City of London School for Girls, located in the Barbican EC2, describes itself as “a selective, independent day school in the heart of the City”. For families in and around the City of London, it represents something genuinely rare: a school where intellectual curiosity is treated as a strength, where girls are expected to think rigorously and express themselves with precision, and where, in the school's own words, “Our students go on to study at top universities across the UK and the globe”. Securing a place here at 11+ is not straightforward, and it should not be approached as though it were.
CLSG's admissions policy says that the school “aims to provide a stretching, challenging academic education for girls at the top end of the ability range”. Its sixth form leavers regularly secure places at leading universities both in the UK and internationally. Beyond results, the school has a distinctive culture: it is academically serious without being narrow, and it actively develops girls who can argue a case, analyse a text, and approach a problem from multiple angles. For families based in Barbican EC2 or the surrounding City of London area, the school's location makes it a genuinely practical choice, although girls come to City “from all over London”.
City of London School for Girls runs its own 11+ entrance assessments, which its admissions policy says are held in the November and January prior to entry in the following September. Candidates first sit a computer-based test assessing numerical, verbal and non-verbal skills. Candidates who are successful in the first assessment, and for whom the school may have received an encouraging school report, are then invited to the second assessment, which consists of two 45-minute papers (maths and English), and to attend an interview.
The second-assessment English paper lasts 45 minutes and tests creative writing and analytical skills (CLSG 11+ admissions). The English specimen paper tells candidates to spend 5 minutes reading the extract and questions, then about 20 minutes on each of two written answers. Question 1 asks for one detailed paragraph on the weather, using quotations and explaining the effects of the language. Question 2 asks them to continue the story, using a range of interesting language and imagery.
The second-assessment maths paper also lasts 45 minutes and tests problem-solving (CLSG 11+ admissions). CLSG's maths specimen paper tells candidates that they are not allowed a calculator, that they must show their working out, and that some questions ask them to explain their answers in a short sentence or two. It also tells them to try the questions in the order given and to move on to the next question if they get stuck.
The maths specimen paper also says that candidates might not be able to finish all the questions before the end of the test.
According to its admissions policy, CLSG is “academically selective”, and “All admission is by competitive assessment and interview.”
The same admissions policy says that at 11+ the school sets the computer test pass mark above which every candidate will be invited back for the second assessment and interview, and a mark below which no candidates will be invited back, and that the marks vary from year to year depending on the outcomes of the assessments.
CLSG's FAQs address tutoring directly: “We do not wish for pupils to endure hours of extra tuition. The assessment is designed not to be ‘tutorable’.” The school says it would “much prefer pupils to come along to their assessment feeling fresh and full of energy rather than worn out from working too hard”, and recommends that applicants look at the familiarisation materials and at the maths and English sample papers it provides, “so that they know what to expect on the assessment days.”
Our 11+ specialists work with City of London School for Girls applicants on the English, Maths, and reasoning papers the school uses, tailoring preparation to the high academic standards CLSG sets for its 11+ entry. Our students have achieved a 95%+ offer rate across selective school entry, and we're rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. Book a free consultation to discuss a preparation plan for the CLSG 11+.
Leading Tuition provides specialist 1-to-1 tutoring for children preparing for the City of London School for Girls entrance assessments. Our tutors are familiar with the specific demands of the CLSG 11+ assessments — the style of the analytical and creative writing questions, the standard expected in written work, and the level of mathematical problem-solving required. We do not use generic 11+ materials and then hope for the best. Preparation is tailored to the individual child: their current strengths, the areas that need development, and the timeline available before the assessments.
We work with families across Barbican EC2 and the wider City of London area, and we understand the particular pressures that come with targeting a selective school such as CLSG. Our approach is structured, honest, and focused on building genuine capability — not just familiarity with question formats.
For official entry requirements and registration details, see the City of London School for Girls admissions.
For entry in September 2027, registration with CLSG closes on Friday 30 October 2026 and the first assessments run between 13 and 18 November 2026. In mid-December, pupils who have been successful in the first assessment, and for whom the school may have received an encouraging school report, receive their invitation to City for the second assessment, which is held on Wednesday 6 January 2027. Interviews take place between Monday 11 and Thursday 21 January 2027, offers are sent by email on Friday 12 February 2027, and the acceptance deadline is in early March 2027. These dates are set out on CLSG's 11+ admissions page, and the school-report condition in its admissions policy.
| Stage | Date | Duration | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| First assessment | 13 to 18 November 2026 | One hour | Numerical, verbal and non-verbal skills, in a computer-based test (Cambridge Select Insight) |
| Second assessment: English paper | Wednesday 6 January 2027 | 45 minutes | Creative writing and analytical skills |
| Second assessment: Maths paper | Wednesday 6 January 2027 | 45 minutes | Problem-solving |
The first assessment is a one-hour computer-based test, Cambridge Select Insight, which pupils are invited to City to sit (CLSG 11+ admissions). On the same page, CLSG asks families to show their daughter the familiarisation materials it links to for the first assessment, and links an English specimen paper and a maths specimen paper for the second.
