The Salisbury 11+

Salisbury’s two grammar schools each set their own test on the same Saturday morning, 25 September 2027 for the next one. Bishop Wordsworth’s School moves to Quest Assessments for it; South Wilts Grammar School still names GL Assessment.

At a glance

The test: Two separate 11+ tests set by Bishop Wordsworth's School (boys) and South Wilts Grammar School (girls)
Set by: GL Assessment for both schools in September 2026; Bishop Wordsworth's moves to Quest Assessments for the September 2027 test, while South Wilts still names GL Assessment
Subjects: English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning (Bishop Wordsworth's only)
Answers: Multiple choice, on a separate answer sheet
Who sits it: South Wilts: 406 candidates for 2026 entry (school statistics at 12 June 2026). Bishop Wordsworth's publishes no figure, but its 2027-28 policy limits the test to the 480 applicants living nearest the school.

The papers

Bishop Wordsworth's (September 2026, GL): two papers, 1 hour 30 minutes in all with a break: Paper 1 non-verbal reasoning (about 40 questions) and maths (about 25), Paper 2 English (about 26) and verbal reasoning (about 32); the result is the age-standardised weighted score from both papers. From September 2027 (Quest): two multiple-choice papers of 45 minutes each, English and verbal reasoning, then maths and non-verbal reasoning. South Wilts Grammar School (GL): three multiple-choice papers in one sitting with breaks: maths (50 minutes, the Year 5 curriculum with some early Year 6), English (45 minutes: comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar) and verbal reasoning (50 minutes), answered on an optical mark reader sheet; an unmarked verbal reasoning familiarisation paper is offered a week before.

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Dates, results and scores

When is the 11+ in Wiltshire (Salisbury)?

The 2027 test: Saturday 25 September 2027 for both schools (South Wilts familiarisation paper on Saturday 11 September 2027) The 2026 test: Saturday 26 September 2026 (morning) for both schools, each at its own site. South Wilts held a familiarisation paper on Saturday 19 September 2026, and girls ill on the day sit on Wednesday 7 October 2026.

How do you register for the 11+ in Wiltshire (Salisbury)?

For the 2027 test (2028 entry): Bishop Wordsworth's: Monday 22 March to Friday 2 July 2027. South Wilts: Wednesday 24 March to Saturday 31 July 2027. For the 2026 test (2027 entry): Bishop Wordsworth's: Wednesday 25 March to Friday 3 July 2026 (school timetable). South Wilts: midday Wednesday 24 March to midnight on Tuesday 1 September 2026.

When do 11+ results come out in Wiltshire (Salisbury)?

For the 2026 test: Bishop Wordsworth's: result letters from Tuesday 6 October 2026 (current school timetable). South Wilts: in the admissions portal by Monday 26 October 2026.

What score qualifies in Wiltshire (Salisbury)?

Neither school sets a fixed pass mark in advance. Bishop Wordsworth's: a qualifying standard set each year by a governors' committee with the head, by reference to the scores, and 10% lower for looked-after and Pupil Premium boys (10 places are reserved for Pupil Premium boys). South Wilts: the three standardised scores are equally weighted and added together, and a combined score at or above the standardised pass mark passes; for 2026 entry the pass mark was 293 out of 420 and 57% passed. The pass mark is 3% lower for Pupil Premium girls, with 10 places reserved. Each school has 160 places, allocated among those who qualify by its oversubscription criteria.

Not confirmed yet

Bishop Wordsworth's qualifying standard for 2027 entry and the number of boys tested are not published
Bishop Wordsworth's registration closing date: Friday 3 July 2026 on the current timetable, Friday 26 June 2026 in a May 2026 version of the page, and 1 September 2026 in the 2027-28 admissions policy
Bishop Wordsworth's 2026 results date: Tuesday 6 October 2026 on the current timetable, Friday 16 October 2026 in May 2026, and by Friday 23 October 2026 in the 2027-entry leaflet
Whether all Bishop Wordsworth's September 2026 GL questions were multiple choice (the school says scripts are read by OMR; the leaflet does not say)
South Wilts pass mark for 2027 entry and the number who sat in September 2026 (the 293 out of 420 and 406 figures are for 2026 entry)
South Wilts registration opening: the leaflet says midday Wednesday 24 March 2026, the 2027 admissions policy says 2 June 2026

Check these on the official page: bishopwordsworths.org.uk/admissions/year-7-admissions

Good to know

Late testing and moving to the area

South Wilts: requests between 2 and 28 September 2026 sit the alternative 11+ test; requests from 28 September to 31 October sit a late test in early December if South Wilts is named on the application form; after 31 October a late entry test is offered. Bishop Wordsworth's: an alternative date for illness with evidence; boys too late for the 11+ apply under its post-11+ procedure (English and maths exams set by the school, mean of 72% needed) and join the waiting list if they qualify.

Who runs admissions

Each school is an academy and its own admission authority, setting its own test. Wiltshire Council coordinates applications and offers; families outside Wiltshire apply through their own council by 31 October 2026.

Grammar schools in Wiltshire (Salisbury)

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

School	Town	Takes
Bishop Wordsworth's School website	Salisbury	Boys, mixed sixth form
South Wilts Grammar School website	Salisbury	Girls, mixed sixth form

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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