The CSSE 11+, explained properly
The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex runs one shared entrance test for ten schools across Chelmsford, Colchester, Southend and Westcliff. One registration and one sitting covers every school in the list. The single most important thing to know before you start preparing is what the test actually contains — and it is not what most 11+ courses are built around.
There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning in the CSSE test.
Candidates sit two papers: English, sixty minutes plus ten minutes of reading time, and Maths, sixty minutes. Both are based on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum. Since September 2024 the English paper no longer contains Applied Reasoning questions.
The ten member schools
King Edward VI Grammar School
Chelmsford · Boys
Colchester Royal Grammar School
Colchester · Boys
Colchester County High School for Girls
Colchester · Girls
Southend High School for Boys
Southend-on-Sea · Boys
Southend High School for Girls
Southend-on-Sea · Girls
Westcliff High School for Boys
Westcliff-on-Sea · Boys
Westcliff High School for Girls
Westcliff-on-Sea · Girls
St Bernard's High School
Westcliff-on-Sea · Girls, partially selective
St Thomas More High School
Southend-on-Sea · Boys, partially selective
Shoeburyness High School
Shoeburyness · Partially selective
Key dates for September 2027 entry
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 12 May 2026 | Registration opened for 2027 entry. |
| 19 June 2026 | Absolute deadline to register, online or by post. |
| 26 June 2026 | Absolute deadline for Special Adjustment requests and supporting documents. |
| By 15 July 2026 | Test centre information emailed to every candidate. |
| 31 August 2026 | Deadline to withdraw a child from the test. |
| 19 September 2026 | The 11+ tests take place (a Saturday). |
| 29 September 2026 | Reserve test day, for religious observance, illness or exceptional circumstances only. |
| 12 October 2026 | Results emailed to all candidates after close of business. Allow 24 hours. |
| 31 October 2026 | Closing date for the application form to your home local authority. |
| 1 March 2027 | National Offer Day. |
Registration for 2027 entry has closed. Dates are taken from CSSE’s own Information Guide and can change — check csse.org.uk before relying on any of them.
How the score actually works
Each paper is standardised to a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, then adjusted for the child’s age in days relative to 1 September, then the two are weighted equally and combined. A child born on 1 September who scores exactly average on both papers ends on 300. The exact coefficients are recalculated every year and published only after results go out, so nobody can tell you this year’s in advance.
CSSE publishes one fixed floor: 303. No CSSE school makes an offer below it, other than on successful appeal or under special considerations. Clearing 303 does not win a place — each school then ranks its own applicants, and as the table below shows, the score that actually secured the last place varies enormously between schools and between priority areas.
The lowest score that secured a place, 2025 entry
| School | Inside priority area | Outside |
|---|---|---|
| King Edward VI Grammar School | 355 | 372 |
| Colchester Royal Grammar School | 343 (no priority area) | — |
| Colchester County High School for Girls | 322 | 333 |
| Southend High School for Boys | 305 | 342 |
| Southend High School for Girls | 303 | 321 |
| Westcliff High School for Boys | 309 | 351 |
| Westcliff High School for Girls | 306 | 345 |
| Shoeburyness High School | 304 | — |
| St Thomas More High School | 303 (catchment only) | — |
These are 2025 entry figures — the 2024 test, offers made on 1 March 2025. They are the most recent CSSE has published. CSSE’s own caveat is worth repeating: the figures fluctuate year to year, and an application below them but above the pass mark may still be worthwhile. There is no guarantee of a place based on historical scores.
Past papers, and what is worth using
CSSE publishes genuine past papers with mark schemes, free, currently covering 2021, 2022 and 2023 entry. It also offers free familiarisation papers and paid practice packs, which are free of charge for households on free school meals. The papers are copyright, so download them from CSSE directly rather than from a third-party site republishing them.
CSSE is unusually direct about commercial practice books: it states that material available from booksellers is pitched at a similar level but is not in the same format as its papers. That matters more here than for most 11+ tests, because a generic 11+ book will spend much of its length on reasoning question types the CSSE paper does not contain at all.
How this differs from the Hertfordshire consortium
Families who move between the two counties, or who read advice written for the wrong one, get caught by this regularly. The two tests share no papers at all.
Subjects tested
CSSE (Essex): English and Maths only. There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning paper.
South West Herts: Maths and Verbal Reasoning only, set by GL Assessment. The consortium states plainly that its test is not a traditional 11+, because it has no English paper.
Pass mark
CSSE (Essex): A published minimum standardised score of 303. No CSSE school makes an offer below it, other than on appeal or special consideration.
South West Herts: No pass mark at all. Places are offered according to each school’s own admission arrangements.
Past papers
CSSE (Essex): Genuine past papers with mark schemes are published free, currently up to 2023 entry.
South West Herts: No past papers are released, for any school. Only generic GL familiarisation material, which the consortium says does not replicate real timings or question counts.
Age adjustment
CSSE (Essex): Calculated in exact days from a fixed reference date of 1 September.
South West Herts: Calculated on the child’s age in completed months.
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Common questions about the CSSE
Does the CSSE test include verbal and non-verbal reasoning?
No. This is the most common and most costly misunderstanding about the CSSE. Candidates sit two papers only: English and Maths, both based on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum. Buying a general 11+ course built around verbal and non-verbal reasoning means spending months on material the test does not contain.
How long are the CSSE papers?
The English paper lasts sixty minutes with ten minutes of additional reading time, and the Maths paper lasts sixty minutes. CSSE does not publish which paper is sat first or how long the break between them is — that comes in your test-centre letter, and CSSE asks families to keep the whole day free because morning and afternoon sittings are both used.
What is the minimum score for a CSSE school?
CSSE publishes a minimum total standardised score of 303. No CSSE school makes an offer to a child below it, other than through a successful appeal or under special considerations. Scoring above 303 does not secure a place on its own — each school then ranks its own applicants.
How is the standardised score worked out?
Each paper is standardised to a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, adjusted for age in days relative to 1 September, then the two are weighted equally and combined. A child born on 1 September with exactly average marks on both papers scores 300. The precise coefficients change every year and are published only after results are issued.
Where can I get real CSSE past papers?
From CSSE itself. It publishes genuine past papers with mark schemes on its practice material page, currently covering 2021, 2022 and 2023 entry, alongside free familiarisation papers and paid practice packs. The papers are copyright, so download them from CSSE rather than from a third-party site.
Are shop-bought 11+ practice books good enough?
CSSE addresses this directly and says that commercially available practice material is pitched at a similar level but is not in the same format as its papers. Use it to build underlying skill if you like, but do not mistake it for preparation for this specific test.
When do we apply for a place?
Sitting the test is not an application. The school must be named on the common application form you return to your home local authority by 31 October, and offers are made on National Offer Day, 1 March. If 1 March falls on a weekend, your local authority notifies you on the next working day.
11+ tutoring by town
What the CSSE means where you live — the schools your town actually applies to, and the priority rules that decide the score you need.