Devon grammar schools 11 plus guide

From September 2026, the Plymouth grammar schools (Devonport High School for Boys, Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls) will be using Quest Assessments as their 11+ exam provider. More information about the entry process for these schools will be available in spring 2026.

Are you considering a grammar school in Devon for your child? We’ve collated everything you need to know about admissions in 2025–2026. Keep reading to:

• Find out more about grammar schools in Devon, including Plymouth and Torquay

• Learn about local 11+ exams

• Discover which subjects your child will be tested on

• Plus, get exclusive resources to help your child prepare!

Which schools in Devon use the 11 plus?

There are seven grammar schools in Devon:

East Devon

• Colyton Grammar School (boys and girls)

Plymouth

• Devonport High School for Boys (boys)
• Devonport High School for Girls (girls)
• Plymouth High School for Girls (girls)

Torquay

• Churston Ferrers Grammar School (boys and girls)
• Torquay Boys’ Grammar School (boys)
• Torquay Girls’ Grammar School (girls)

Dates for your diary

East Devon

• April 2025: Colyton Grammar School 11+ registration opens
• September 2025: Colyton Grammar School 11+ registration closes
• September 2025: Colyton Grammar School 11+ exam day
• October 2025: parents receive exam results
• Friday 31st October 2025: secondary school common application deadline
• Monday 2nd March 2026: national school offers day

Plymouth

• Tuesday 22nd April 2025: practice session registration opens for DHSG and PHSG
• Monday 28th April 2025: main 11+ registration opens for all Plymouth grammar schools
• Friday 23rd May 2025: practice session registration closes for DHSG and PHSG
• Wednesday 11th – Thursday 12th June 2025: practice exam at DHSB
• Saturday 5th July 2025: practice exam at DHSG and PHSG
• Friday 18th July 2025: parents receive results from practice exam
• Sunday 31st August 2025: main 11+ registration closes for all Plymouth grammar schools
• Saturday 13th September 2025: 11+ exam (paper 1)
• Saturday 20th September 2025: 11+ exam (paper 2)
• Friday 17th October 2025: parents receive exam results
• Friday 31st October 2025: secondary school common application deadline
• Monday 2nd March 2026: national school offers day

Torquay

• March 2025: Torbay Grammar Schools 11+ registration opens
• Wednesday 16th July 2025: 11+ registration deadline (preferable) for the Torbay Grammar Schools
• Tuesday 2nd September 2025: 11+ registration deadline (final) for the Torbay Grammar Schools
• Saturday 20th September 2025: Torbay Grammar Schools 11+ exam day
• October 2025: parents receive exam results
• Friday 31st October 2025: secondary school common application deadline
• Monday 2nd March 2026: national school offers day

Dates can vary, so always check with your target schools!

What is the 11 plus?

The 11 plus is an academic entrance test used by grammar schools. Children who pass the test or meet a qualifying standard are eligible for a place at a grammar school. Children who are working within the top 25% of their year group are normally well-suited for grammar school.

The 11 plus exam takes place in September, when your child is in Year 6. Children who were born between 1st September 2014 and 31st August 2015 will take the 11 plus in September 2025 for school places in 2026.

What's on the 11 plus in Devon?

There is no set 11 plus exam in Devon. The seven grammar schools have their own 11 plus exams, or shared exams with other local grammar schools.

Colyton Grammar School

Colyton Grammar School uses 11 plus papers provided by FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise). Please note: the format and content of this exam may be changing from September 2025. Information about these changes will be communicated on this page in May 2025.

The exam consists of three papers:

• English: multiple-choice questions which assess reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling.
• Maths: a mixture of multiple-choice and free-form questions. These are based on the content your child will have learned in Year 5 maths.
• Creative writing: your child will need to write a creative response to a prompt. They will have different options to base their piece on.

Plymouth grammar schools

Devonport High School for Boys, Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls use 11 plus papers provided by GL Assessment. This is the largest provider of 11 plus grammar school exams in England.

