Quest Assessment Part 2: Creative Comprehension, Problem Solving and Written Tasks

Quest Assessment Part 2 is this guide's name for the sections of a Quest-built admissions test beyond the core English, Maths, NVR and VR papers: Creative Comprehension, Puzzles and Problem Solving, and, where a school sets one, a separate paper-based written task. Quest's parent guidance says a child's assessment is 'unique to the school they're applying to', so this guide sets out what two schools publish: the London 11+ Consortium and Forest School.

This guide covers each section, separates the online sections from the paper-based written task that Forest School sets, and links each school's own page so parents can check the current details. For a full explanation of Quest Part 1, see our Quest Assessment Part 1 guide. For specialist tuition, visit our Quest Assessment preparation page.

Which Sections Sit Beyond the Core Quest Papers?

Part 2, as this guide uses the term, is the layer a school can add to its Quest test after the core papers. The online sections it covers are Creative Comprehension and Puzzles and Problem Solving (Problem Solving in the London 11+ Consortium's test). In the Consortium's test, Creative Comprehension and Problem Solving are non-adaptive, and at Forest School Puzzles and Problem Solving is non-adaptive: all candidates at a sitting see the same questions (the Consortium changes the non-adaptive content for each of its three exam days). Maths, NVR and VR are adaptive at both schools, so questions get harder or easier according to how the candidate is doing (London 11+ Consortium FAQs; Forest School guidance). The Consortium adds that once a section has been completed, candidates cannot go back to amend it (London 11+ Consortium FAQs).

Alongside the online sections, a school may set a separate paper-based task. Forest School's 11+ pairs its Quest digital assessment with a 30-minute paper-based written English task (Forest School 11+ entry). For the Consortium's exam, the Consortium says 'There is no extended writing required'. Preparation for a school-set written paper must therefore be tailored to each school rather than to any generic Quest format.

Each school decides which sections to include, so always check your target school's admissions page for its specific combination of Quest sections and any additional school-set papers.

Reading Several Sources at Once: Creative Comprehension

Creative Comprehension asks candidates to answer questions using information from several sources at once. The London 11+ Consortium describes it this way: candidates 'use information from a variety of different sources', presented in a range of formats, and they may have to look at several sources simultaneously to answer a question. The Consortium says the context is likely to be unfamiliar to all candidates, and that a candidate who is familiar with the context gains no advantage. Its familiarisation test (Consortium familiarisation test) gives a Creative Comprehension sample with three sources: an English translation of an extract from an Ancient Greek myth, a map of part of modern-day Europe and a table translating English phrases into Argonautian.

In the Consortium's test, Creative Comprehension is the last of six components, runs for 25 minutes and is non-adaptive. The Consortium uses different non-adaptive content on each of its three sitting days, so the material differs from one sitting to the next. The on-screen clock counts down in minutes for each section (London 11+ Consortium FAQs).

In a 25-minute section, a sensible approach is to take an overview of all the sources first, then return to a source only when a question needs it, rather than re-reading everything from scratch.

Key Skills for Creative Comprehension Success

Four skills help with a section that draws on information from several sources at once.

Rapid information location. The ability to scan a source quickly and locate a specific detail — a number in a table, a place on a map, a fact in a text extract — without reading everything. This requires knowing what you are looking for before you look, then zeroing in efficiently. Practising with tables and maps helps build this skill.

Cross-source synthesis. The Consortium says candidates may have to look at several sources simultaneously to answer a question. Treating each source in isolation makes questions like that harder, so noticing connections between sources is a useful habit.

Comfort with non-textual formats. Where a source is a table or a map rather than prose, the child needs to read it accurately: selecting the correct row and column intersection in a table, and using compass directions, scale and key on a map. Practising these formats helps a child who has mostly read prose.

Time management across multiple sources. With several sources and 25 minutes, reading every source in full before looking at the questions leaves less time for the questions themselves. A workable approach is to skim all sources for an overview on a first pass, begin answering using what has already been absorbed, and return to a less-familiar source only when a question requires it.

Puzzles and Problem Solving

Forest School lists Puzzles and Problem Solving at 15 minutes within its Quest digital assessment, and the London 11+ Consortium's Problem Solving section is also 15 minutes. Both are non-adaptive, so all candidates at a sitting see the same questions (the Consortium changes the non-adaptive content for each of its three exam days). At Forest School, candidates can move backwards and forwards through the questions in this section and change their answers (Forest School guidance); the Consortium says its candidates are likely to complete different numbers of questions in the time available (London 11+ Consortium FAQs).

