CSSE 11+ Exam: Complete Guide for Essex Grammar Schools
How the CSSE works, what it tests and how to prepare — for KEGS and the other CSSE schools.
How the CSSE works, what it tests and how to prepare — for KEGS and the other CSSE schools.
The CSSE (Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex) 11+ examination is the entry test used by ten selective schools, including King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford (KEGS), Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester Royal Grammar School and the Southend, Westcliff and Shoeburyness schools on the CSSE list. This guide explains how the exam works, what it tests, how to register, and how to prepare effectively.
Checked October 2026
The CSSE 11+ tests for 2027 entry were sat on Saturday 19 September 2026, and registration is closed. Results are emailed after close of business on Monday 12 October 2026; the CSSE guide gives 31 October 2026 as the Essex and Southend form return date.
Dates for 2028 entry are due by Easter 2027 (CSSE Information Guide and csse.org.uk).
The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex was formed in 1993 as a voluntary association. Ten CSSE selective schools now use the same selective test, which the CSSE Office administers on their behalf. Rather than each school running its own test, a child registers once and takes the CSSE tests in September of Year 6. This means a child takes the tests once, even when the family names several CSSE schools on the Local Authority Common Application Form. Registration for the test is made through the CSSE website (csse.org.uk), online or on a paper form.
The ten member schools are King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford (KEGS), Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester Royal Grammar School, Shoeburyness High School, Southend High School for Boys, Southend High School for Girls, St Bernard's High School, St. Thomas More High School, Westcliff High School for Boys and Westcliff High School for Girls. Each school publishes its own admissions policy, and a family applies by naming the school on the Local Authority Common Application Form.
The CSSE exam is different: it tests only English and Maths, with no separate verbal reasoning (VR) or non-verbal reasoning (NVR) paper. Candidates sit two tests, one in English and one in Mathematics, and with effect from September 2024 (2025 entry) the English paper does not contain Applied Reasoning questions. This matters for preparation: families who have been practising VR papers will need to shift their approach if they are also applying to CSSE schools.
What the CSSE publishes about the English paper:
The CSSE says children only need a limited amount of practice to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and timing, so short, regular timed writing practice from Year 5 onwards is a sensible way to build that familiarity.
The Maths paper lasts sixty minutes and is based on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum, whose programme of study includes:
English and Maths, in the CSSE's own format
The CSSE says commercial practice material is based at a similar level but is not of the same format as its 11+ papers. A child working only through standard 11+ workbooks is not practising in the CSSE format; the CSSE publishes free English and Maths familiarisation papers on csse.org.uk.
Our CSSE specialist tutors prepare children for the two CSSE papers, English and Mathematics.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppFor 2027 entry, the CSSE tests were sat on Saturday 19 September 2026, with Tuesday 29 September 2026 as the alternative test day for religious, illness or exceptional circumstances; the CSSE guide also says a child would be allocated it if every school reached maximum capacity on the main day. The CSSE says important dates for 2028 entry will be published by Easter 2027. The English paper lasts sixty minutes with ten minutes additional reading time, and the Mathematics paper lasts sixty minutes. Children usually take the tests at the selective school their family nominated as the test centre; if that centre is full, the CSSE office allocates another CSSE school.
Registration for 2027 entry opened on 12 May 2026 and closed on 19 June 2026, the absolute deadline to register online or by post, so it is now closed. Parents register at csse.org.uk, online or on a paper form, and nominate one CSSE school as the test centre. Families name the CSSE schools they want on the Common Application Form of their home Local Authority, and can name as many as they like within the number of preferences that authority allows. The CSSE guide gives 31 October 2026 as the return date for the Common Application Form in Essex and Southend; families in other authorities should follow their own authority's deadline. The CSSE registration and the LA application are separate processes; completing one does not complete the other.
