than that achieved by the child whose ranked score is number 140 in the list.

Category B

Children in Category B have a total score in the range achieved between the 141st ranked child and the 180th ranked child. Within this group, children are prioritised in this order:

1. Looked after and previously looked after children
2. Children who receive pupil premium, free school meals, or the service premium

Category C

Children in Category C have a total score lower than that achieved by the child whose ranked score is number 180 in the list.

If two children vying for the last place in each category have identical scores, the school prioritises the child who lives closest to the school. If there is a tie for the final 160th place, the order of priority is:

1. A looked after or previously looked after child
2. A child eligible for the pupil premium
3. A daughter of Torquay Girls’ Grammar School staff
4. A girl who has a sister studying at TGGS
5. By direct line distance from home 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.