Both schools describe the section as testing candidates' ability to use words and numbers to solve multi-step problems. Forest School adds that candidates are given interactive resources to aid their problem solving, and lists the skills assessed as strategy, use of resources, trial and error, and logical thinking (Forest School guidance).

A sensible technique is to answer the questions that can be solved quickly first and mark the harder ones to come back to. Quest's guidance for children says that in a non-adaptive assessment a child should try to answer every question and, with time left at the end, can go back and have another go at questions that were tricky or missed (Quest guidance for children).

School-Set Creative Writing: What Forest School Asks For

Where a school adds a written task, it is separate from the online sections. Forest School's is a paper-based written English task of 30 minutes, taken after a short break from the online assessment. Its guidance says there is one question giving candidates the opportunity 'to write creatively, either in a short piece of fiction or non-fiction', and that the school is looking for original and accurate writing; candidates who do well write in an imaginative and engaging manner.

Forest's sample paper asks candidates to write the text of a speech arguing for or against the use of animals for entertainment (Forest School sample paper).

The Consortium's exam is taken online, and the Consortium says that no extended writing is required for it, so typing ability will not affect results (London 11+ Consortium FAQs).

In Leading Tuition's view, original and accurate writing involves:

Structure and planning. Strong responses show deliberate structure — a compelling hook, a middle section that develops tension or description with purpose, and a conclusion that resolves or reframes the opening. Spending a couple of minutes planning the structure before writing helps keep a response coherent.

Precise and varied language. Varied sentence structures (including deliberately short sentences for effect), precise word choices showing broad vocabulary, and literary techniques used naturally rather than mechanically. A simile that emerges organically from the writing is far more impressive than three similes inserted to tick a checklist. Piling up adjectives without precision weakens a sentence.

Voice and originality. Original writing feels individual — a distinctive voice, an unexpected angle on the prompt, or genuinely surprising imagery. An unexpected approach works best when it stays tightly focused on the prompt.

Technical accuracy. Accurate writing means accurate spelling, correct punctuation, and grammatical sentence construction. Paragraph control — knowing when and why to begin a new paragraph — is part of it.

Sustained stamina. Some children write a strong opening and then lose focus. Writing should hold its quality throughout. Timed practice with full-length responses, followed by structured feedback, builds the stamina to sustain quality from start to finish.

Which Schools Publish Creative Comprehension, Problem Solving or a Written Task?

Quest Part 2 configurations vary by school. Two published examples follow.

The London 11+ Consortium is a group of 13 London independent schools: Channing School, Francis Holland (Regent's Park), Francis Holland (Sloane Square), Godolphin and Latymer, More House, Northwood College for Girls, Notting Hill and Ealing High School, Queen's College, Queen's Gate School, South Hampstead High School, St Augustine's Priory, St Helen's School and St Margaret's School (London 11+ Consortium). Its assessment is a collaboration between the Consortium and Quest Assessments, is taken online, and is 100 minutes in total across six components, with a break after Verbal Reasoning.

For September 2027 entry, registration closes on Friday 6 November 2026 and the assessment is held on one of three dates: Friday 27 November, Tuesday 1 December or Thursday 3 December 2026. It is taken in the candidate's current school where possible; where that is not possible, a candidate sits it at a Consortium school to which they have applied. Candidates sit the assessment only once, however many Consortium schools they apply to (London 11+ Consortium). The six components are taken in this order:

Source: The London 11+ Consortium, Frequently Asked Questions.

Forest School describes its 11+ digital on-screen assessment as 'a Quest assessment' lasting one hour and ten minutes, made up of Maths (20 minutes), Non-Verbal Reasoning (10), Verbal Reasoning (10), English (15) and Puzzles and Problem Solving (15) (Forest School guidance). A 30-minute paper-based written English task follows, and the school's guidance labels the online assessment Part 1 and the written task Part 2. Its Entrance Exam Day for 2027 entry is Thursday 17 December 2026 (Forest School 11+ entry). Always check your target school's admissions page directly for the current details.

Preparing for Part 2: What the Schools Advise

Both schools point families to familiarisation materials first: the Consortium recommends that all candidates look at them before taking the assessment, and Forest School's guidance recommends viewing its short familiarisation exercise (Consortium familiarisation test; Forest School familiarisation test). Beyond that, the Consortium says a candidate 'does not need special tuition or intensive practice' for its assessment, and Forest School says its candidates will not need any special tuition or intensive practice and are encouraged to read widely and engage in activities that inspire curiosity (Forest School guidance). Within that advice, a child who is comfortable reading tables and maps, and who is used to planning and writing a short piece to time, can feel at home with the formats. Written work that is marked with detailed, specific feedback rather than generic praise helps a child see what to improve.

Frequently Asked Questions About Quest Assessment Part 2