Schools / Dulwich College
Dulwich College
- Independent school
- Boys
- Day & boarding
- Ages 0–19
- Founded 1619
- 1,923 pupils
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, educating around 1,900 pupils aged 0 to 19. Entrance is through a bespoke online assessment in six sections — mathematics, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, puzzles and problem solving, and creative comprehension — followed by the school's own writing task. It is part of the Dulwich trio of schools founded under Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift, alongside Alleyn's and James Allen's Girls' School.
RegionLondon
DfE URN100861
The exam
Athena holds admission-route records for Dulwich College. They are shown by entry cycle below; where the provider changes between cycles, each cycle keeps its own recorded exam.
Registration deadline: register by 2 October of Year 6. Registration for these schools closes well before the entrance tests — check the school's own admissions page for the exact form and dates.
2027 entry
Set by Quest Assessments (produced in partnership with Atom Learning)
Bespoke online assessment in six sections (Mathematics, English, NVR, VR, Puzzles and Problem Solving, Creative Comprehension - the Quest section set) plus a school-set creative writing task (20 minutes); then interview. 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)
Confirmation: Selection is completed at 13+
Register by: 2 October of Year 6
13+ entry - Stage 1 (the 11+ stage, in Year 6): Deferred Entry candidates sit Dulwich's own bespoke entrance examinations at the College on 1 December of Year 6 (register by 2 October of Year 6) for 50 Year 9 places; Dulwich does not use the ISEB Pre-Test for Deferred Entry, and candidates cannot apply for both 11+ and 13+ Deferred Entry. A further 30 places are decided by examinations in Year 8 itself. See the school's Independent School 13+ Entry route for the full pathway.
1038 published practice questions tagged for this exam
Route record: unverified · Route source
Set by Individual schools / small consortia (no board)
Bespoke online assessment in six sections (Mathematics, English, NVR, VR, Puzzles and Problem Solving, Creative Comprehension - the Quest section set) plus a school-set creative writing task (20 minutes); then interview. 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
Set by ISEB Common Entrance / school scholarship papers
Confirmation: Selection is completed at 13+
Register by: 2 October of Year 6
Dulwich does not use the ISEB Pre-Test for 13+: Deferred Entry candidates sit Dulwich's own bespoke entrance examinations at the College on 1 December of Year 6 for 50 Year 9 places (register by 2 October of Year 6), and a further 30 places are decided by examinations in Year 8 itself. Candidates cannot apply for both 11+ and 13+ Deferred Entry.
Route record: unverified · Route source
2028 entry
Set by Quest Assessments (produced in partnership with Atom Learning)
Bespoke online assessment in six sections (Mathematics, English, NVR, VR, Puzzles and Problem Solving, Creative Comprehension - the Quest section set) plus a school-set creative writing task (20 minutes); then interview. 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)
Confirmation: Selection is completed at 13+
Register by: 2 October of Year 6
13+ entry - Stage 1 (the 11+ stage, in Year 6): Deferred Entry candidates sit Dulwich's own bespoke entrance examinations at the College on 1 December of Year 6 (register by 2 October of Year 6) for 50 Year 9 places; Dulwich does not use the ISEB Pre-Test for Deferred Entry, and candidates cannot apply for both 11+ and 13+ Deferred Entry. A further 30 places are decided by examinations in Year 8 itself. See the school's Independent School 13+ Entry route for the full pathway.
1038 published practice questions tagged for this exam
Route record: unverified · Route source
Set by Individual schools / small consortia (no board)
Bespoke online assessment in six sections (Mathematics, English, NVR, VR, Puzzles and Problem Solving, Creative Comprehension - the Quest section set) plus a school-set creative writing task (20 minutes); then interview. 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
Set by ISEB Common Entrance / school scholarship papers
Confirmation: Selection is completed at 13+
Register by: 2 October of Year 6
Dulwich does not use the ISEB Pre-Test for 13+: Deferred Entry candidates sit Dulwich's own bespoke entrance examinations at the College on 1 December of Year 6 for 50 Year 9 places (register by 2 October of Year 6), and a further 30 places are decided by examinations in Year 8 itself. Candidates cannot apply for both 11+ and 13+ Deferred Entry.
Route record: unverified · Route source
Free lessons for this exam
Free Athena lessons that teach the skills covered by Quest Assessments 11+ and School-set second-stage papers (style class) practice questions on Athena. Read them without an account, then create one to practise the questions themselves.
