The Bexley 11+
Bexley’s four grammar schools share one test, set by Quest Assessments and sat in early September: verbal ability and English in one booklet, numerical and non-verbal reasoning in the other. The selective score is set after marking, so that about 30% of children are selective.
At a glance
- The test
- The Bexley Selection Test
- Set by
- Quest Assessments
- Subjects
- English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning
- Answers
- Multiple choice, on a separate answer sheet
- Who sits it
- 5,866 children sat the test in September 2025 (for September 2026 entry) and 2,070 were deemed selective, for 800 places (London Borough of Bexley).
The papers
Two booklets sat in one session with a short break: paper one is verbal ability and English comprehension, paper two is numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Each lasts about 50 minutes plus instructions, split into timed sections led by the invigilator. Maths content goes no further than the end of Year 5. Answers go on a separate OMR answer sheet, usually choosing from five options (A to E); no rough paper. The whole session takes two and a half to three hours.
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Dates, results and scores
When is the 11+ in Bexley?
The 2027 test: not published yet. The 2026 test: Monday 7 to Thursday 10 September 2026 at the four grammar schools; Wednesday 2 to Thursday 10 September 2026 for pupils whose primary school acts as a Bexley test centre. Test centre details were emailed from Monday 3 August 2026.
How do you register for the 11+ in Bexley?
For the 2027 test (2028 entry): not published yet. For the 2026 test (2027 entry): Sunday 1 March to midnight Tuesday 31 March 2026, online with the London Borough of Bexley (no late registrations, no appeal). Special arrangements requests went to the child's school by the last day of the spring term 2026.
When do 11+ results come out in Bexley?
For the 2026 test: Emailed from 4pm on Friday 2 October 2026 (families who had not received one by Monday 5 October 2026 were asked to email the School Admissions Team). Results also go to the child's Bexley primary headteacher.
What score qualifies in Bexley?
Selective or not is decided on the total weighted age-standardised score: verbal ability 50%, numerical 25%, non-verbal 25%. The average total is 200, with about two thirds of candidates scoring 170 to 230. After marking, the Council and the four grammar schools set the selective score so that more children are selective than there are places: about 30% (in 2025, 2,070 of 5,866). The top 180 scorers go into one of the highest priority groups for their preferred grammar school; other selective children are ranked by each school's criteria, mostly distance. Unfilled places go to children one mark below the selective score, then two marks below. The 2026 selective score was not published on the pages read; Beths Grammar School's 2027/28 policy says historically no place has been offered below 212, and its FAQ gives 253 as the top-180 mark (year not stated).
Not confirmed yet
- The selective score (pass mark) for the September 2026 test is not stated on the council or school pages read.
- Registration and test dates for the September 2027 test are not published: Quest's Bexley page says 'to be confirmed', with results in early October 2027 and applications due 31 October 2027.
- The year of the 253 top-180 mark quoted in Beths Grammar School's FAQ is not given.
Check these on the official page: bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/selection-tests
Good to know
Reviews
Headteacher Review: after results and after the 31 October application deadline, the child's headteacher can ask for a review of the score; an Independent Review Panel changes decisions only in exceptional circumstances and its decision is final. Beths Grammar School's 2027/28 policy says the panel ordinarily meets in November. The panel also decides for a child who fell ill during the test.
Late testing and moving to the area
No late registration. A Year 6 child sits the test once. A family moving into the area during Year 6 that did not register by 31 March 2026 can have the child tested for the first time in secondary school: in-year testing in Years 7, 8 or 9 is for children at an all-ability school, through an in-year application. A child too ill to attend should not sit it and the headteacher must be told, with medical evidence; late arrivals are not admitted.
Who runs admissions
The London Borough of Bexley runs the test and the coordinated application; each of the four grammar schools is an academy and its own admission authority.
Grammar schools in Bexley
Schools with a page of their own have their places, qualifying scores and priority areas, from their admissions policies.
| School | Town | Takes |
|---|---|---|
| Beths Grammar School | Bexley | Boys, mixed sixth form |
| Bexley Grammar School | Welling | Mixed |
| Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School | Sidcup | Mixed |
| Townley Grammar School | Bexleyheath | Girls, mixed sixth form |
More on the 11+
Sources
Every fact here comes from the official pages below. Dates and scores change from year to year, so check them there before you rely on them.
- bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/selection-tests
- bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/selection-tests/about-test
- bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/selection-tests/register-secondary-selection-test
- bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/secondary-schools/admission-secondary-schools-27-28/before-applying-online-secondary-school
- questassessments.com/parent-guidance-consortium/bexley-selection-test
- beths.bexley.sch.uk/year-7-admissions
- beths.bexley.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Admissions-Policy-for-Year-7-12-September-2027-28.pdf
- csgrammar.com/admissions/admissions-year-7
- bexleygs.co.uk/page/?title=Admissions&pid=25
- townleygrammar.org.uk/admissions/year-7-admission-arrangements-2027
Checked 2 November 2026.
Practice in the style of their test
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