It might be difficult to find your way around the 11 Plus the first time as a parent. How do you aid your kid in getting ready for the Bishop Wordsworth 11 Plus Exam? What kind of exam structure is it? What stores sell test papers? We’ve provided parents with a “Bishop Wordsworth 11 Plus Tips” in this article that seeks to address all of your concerns.

Bishop Wordsworth’s Grammar School, SP1 2ED

School Introduction

This school, previously known as ‘The Bishop’s School’ was opened on the current site in 1890, they pride themselves on bringing together their heritage and traditions alongside new and innovative teaching and development making for a unique educational experience. The school is split into the Lower School – Years 7-8, and the Middle School Years 9-11.

Located within the Close and having monthly school services in a large and splendid Cathedral, they maintain their religious status as Church of England School, hoping to create lasting memories for all students.

Key Facts

Address: Exeter St, Salisbury SP1 2ED

County: Wiltshire

Type of School: Boys Grammar School and Mixed Gender Sixth Form.

Age of Attendance: 11-18

Ofsted Rating: Outstanding (2006)

Number of Pupils: 975

Religious Character: Church of England

School Performance

The school has been performing well academically with most attainment assessment scores being above average for both England and the local authority.

Progress 8 – This score indicates the progress made by pupils at the school between the end of KS2 and the end of KS4. It’s averaged against the pupils across England and based on the results in 8 key qualifications including English, Maths Sciences, Humanities and Languages. Looking at the students’ achievements and progress from the end of primary school and throughout secondary school. This is therefore a useful comparison and can highlight schools in which students show large improvements or alternately in which students seem to underachieve after their time at the school. Out of the 5 degrees, the schools achieving ‘above average’ and ‘well above average’ scores make up just 31% of schools in the UK, the rest being average or below average. The score of 0 represents around the national average grade, hence a score of 0.71 means that students are achieving around 71% of a grade higher than the national average. With a score of 1 representing a whole grade higher than the national average.

Entering EBAcc – 62%

Grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs – 98%

Attainment 8 Score – 75.4% – This score indicates the performance of students in 8 key qualifications – the same as progress 8, comparatively to the other schools in the local authority, then in England on average.

In 2022, 81% of the A level students got A*-B. In GCSEs 76% of the students got 9-7 exam grades.

Admission Information

The school admits boys from years 7 to 11 and boys and girls in Sixth Form. Pupils will need to be living in ‘any area within reasonable traveling distance of the School’ (This is generally considered under an hour’s journey time to/from school) can make an application for admission to the school. Students applying into Year 7 must take the 11+ entrance test in the autumn term of their final year at primary school. It is noted that meeting the academic requirements for the School does not, on its own, guarantee of acceptance. To register to take the test parents must complete:

• The School’s 11+ Application For
• The Local Authority Common or Secondary Application form

Registration for September 2024 Year 7 will be opening on  April 2023. Then the test will be in  September 2023.

Full details are in the 11+ Information Leaflet here which also contains:

The arrangements for the exam

What the exam involves

• How the exam scores are calculated
• Whether there will be enough space for all boys who pass
• How to apply for a place if a boy passes the exam
• How the Local Authority allocates places

The suggested – so not definitive catchment area for the school can be found on the map attached here;

They also have more details of the 11+ procedures and exams in their leaflet here;

Please note that from September 2023 Bishop Wordsworth’s 11 plus exam provider will change to GL Assessment. The test will consist of two papers: a Verbal Skills Test and a Maths & Non-Verbal Reasoning test.

Bishop Wordsworth 11 Plus Exam Sample Test Papers and Resources

Bishop Wordsworth 11 Plus will use the GL Assessment as the provider for its 11 plus exam. However, it’s important to note that candidates will only sit two test papers in total, one in English and the other in maths. Both test papers are multiple-choice. Your child will be somewhat familiar with the style of questions on the test paper. This is because the questions are similar to English and mathematics from the new national curriculum. The QE Boys, Barnet 11 plus maths test focuses on numbers, geometry, measurement, and statistics. The English paper tests candidates on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and comprehension.

The familiarisation papers below are from the school’s website. Encourage your son to have a go at practising some of the questions. You can also find answer booklets to help you mark their answers, in addition to a parents’ guide that explains the sample test papers in more detail.

How to prepare for Bishop Wordsworth11 Plus Exam: A Guide to Parents

Every parent ensures that their child is using a variety of resources and practices for Bishop Wordsworth 11 Plus materials that are available on the market. These tools are excellent for practice. However, this is insufficient and does not adequately convey the amount of difficulty that the HBS Second Round is anticipating.

Bishop Wordsworth 11 Plus is based on GL assessment. English, maths, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning are all assessed on GL examinations. Not all schools and regions opt to use all four courses, and they are free to mix and match any of the papers with the questions from their particular exams.

In the exam round one the parts are English, non-verbal reasoning, and verbal reasoning (typically multiple choice). Maths and English in round two (usually includes comprehension or creative writing).

As essential as how much you study for the Bishop Wordsworth 11 Plus is how you study. We created tips on how to study for the 11 plus exam. Here are the Top 10 Tips To Prepare for the Bishop Wordsworth 11 Plus exam.

Tip 1: Start the preparation early!

Tip 2: Plan and map the knowledge of your child

Tip 3: Test your own expertise in 11 plus

Tip 4: Start working with an 11 plus tuition expert

Tip 5: Make sure your child is familiar with 11 plus GL based mock exams (link)

Tip 6: Reading is a must! Mostly classics

Tip 7: Start doing creative writing

Tip 8: Don’t study for too long or to too late

Tip 9: Make studying fun and interactive

Tip 10: Check Bishop Wordsworth 11 Plus Website for Information

Key Admissions Dates 2024 entry

Curriculum

As well as covering the curriculum of; Maths, English, Science, Geography, History, Language, PE, PSHE, Religious Studies, Music, Art and Design. The school also covers business studies, design and technology and has a unique opportunity to study Latin and Classical Civilizations. All students will start studying Latin in Year 7 using the story-based Cambridge Latin Course having 1 period of Latin a week. This will continue through years 8 and 9 and then the boys can choose to continue with Latin as a GCSE subject in Year 10. In order to take the GCSE course, parents must make a deposit of £215 to the school to cover the cost of textbooks, photocopying and tuition as this will be an extra-curricular class.

The school also has an extensive number of clubs and societies offered during lunchtimes and after school, this rages from Board Games, to Fencing, to Philosophy and Ethics, Drama, Orchestra and even Sailing.

You can also access further 11 plus exam resources below:

Best Private Schools in the UK: Top 100 List

Best Grammar Schools in the UK: Top 100 List 

A Guide to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning Tests

11+ Maths Exam: Helping Your Child to Prepare and Pass in 2022

Meet the 11+ Online Tutors Delivering Results

When Should you Start to Prepare Your Child for the 11 Plus Exam