Interviews follow the second assessment. On preparing for them, CLSG's FAQs say that “All City interviewers are experienced at putting pupils at ease and getting the best out of them”, and that “Any practice your daughter can get in articulating her ideas with enthusiasm and justification would be beneficial.” Our specialist tutors work with CLSG applicants across the reasoning, English and maths components of the CLSG assessments, and you can contact us to discuss your child's 11+ preparation.
Begin City of London School for Girls 11+ assessment preparation
Our specialist tutors build personalised programmes covering every CLSG assessment component — numerical, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, English creative writing and analysis, and maths problem-solving — tailored to the CLSG admissions standard and the format of the second-assessment papers.
With a 95%+ offer rate across selective school entry.
All 11+ School Guides Book a Free ConsultationFor a family living abroad, our guide to City of London School for Girls from overseas gathers what the school publishes for applicants outside the UK, stage by stage.
City of London School for Girls runs its own 11+ assessments, which its admissions policy says are held in the November and January prior to entry in the following September. The first assessment is a one-hour computer-based test, Cambridge Select Insight, assessing numerical, verbal and non-verbal skills, which pupils are invited to City to sit between 13 and 18 November 2026 (CLSG 11+ admissions). Candidates who are successful in the first assessment, and for whom the school may have received an encouraging school report, are then invited to the second assessment and to an interview. The second assessment, on Wednesday 6 January 2027, consists of a 45-minute English paper testing creative writing and analytical skills and a 45-minute maths paper testing problem-solving.
Leading Tuition provides specialist 1-to-1 tutoring for girls preparing for the City of London School for Girls 11+ assessments, covering the numerical, verbal and non-verbal reasoning of the first assessment and the English and maths papers of the second assessment. Our tutors understand both the subject content and the specific demands of the CLSG assessments. We build personalised programmes tailored to your daughter's starting level and the time available before the November first assessment and the January second assessment. With a 95%+ offer rate across selective school entry. Book a free consultation to discuss a preparation plan.
CLSG describes itself as “a selective, independent day school in the heart of the City”, and its admissions policy describes it as “academically selective”, adding that “All admission is by competitive assessment and interview.” Selection runs in stages: a computer-based first assessment, a second assessment of two 45-minute papers (maths and English), and an interview.
For entry in September 2027, registration with CLSG closes on Friday 30 October 2026, the first assessments run between 13 and 18 November 2026 and the second assessment is on Wednesday 6 January 2027. Interviews take place between Monday 11 and Thursday 21 January 2027, offers are sent by email on Friday 12 February 2027, and the acceptance deadline is in early March 2027 (CLSG 11+ admissions). CLSG's admissions policy says that full details of entry procedures are published annually in its admissions booklets and on its website, so families should check the 11+ admissions page for the current cycle.
The London 11+ Consortium's website names thirteen schools as forming the Consortium, and City of London School for Girls is not among them. CLSG runs its own 11+ assessments, with a computer-based first assessment in November and a second assessment and interview in January (CLSG 11+ admissions). The Consortium's own assessment is a separate online test of 100 minutes in total, which candidates sit only once, irrespective of the number of Consortium schools to which they are applying.
CLSG's second assessment consists of a 45-minute English paper, testing creative writing and analytical skills, and a 45-minute maths paper, testing problem-solving (CLSG 11+ admissions). In CLSG's English specimen paper, the first question asks for one detailed paragraph that uses quotations and explains the effects of the language, and the second asks candidates to continue the story using a range of interesting language and imagery. In its maths specimen paper, candidates are told they are not allowed a calculator and must show their working out, and some questions ask them to explain their answers in a short sentence or two. For the interviews that follow, CLSG's FAQs say the school is “very much looking for academic potential and interest above anything else”.
CLSG's FAQs address tutoring directly: “We do not wish for pupils to endure hours of extra tuition. The assessment is designed not to be ‘tutorable’.” The school recommends that applicants look at the familiarisation materials and at the maths and English sample papers, “so that they know what to expect on the assessment days.” For entry in September 2027, the first assessments run between 13 and 18 November 2026 (CLSG 11+ admissions).
CLSG's admissions policy says that at 11+ the school sets the computer test pass mark: every candidate above one mark will be invited back for the second assessment and interview, and no candidate below a lower mark will be. The marks vary from year to year depending on the outcomes of the assessments. Between those two marks, the school selects from a pool of candidates for second-round assessment based on criteria such as girls who score in the top 10% in individual sections of the test, girls who have been or are Looked After, girls currently enrolled in a state school, girls who have siblings at CLSG and girls who have summer birthdays. The policy also says that the results of the assessments are not discussed with parents or made public.
A girl who is invited to the second assessment will have sat two assessments in the same admissions cycle. For entry in September 2027, the first assessment is a one-hour computer-based test between 13 and 18 November 2026, and the second assessment is on Wednesday 6 January 2027 (CLSG 11+ admissions). CLSG asks families with any questions to contact its admissions team at admissions@clsg.org.uk (CLSG 11+ admissions).
If a child performs well but does not receive an offer, it is worth asking whether they have been placed on a waiting list — CLSG's admissions policy says that a waiting list may be compiled. CLSG asks families with any questions to contact its admissions team at admissions@clsg.org.uk (CLSG 11+ admissions).
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