Children applying to these schools take two papers, each lasting approximately one hour:

• English: multiple-choice questions which assess reading comprehension, spelling and grammar
• Maths: multiple-choice questions based on the content your child will have learned in Year 5 maths

The papers are taken on two consecutive Saturdays in September.

Devonport High School for Boys also sets a creative writing paper. This is created internally by school staff. The creative writing task assesses effect, organisation and accuracy of writing.

Torquay grammar schools

Churston Ferrers Grammar School, Torquay Boys’ Grammar School and Torquay Girls’ Grammar School also use 11 plus papers provided by GL Assessment.

There are two one-hour tests, which children will take on the same day:

• English: multiple-choice questions which assess reading comprehension, spelling and grammar
• Maths: multiple-choice questions based on the content your child will have learned in Year 5 maths

How is the 11 plus scored?

FSCE 11 plus exams (used by Colyton Grammar School) and GL Assessment 11 plus exams are marked slightly differently.

FSCE scoring

Papers 1 and 2 are marked electronically. OMR (Optical Mark Readers) scan the answer sheets and detect the marks your child has made in the boxes. Answer sheets are printed with a unique barcode for each candidate.

Your child’s raw scores from the English and maths questions are age-standardised. This is a statistical process that takes into account your child’s age at the time of taking the test, and the number of correct marks. The standardised age score (SAS) is the final score which schools use to rank candidates.

Children who have achieved an eligible score have their creative writing paper marked by examiners. The eligible score is usually set by the school itself.

GL Assessment scoring

After the test, your child’s answer sheets are marked using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR). This technology scans the answer sheets and detects the marks your child has made in the boxes. Answer sheets are printed with a unique barcode for each candidate.

Your child’s raw scores are then age-standardised and added together for both papers. This total standardised score is your child’s final 11 plus score.

The creative writing paper taken for entry to Devonport High School for Boys is marked internally.

What's the pass mark for the 11 plus?

There is no set pass mark for the 11 plus in Devon. The number of children who will be eligible for entry to the school usually depends on the rank order of children’s scores and the number of places available.

Schools use oversubscription criteria to decide which children to offer places to. We’ve included this information in each of our school guides:

• Churston Ferrers Grammar School (mixed)
• Colyton Grammar School (boys and girls)
• Devonport High School for Boys (boys)
• Devonport High School for Girls (girls)
• Plymouth High School for Girls (girls)
• Torquay Boys’ Grammar School (boys)
• Torquay Girls’ Grammar School (girls)

How to apply to grammar schools in Devon

If you're considering a grammar school in Devon for your child, it's a good idea to speak to your child's teacher first.

Grammar schools are academically-selective and select children working towards the top of their year group. Children who are working above the expected standard in core subjects (English, maths and science) at primary school are normally well-suited for grammar school. Your child’s teacher will be able to indicate whether this applies to your child.

1. Register for the 11 plus

If you would like your child to be considered for a place at a grammar school in Devon, you’ll need to register them to take the school’s 11 plus exam.

To register your child, visit the admissions page of your target school’s website and complete the registration form. Make sure to read the instructions carefully, as you may need to register your child for different exams depending on how many grammar schools you’re applying to.

2. Apply for school places

In October, you’ll find out if your child has achieved the minimum score necessary for admission to your target school(s).

You can use these results to decide which schools to name on your secondary school common application form. You should only name grammar schools for which your child has met the eligible score. Before listing a school on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible.

The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2025.

3. National school offer day

On Monday 2nd March 2026, you will find out which school your child has been allocated a place at. They will be allocated a place at your highest-preferred school for which they meet the entry criteria and which has places available.

If no places are available at your preferred schools, they will be offered a place at another school in your area. You can appeal via an independent panel. Information about how to appeal will be sent to you by your local authority along with your school offer on National Offers Day.

How can I help my child prepare for the 11 plus?

The 11 plus exam is designed to be challenging. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the 11 plus in September 2025.

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the exam. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.

Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.

Read widely

11 plus exams test your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.

Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.

With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers for 11 plus exams in Devon. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.

Celebrate progress

Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.

Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.