For 2027 entry, CSSE results will be emailed to all candidates after the close of business on Monday 12 October 2026, ahead of the 31 October 2026 return date the CSSE guide gives for Essex and Southend applications; the CSSE asks families to allow 24 hours for receipt. The results email gives the raw score for each subject and the overall standardised score, and the two papers are each worth 50% of the marks. The CSSE will also publish a guidance sheet on 12 October 2026 showing what scores were needed in previous years to gain entry to the CSSE schools, and each school publishes its own admissions policy. For 2027 entry, CSSE secondary school offers are not made to any child with a total standardised score under 303, and the actual cut-off scores are only known after National Offer Day on 1 March 2027.
Effective CSSE preparation differs from VR-based 11+ preparation: there is no separate VR or NVR paper to practise, the CSSE publishes a sample mark scheme for English continuous writing, and the Mathematics paper is based on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum.
A typical preparation timeline for CSSE-specific preparation:
Our tutors work with children preparing for KEGS and the other CSSE schools. For KEGS-specific preparation, see our KEGS 11+ service page. For the full KEGS guide, see our KEGS complete guide. For a broader overview of Essex grammar schools, see our Essex grammar school guide.
Preparing for the CSSE 11+? Our tutors specialise in both the English and Maths CSSE papers. Book a free consultation to discuss your child's current level and preparation needs.
For 2027 entry, registration opened on 12 May 2026 and closed on 19 June 2026, while the children were still in Year 5; the tests followed in September 2026, once they were in Year 6. The CSSE says important dates for 2028 entry will be published by Easter 2027, so families should check the CSSE website (www.csse.org.uk) then; children who are in Year 5 in the 2026/27 school year are in the 2028-entry cohort. The CSSE describes its registration deadline as absolute (19 June 2026 for 2027 entry).
The 2027-entry tests were sat on Saturday 19 September 2026. Results will be emailed after the close of business on Monday 12 October 2026, ahead of the 31 October 2026 return date the CSSE guide gives for Essex and Southend applications, and offers follow on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027. Families apply to their preferred CSSE schools by naming them on the Common Application Form of the Local Authority where they live.
The CSSE tests are sat at a test centre, which is usually the CSSE school the family nominated for the test. Children sit two separate tests, one in English and one in Mathematics, on the test day. For the 2027-entry tests, the CSSE guide said children needed only to bring a pen, pencil, ruler and eraser and did not need to wear school uniform; highlighter pens, dictionaries, electronic calculators of any description and smart watches were not permitted, and mobile phones should not be brought to test centres.
For the 2027-entry tests, the CSSE guide said a letter would confirm the test centre and arrival time, that the CSSE could not confirm whether a morning or afternoon sitting had been allocated (families were asked to keep the whole day free), and that refreshment break arrangements would be confirmed in the test centre letter. The CSSE guide also said candidates would take the tests in a large hall or classroom, with adults in charge of each room who would answer questions before the tests started, and that test centres would not test any child who arrived late. Running a full mock examination at home in conditions as close as possible to the real test (no interruptions, strict timing, no help) is one way for families to practise.
Being aware of the pitfalls below in advance helps families avoid them:
Focusing only on one paper: The two papers are each worth 50% of the marks, so a weak result in one costs as many marks as the same shortfall in the other. Some children are naturally stronger in either English or Maths and neglect the weaker subject — this is a mistake. Both papers need systematic preparation.
Underestimating the English paper: The CSSE English paper lasts sixty minutes with ten minutes additional reading time, and the CSSE publishes a sample mark scheme for English continuous writing, so it deserves its own practice.
Not practising under timed conditions: A child who can answer all the questions correctly in unlimited time but cannot complete the paper in the allocated minutes will lose significant marks. Building time management into practice — using a timer, practising pacing within sections — should be part of every preparation programme well before the exam.
The CSSE publishes a sample mark scheme for English continuous writing, which sets out Band 1 to Band 4 descriptors for ideas, vocabulary (including spelling), grammar, structure and punctuation. The CSSE schools have a joint policy not to re-mark test papers.
In the sample mark scheme, the top band rewards ambitious vocabulary used appropriately to enhance communication, secure tenses throughout, paragraphs used accurately, varied and effective sentence structure, and punctuation varied and used creatively. The band below it asks for some ambitious vocabulary used effectively, avoiding overly ornate vocabulary or expression that obscures meaning. Practising writing within a time limit, and then reviewing the work against the sample mark scheme's bands, is a practical way to prepare for this component.