Browse the full free lesson library →
Key dates & preparation
2028 entry
Test: Stage A pre-assessment during Year 6 (some schools assess in Year 7); confirmation — Common Entrance or the school’s own process — in May/June of Year 8 (see the route description for this school’s exact model)
Results: Conditional offers follow the Stage A assessment, typically by the spring of Year 6
Offers: Places are confirmed in Year 8 once the school’s confirmation condition is met (see the route description)
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: Stage A pre-assessment during Year 6 (some schools assess in Year 7); confirmation — Common Entrance or the school’s own process — in May/June of Year 8 (see the route description for this school’s exact model)
Results: Conditional offers follow the Stage A assessment, typically by the spring of Year 6
Offers: Places are confirmed in Year 8 once the school’s confirmation condition is met (see the route description)
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. Entry at 13+ is governed by the school’s own pre-assessment and confirmation process (see the route description); registration deadlines fall early — typically during Year 5 or Year 6 — and places at this level are heavily oversubscribed.
Read the school's admissions policy
Results & destinations
2025 results
GCSE: 93.5% of GCSE grades were 9–7 (57.2% grade 9; 80.9% 9–8; 220 candidates)
School-published
A level: Average point score per A level entry 48.23 (average grade A-); 61.4% of A level students achieved AAB or higher
DfE performance tables
University destinations:
- 26 offers — Oxford or Cambridge — School-published: 'We have had particular success with Oxbridge offers this year with 26 (the highest total since 2010), 18 from Oxford and eight from Cambridge' (offers). The article is undated; the year is inferred from the offers cycle it reports (January/February 2025).
Source: official source · checked 2026-10-28 · official source · checked 2026-10-28
2024 results
A level: Average point score per A level entry 47.92 (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
Academic Scholarship
ScholarshipAcademic
What is assessed: Awarded on performance in the Year 7 entrance examinations and interview — all boys who sit the entrance examinations are automatically considered
When: With the 11+ entrance examinations (Year 6)
What it's worth: 10% up to one third of tuition fees (combined scholarships to any one pupil are capped at one third)
How to apply: All entrance candidates automatically considered — no separate application
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Music Scholarship
ScholarshipMusic
What is assessed: Music scholarship assessment for Year 7 entrants; candidates must also meet the College's academic requirements
When: With the 11+ entry cycle (Year 6)
What it's worth: Up to one third of tuition fees
How to apply: Indicate scholarship interest when applying online
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Sports Scholarship
ScholarshipSport
What is assessed: Sports scholarship assessment for Year 7 entrants; candidates must also meet the College's academic requirements
When: With the 11+ entry cycle (Year 6)
What it's worth: 10% of tuition fees
How to apply: Indicate scholarship interest when applying online
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Means-tested bursaries
BursaryOther
What is assessed: Means-tested bursaries; a scholarship may be supplemented by a bursary where there is genuine financial need (no examination)
When: Applied for alongside the 11+ application
What it's worth: Value not stated on the school's published pages
How to apply: Separate bursary application alongside registration
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
13+ entry
Academic Scholarship
ScholarshipAcademic
What is assessed: For Year 9 late entry, all entrance candidates are automatically considered. Boys who joined via the Year 9 deferred-entry route (exams sat in Year 6) apply for scholarships in Year 8 — forms are sent in the summer term of Year 7
When: Year 8 for deferred-entry place holders; with the entrance examinations for late entry
What it's worth: 10% up to one third of tuition fees (combined cap of one third)
How to apply: Automatic consideration for late entrants; application in Year 8 for deferred-entry place holders
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Art Scholarship
ScholarshipArt
What is assessed: Art scholarship assessment for Year 9 entrants (Art and Design & Technology scholarships cannot both be applied for)
When: With the 13+ entry cycle
What it's worth: 10% of tuition fees
How to apply: Indicate scholarship interest when applying online
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Design & Technology Scholarship
ScholarshipOther
What is assessed: Design & Technology scholarship assessment for Year 9 entrants (cannot be combined with an Art scholarship application)
When: With the 13+ entry cycle
What it's worth: 10% of tuition fees
How to apply: Indicate scholarship interest when applying online
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Music Scholarship
ScholarshipMusic
What is assessed: Music, Choral and Organ scholarship assessment for Year 9 entrants (including deferred-entry place holders applying in Year 8); candidates must also meet the College's academic requirements
When: Year 8 for deferred-entry place holders; with the entry cycle for late entry
What it's worth: Up to one third of tuition fees
How to apply: Indicate scholarship interest when applying online
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Sports Scholarship
ScholarshipSport
What is assessed: Sports scholarship assessment for Year 9 entrants; candidates must also meet the College's academic requirements
When: With the 13+ entry cycle
What it's worth: 10% of tuition fees
How to apply: Indicate scholarship interest when applying online
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Means-tested bursaries
BursaryOther
What is assessed: Means-tested bursaries; a scholarship may be supplemented by a bursary where there is genuine financial need (no examination)
When: Applied for alongside the 13+ application
What it's worth: Value not stated on the school's published pages
How to apply: Separate bursary application alongside registration
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
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