Schools / City of London School
City of London School
- Independent school
- Boys
- Day
- Ages 10–18
- 1,040 pupils
City of London School is an independent school for boys in City of London, educating around 1,000 pupils aged 10 to 18. Entrance is a two-part assessment: an online test covering mathematics, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning and problem-solving, followed by a school-set creative writing task.
RegionLondon
DfE URN100003
The exam
Athena holds admission-route records for City of London School. They are shown by entry cycle below; where the provider changes between cycles, each cycle keeps its own recorded exam.
2027 entry
Set by Quest Assessments (produced in partnership with Atom Learning)
Two-part assessment: Part 1 online assessment (105 minutes: Maths, English, NVR, VR, Puzzles and Problem Solving, Creative Comprehension; created by Quest Assessments per the published familiarisation guides); Part 2 school-set creative writing task (30 minutes); then interview/group activity. Confirmation status (October 2026): this provider is corroborated by multiple independent secondary sources, but the school's own admissions page does not currently name the provider, so treat the attribution as well-supported rather than officially confirmed.
10391 published practice questions tagged for this exam
Route record: needs review · Athena schools expansion research 2026-10-27
Set by Individual schools / small consortia (no board)
Two-part assessment: Part 1 online assessment (105 minutes: Maths, English, NVR, VR, Puzzles and Problem Solving, Creative Comprehension; created by Quest Assessments per the published familiarisation guides); Part 2 school-set creative writing task (30 minutes); then interview/group activity. Confirmation status (October 2026): this provider is corroborated by multiple independent secondary sources, but the school's own admissions page does not currently name the provider, so treat the attribution as well-supported rather than officially confirmed.
1038 published practice questions tagged for this exam
Route record: needs review · Athena schools expansion research 2026-10-27
2028 entry
Set by Quest Assessments (produced in partnership with Atom Learning)
Two-part assessment: Part 1 online assessment (105 minutes: Maths, English, NVR, VR, Puzzles and Problem Solving, Creative Comprehension; created by Quest Assessments per the published familiarisation guides); Part 2 school-set creative writing task (30 minutes); then interview/group activity. Confirmation status (October 2026): this provider is corroborated by multiple independent secondary sources, but the school's own admissions page does not currently name the provider, so treat the attribution as well-supported rather than officially confirmed.
10391 published practice questions tagged for this exam
Route record: needs review · Athena schools expansion research 2026-10-27
Set by Individual schools / small consortia (no board)
Two-part assessment: Part 1 online assessment (105 minutes: Maths, English, NVR, VR, Puzzles and Problem Solving, Creative Comprehension; created by Quest Assessments per the published familiarisation guides); Part 2 school-set creative writing task (30 minutes); then interview/group activity. Confirmation status (October 2026): this provider is corroborated by multiple independent secondary sources, but the school's own admissions page does not currently name the provider, so treat the attribution as well-supported rather than officially confirmed.
1038 published practice questions tagged for this exam
Route record: needs review · Athena schools expansion research 2026-10-27
Free lessons for this exam
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Key dates & preparation
2028 entry
Test: Late November of Year 6 — the London Consortium online assessment
Results: Outcomes are released through the consortium in the new year
Offers: Mid-February of Year 6 — the consortium’s shared offer point
When to start preparing: Start preparing in the spring term of Year 5 (the standing rule: about 18 months before the test).
General guidance: this follows the rule of thumb of starting about 18 months before the test. It is not the school's own published advice.
Source: official admissions information · checked 2026-10-28
2027 entry
Test: Late November of Year 6 — the London Consortium online assessment
Results: Outcomes are released through the consortium in the new year
Offers: Mid-February of Year 6 — the consortium’s shared offer point
When to start preparing: Start preparing in the spring term of Year 5 (the standing rule: about 18 months before the test).
General guidance: this follows the rule of thumb of starting about 18 months before the test. It is not the school's own published advice.
Source: official admissions information · checked 2026-10-28
Admissions rules
No catchment — open competition
There is no catchment area. Admission is by the school’s own assessment process (examinations and, usually, an interview); the school sets its own oversubscription criteria in its admissions policy — commonly the assessment result first, with sibling or other connections considered at some schools.
Read the school's admissions policy
Results & destinations
2025 results
GCSE: 96% of GCSE grades were 9-7 in 2025 (86% at 9/8; 63% at grade 9)
School-published
A level: Average point score per A level entry 50.44 (average grade A); 65.7% of A level students achieved AAB or higher
DfE performance tables
Source: official source · checked 2026-10-28
2024 results
A level: Average point score per A level entry 51.40 (average grade A)
DfE performance tables
Source: official source · checked 2026-10-28
Scholarships & bursaries
Schemes recorded from the school's own published information. A scholarship is a merit award; a bursary is means-tested. Values are shown exactly as the school states them — where a scheme is honorary, its stated value says so.
11+ entry
Transformational Bursaries
BursaryOther
What is assessed: Means-tested bursaries for families with limited financial means; entrance assessments and interview; bursary process runs alongside entrance assessments, with possible home visit (per the school's bursary guidelines, linked from the bursaries page)
When: Timing not stated on the published pages
What it's worth: Up to 100% of fees (Sixth Form entry page confirms transformational bursaries cover up to 100% of fees)
How to apply: Separate application required (see bursary guidelines on the bursaries page)
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
16+ entry
Transformational Bursaries
BursaryOther
What is assessed: Means-tested; online assessment (c.75 minutes) and A Level subject assessments (45 minutes each), then interview; possible home visit for bursary families
When: Assessments and interviews in November (as published for 16+ entry)
What it's worth: Up to 100% of fees
How to apply: Separate application required (see bursary guidelines on the bursaries page)
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
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