At Leading Tuition, our CSSE specialist tutors have extensive experience preparing children for the CSSE selective test. We cover both papers — English and Mathematics — in depth, provide full timed mock examinations, and offer detailed feedback on each child's performance by question type. For families targeting KEGS or other CSSE schools, we design integrated programmes that cover the full examination efficiently. Book a free consultation to get started.
Leading Tuition is rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 59 reviews, read on 3 October 2026, and 91% of our students achieve their desired grades.
Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against the CSSE Information Guide for 2027 Entry, the CSSE website, the CSSE English continuous writing sample mark scheme and the DfE Key Stage 2 mathematics programme of study.
The CSSE 11+ tests for 2027 entry were sat on Saturday 19 September 2026. Tuesday 29 September 2026 was the alternative test day, for religious, illness or exceptional circumstances; the CSSE guide also says a child would be allocated it if every school reached maximum capacity on the main day. Results will be emailed to all candidates after the close of business on Monday 12 October 2026, and the CSSE asks families to allow 24 hours for receipt. The CSSE has not yet published dates for 2028 entry; it says important dates will be published by Easter 2027.
Not for 2027 entry. Registration opened on 12 May 2026, the absolute deadline to register online or by post was 19 June 2026, and the CSSE website states that registration is now closed. The next cycle is 2028 entry: the CSSE says registration will open in 2027 and that important dates will be published by Easter 2027. Children who are in Year 5 in the 2026/27 school year are in the 2028-entry cohort, because joining Year 7 in September 2028 means being in Year 5 in that school year.
Ten selective schools use the same CSSE test: King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford (KEGS), Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester Royal Grammar School, Shoeburyness High School, Southend High School for Boys, Southend High School for Girls, St Bernard's High School, St. Thomas More High School, Westcliff High School for Boys and Westcliff High School for Girls. A family applies to a school only by naming it as a preference on their Local Authority Common Application Form.
The CSSE has no separate verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning test. Candidates sit two tests, one in English and one in Mathematics. The English paper lasts sixty minutes with ten minutes additional reading time, and the Mathematics paper lasts sixty minutes. With effect from September 2024 (2025 entry), the English paper does not contain Applied Reasoning questions. The CSSE says both tests are based on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum, and it publishes free English and Maths familiarisation papers on csse.org.uk.
For the 2027-entry tests, the CSSE guide said children needed only to bring a pen, pencil, ruler and eraser, and did not need to wear school uniform. It said highlighter pens, dictionaries, electronic calculators of any description and smart watches were not permitted, mobile phones should not be brought to test centres, and drinks and snacks were not permitted during the tests unless the CSSE had been told in writing of a specific medical condition. Refreshment break arrangements were to be confirmed in the test centre letter.
The results email gives the raw score for each subject and the overall standardised score, and the two papers are each worth 50% of the marks. For 2027 entry, CSSE secondary school offers are not made to any child with a total standardised score under 303. The actual cut-off scores are only known after National Offer Day on 1 March 2027, and the CSSE schools have a joint policy not to re-mark test papers.
Registering for the test is not an application. A family must register the child for the tests with the CSSE and name the school as a preference on the Common Application Form of the Local Authority where they live. The CSSE guide gives 31 October 2026 as the return date for that form in Essex and Southend; families in other authorities should follow their own authority's deadline. Offers are sent by the Local Authority on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027.
Leading Tuition's specialist tutors prepare children for the two CSSE papers, English and Mathematics. We provide full timed mock papers and detailed feedback on each child's performance by question type, and we build integrated programmes for families targeting KEGS or the other CSSE schools. To discuss a preparation plan for your child, book a free consultation at leadingtuition.co.uk/consultation or message us on WhatsApp.
Both papers, one test day, at a selective-school test centre
Children usually sit the CSSE at the selective school their family nominated as the test centre, in September of Year 6, taking one test in English and one in Mathematics.
We run full-length paired mock papers under timed conditions so the real test day is not the first one.
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