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The 11+ in Devon, Torbay and Plymouth

There’s no single test here. Torbay’s selective schools share GL Assessment’s English and maths tests; Plymouth’s grammar schools use Quest Assessments’ papers, and so does Colyton Grammar School for its own test.

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At a glance

The test
No single test: the Torbay selective schools' shared 11+ tests, the Plymouth grammar schools' 11+ and Colyton Grammar School's own 11+ entrance test
Set by
GL Assessment (Torbay); Quest Assessments (Plymouth from the September 2026 test, and Colyton)
Subjects
English, maths
Answers
Some multiple choice, some written, depending on the paper
Who sits it
Not published for Torbay or Plymouth. Colyton's published anonymised 2025 standardised scores (which include in-year tests) list about 540 candidates.

The papers

Torbay: two GL Assessment tests, English and maths (about 50 minutes each), sat on one day at the school where the child registered. Plymouth: Quest Assessments multiple-choice papers on two Saturdays, English reading comprehension (40 minutes, 60 questions) and maths (40 minutes, 60 questions), answered on an OMR sheet; boys applying to Devonport High School for Boys also sit a school-set English writing (composition) paper. Colyton: three Quest papers in one session, English (40 minutes, 50 questions) and maths (40 minutes, 60 questions), both multiple choice, plus writing (20 minutes, one prompt); no verbal or non-verbal reasoning; about two and a half hours with breaks.

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Dates, results and scores

When is the 11+ in Devon, Torbay and Plymouth?

The 2027 test: Plymouth girls' schools only: Saturday 18 September 2027 (English and maths on the same day; results Friday 15 October 2027). Not yet published for Torbay, Devonport High School for Boys or Colyton (Quest's Colyton page says to be confirmed). The 2026 test: Torbay: Saturday 19 September 2026 (catch-up date Friday 25 September 2026 at Torquay Girls'). Plymouth: Saturday 12 September 2026 (English, plus the Devonport High School for Boys writing paper) and Saturday 19 September 2026 (maths). Colyton: Saturday 12 September 2026.

How do you register for the 11+ in Devon, Torbay and Plymouth?

For the 2027 test (2028 entry): Plymouth girls' schools (Plymouth High School for Girls and Devonport High School for Girls) only: Monday 19 April 2027 to 12 noon Tuesday 31 August 2027. Not yet published for Torbay, Devonport High School for Boys or Colyton. For the 2026 test (2027 entry): Torbay: opened 1 March 2026 (Torquay Boys'), preferred by midday Wednesday 15 July 2026, final deadline midday Friday 4 September 2026 in the schools' policies (Torbay Council's timetable says midday Wednesday 2 September 2026). Plymouth: 9am Monday 27 April 2026 to 12 noon Monday 31 August 2026. Colyton: opened in spring 2026 (the policy says April 2026) and closed on Friday 31 July 2026.

When do 11+ results come out in Devon, Torbay and Plymouth?

For the 2026 test: Torbay: guidance letters on or as soon as possible after Monday 12 October 2026 (Torbay Council says 13 October), saying yes or no, never the score. Plymouth: emailed on Thursday 15 October 2026 (Plymouth High School for Girls and Devonport High School for Girls); Devonport High School for Boys sends A, B or C letters before the October deadline. Colyton: October 2026, at least a week before the 31 October deadline.

What score qualifies in Devon, Torbay and Plymouth?

No published pass marks. Torbay: scores are age-standardised and each school's Admissions Panel sets the eligible score after the test; eligible children are ranked by total score and places go in rank order until the admission number or the pass threshold is reached (looked-after children first at all three; Torquay Girls' then puts Pupil Premium children on the eligible list; Torquay Boys' uses Pupil Premium only to break a tie for the last place; Churston's 2027 order is looked-after children, the highest-scoring children, Pupil Premium children, siblings, children of staff, then others by score). Plymouth girls' schools: ranked by score; looked-after girls and up to 12 Pupil Premium (Ever 6 FSM) girls at Plymouth High School for Girls can be admitted with a score up to 5 points below the adjusted cut-off (5 points below the score of the 120th applicant). Devonport High School for Boys: the average of the two Quest papers gives the rank, and every boy must also pass the school's writing paper; category A means a mark at or above the 180th candidate's, B qualified but lower (waiting list), C not qualified; 174 places go in rank order and up to 6 to Pupil Premium boys. Colyton: the Admissions Committee sets an eligible score after the test and places go in rank order (after looked-after and Pupil Premium children on the eligible list); the school says children must reach the pass mark in all areas.

Not confirmed yet

  • Torbay's final registration deadline: the schools' 2027 policies say midday Friday 4 September 2026 but Torbay Council's timetable says midday Wednesday 2 September 2026
  • Whether the Torbay GL English and maths tests are multiple choice or written, and their exact timings beyond Torquay Boys' 'approx. 50 minutes each'
  • No school publishes its qualifying score
  • How many children sit the Torbay and Plymouth tests
  • Churston Ferrers Grammar School's and The Spires College's own 2027/28 policies were not read (Churston's is on Google Drive); Churston's website says a Schools Adjudicator determination in October 2026 changed its 2027 oversubscription criteria
  • Devonport High School for Girls' own admission policy was not read (the Plymouth High School for Girls policy refers to a shared admissions team for both girls' schools)
  • Colyton's exact 2026 registration opening date (the policy says April 2026)
  • 2027 test dates for Torbay, Devonport High School for Boys and Colyton

Check these on the official page: torbay.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/admissions/secondary-applications

Good to know

Reviews

Torbay only: parents can ask for a selection review within 14 days of the test if exceptional circumstances affected performance; the school's Admissions Panel considers it with information from the child's current headteacher (and an educational psychologist where appropriate) and may raise the child in the ranking (Torquay Boys' Grammar School policy; Torquay Girls' Grammar School has a similar panel review)

Late testing and moving to the area

Torbay: registrations after 4 September 2026 with evidenced exceptional reasons (such as moving into the area) are tested in December for the first round; others are tested in March 2027, usually for the waiting list. Plymouth: at the girls' schools late registrations count in the first round only with a genuine, evidenced reason (such as moving into the area); Devonport High School for Boys tests registrations received from 1 September to 31 October 2026 (counted in the first round only if the parent could not reasonably have known the deadline) and tests later applicants for any vacancy or its waiting list. Colyton: evidenced late registrations are tested in November; others can be tested after the first round of allocations (the policy gives 22 March 2027).

Who runs admissions

Each school is its own admission authority; offers are made through the home council's coordinated scheme (Torbay Council, Plymouth City Council or Devon County Council)

Grammar schools in Devon, Torbay and Plymouth

Each school sets its own admissions rules: check its admissions policy for places and priority areas.

SchoolTownTakes
Churston Ferrers Grammar School websiteBrixhamMixed
Colyton Grammar School websiteColytonMixed
Devonport High School for Boys websitePlymouthBoys, mixed sixth form
Devonport High School for Girls websitePlymouthGirls
Plymouth High School for Girls websitePlymouthGirls
Torquay Boys' Grammar School websiteTorquayBoys
Torquay Girls' Grammar School websiteTorquayGirls

Also using the test: The Spires College (selective places only; a bilateral school).

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.

Checked 2 November 2026.

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