King’s College School Wimbledon 11+ entry guide

Considering King’s College School Wimbledon for your child? We’ve collated everything you need to know about 11+ entry. Learn how to apply, what’s on the entrance exam, and how to help your child prepare for success.

Key information for King’s College School Wimbledon

• Address: King’s College School, Southside, Wimbledon Common, Wimbledon, SW19 4TT
• Age range and gender: boys aged 11–18 (co-ed sixth form)
• Type of school: independent day
• Number of students: 1,200+
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• 11+ open days: September–October
• 11+ selection criteria: entrance exam, interview and school reference
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
• 11+ scholarships: academic, music, sports

About King's College School Wimbledon

King’s College School Wimbledon, known as both KCS and King's, is a private day school in southwest London. Boys aged 11–18 are welcomed to the senior school, with girls accepted to the sixth form. KCS Wimbledon frequently tops national league tables for outstanding exam results.

Pupils at King’s enjoy a fulfilling co-curricular programme. There are extended lunch breaks on Tuesdays and Thursdays and no subjects on Friday afternoon to allow pupils to join a myriad of activities. Music, sport and drama are all strong, and outdoor pursuits include the CCF and Duke of Edinburgh Award. Pupils get involved in weekly community projects and partnership activities with over 20 state schools.

King's has an excellent record of university success. Popular UK destinations include Oxford, Cambridge, and Russell Group universities. Many students are also offered places at North American colleges including Brown, Harvard, and Yale.

Dates for your diary

• Registration closes: November in Year 6
• Bursary and scholarship application deadlines: November in Year 6
• Entrance exam: December in Year 6
• Interviews: January in Year 6
• Offers of places: February in Year 6
• Acceptance deadline: March in Year 6

King’s College School Wimbledon 11+ entrance exam

The 11 plus exam for entry to KCS Wimbledon consists of three papers: English, maths and verbal reasoning.

English

The English paper contains two sections:

• Reading comprehension (30 minutes). Your child will need to read a passage of text and answer questions to demonstrate how well they understood what they have read. They will need to write in their own words, with some questions assessing skills such as vocabulary and inference.
• Creative writing (20 minutes). This task varies year-on-year, but might include using the passage from the reading comprehension exercise as a prompt. Your child will be tested on their spelling, punctuation, grammar, vocabulary, and originality.

Maths

The 11 plus maths paper lasts 50 minutes.

There are two sections to work through. The questions in Section A mainly involve shorter questions, but can involve fractions, percentages and real-world measurements like money, time, degrees and temperature. Section B is more complex, and your son may need to show his working. This section can include elements of algebra, calculus, trigonometry and pattern recognition/understanding.

Verbal reasoning

The third paper for 11 plus entry to KCS Wimbledon tests verbal reasoning.

Verbal reasoning tests how well your child can use logic and reasoning to solve problems with written information, such as letters, words and numbers. KCS Wimbledon does not produce sample papers for this test, but the questions in this paper will be similar to verbal reasoning questions in GL Assessment 11 plus exams.

After the entrance exam, the admissions team at King's College School Wimbledon decide which children to invite back for an interview. To make this decision, the team look at your child's exam marks, a reference supplied from your child's current headteacher, and any information you have supplied in your child's application form. You will find out in early January if your child has been invited back for an interview later that month. For more guidance, take a look at our guide to senior school interviews.

Atom’s top tips for applying to King’s College School Wimbledon

King’s College School Wimbledon is a very popular selective school in southwest London. Hundreds of families apply for a place each year. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the selection process.

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before school entrance exams. Your child should have a good understanding of the content they’ve been taught at school before testing their knowledge with practice tests.

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.

With Atom Home, you don’t need to worry about creating a study schedule. When you enter your target schools, you’ll get a bespoke learning plan tailored to your schools’ entrance exams. Know exactly what your child needs to do each week to confidently pass.

Read widely

Entrance exams test children’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.

Looking for reading inspiration? Check out our Key Stage 2 reading list.

Hone curiosity

Selective schools are often looking for children who are interested in learning. You can help by supporting your child’s broader learning, their intellectual curiosity, and their passion for developing an understanding of the world.

Talk to your child about the world we live in and inspire an interest in current affairs with age-appropriate journalism. It’s also a good idea to make sure they’re benefitting from a rich variety of experiences, such as visiting libraries, museums and galleries.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with their knowledge of the exam topics, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Mock tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and refine exam technique. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning, while highlighting any knowledge gaps they might want to tackle before exam day.

When you set King’s College School Wimbledon as a target school on Atom Home, your child will get tailored mock tests for King’s College School Wimbledon as part of their learning plan. Know what to expect on exam day.

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.