City of London School for Girls 11+: Admissions Explained & Tips for Success
Is City of London School for Girls Private?
City of London School for Girls (CLSG) is a private, or independent, girls’ school, founded in 1894.
William Ward bequeathed money in his will to found a high school for girls called “The City of London School for Girls, founded by William Ward”. He wanted to change young women’s lives through education.
It is located in the Barbican, on St Giles’ Terrace, EC27 8BB
CLSG nurtures independent girls who care about their ambitions and each other.
It describes itself as “Academic yet unstuffy”. It’s undefined by a single characteristic; for instance, it has links to tradition but embraces modernity. It’s academic, but also “intellectually edgy”. Above all, it’s a great place to learn.
Fees
For 2025/26, fees are £10,082.40 per term, including VAT.
For up-to-date information, including registration fees, please see here.
Around 20% of City pupils receive financial assistance towards their fees.
Scholarships
At 11+, only music scholarships are available. These are worth up to £1,500 a year.
Applications are submitted after the first assessment. Candidates who were successful and are invited to the second round of testing can apply.
Audition views are submitted, and shortlisted candidates have in-person auditions after the second round of assessments.
Music scholarships are valid for all 5 years. Reapplication for the sixth form is required.
Bursaries
There are between 10 and 15 bursary places at 11+.
Criteria considered are entrance exam success, finances, and available bursary funds.
You must indicate Interest in a bursary on the registration form. There is then a separate bursary application form. Supporting documents and a home visit may be necessary.
U2 Tuition can help families weigh CLSG against other top North London schools. Learn more about our 11+ support here.
How hard is it to get into City of London School for Girls?
With its excellent academic results, vibrant co-curriculars, and nurturing environment, it’s no surprise that CLSG is prestigious and entry is competitive.
Girls travel from all over Greater London to attend.
GCSE and A-Level Results are always of the highest standard:
At GCSE, in 2025, 56% of grades were a 9, 85% were 8 or 9, and 95% were 7-9.
This is up from 2024, when 83% of grades were 8/9.
In 2025, 81% of A-Levels were awarded A*-A, and 25% of pupils received three A* or more!
Again, this is an improvement on 2024, where 80.1% of pupils achieved A*-A.
You can view a full breakdown of their GCSE and A-Level results since 2018 online.
Leaver’s destinations:
CLSG gets numerous students in Oxbridge, the Ivy League, and Russell Group universities every year.
In 2024, seven students went to Cambridge and nine went to Oxford. One went to Dartmouth.
Learn more about destinations going back to 2018 here.
It ranks highly in league tables. The Times’ Best UK Private Schools list 2025 placed it 9th.
The author Alison Weir, broadcaster Claire Rayner, and presenter Claudia Winkelman are among CLSG’s famous alums.
Acceptance rate:
There is high demand for a limited number of places.
The 11+ cohort is around 125 pupils a year, 25 of whom come from the junior school. This means there are around 100 spots available for external applicants.
Given the high volume of applicants, CLSG has a two-stage assessment process. About 380 pupils are invited to take the second assessment based on success in the first stage.
This means that even by the second stage, there are still 3.8 applicants for every spot, or a success rate of around 26.32%. This doesn’t even consider applicants who didn’t get beyond the first stage.
So, CLSG 11+ admissions are incredibly competitive, reflecting the academic and co-curricular excellence of the school. Given the limited number of places compared to the demand, give your daughter the best chance of success with our 11+ specialist tutors. We provide tailored exam prep in English, maths, and non-verbal reasoning.
CLSG 11+ Admissions Process
Open events: Between June and October, the year before entry.
Registration Deadline: End of October
First Assessment: Mid-November
This is a CEM online assessment, provided by Cambridge Select Insight.
It aims to enable children to demonstrate their academic potential.
Second Assessment: Early January
Around 380 pupils are invited to take the second assessment.
There is one paper in English and another in Maths.
Interviews: Mid January
Applicants also partake in a taster lesson.
Offers: February
For this year’s precise dates, see here.
City of London Girls’ 11+ Entrance Exam Preparation Tips and Sample Papers
First Assessment
The online assessment, provided by CEM, is 60 minutes long.
Exam content:
Verbal ability: This tests an applicant’s English skills, requiring knowledge of KS2 vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension.
Numerical ability: Here, KS2 Maths knowledge of arithmetic is essential, as are problem-solving skills.
Non-verbal reasoning: This may be new to your daughter. Not typically taught at school, non-verbal reasoning examines pattern recognition and spatial awareness. Students must find the missing image that completes a sequence, again requiring problem-solving skills.
Question formats: multiple choice, drag-and-drop, complete the word.
Second Assessment
There are two 45-minute papers, one in English and one in Maths. These are handwritten.
English paper: creative writing and textual analysis.
Maths paper: multi-step problem solving.
Preparation Tips
There are two essential steps to preparation: familiarisation and timed practice.
To give your daughter the best chance of success, make sure she is familiar with the exam content and format and has had plenty of timed practice. This preparation will help her feel more at ease and confident on exam day.
Does CLSG provide past papers for this purpose?
First Stage Assessment
CEM offers an online Familiarisation resource.
This isn’t particularly long. It offers three maths, two non-verbal, and two verbal reasoning questions. It also demonstrates the different response styles to their questions.
They provide no feedback or complete past paper resources for students to practice with.
Second Stage Assessment
For more productive and effective exam familiarisation and practice, consider U2 Tuition:
Our bespoke 1-1 11+ tutors are experts at preparing students for their entrance exams. They offer:
Content consolidation to ensure students are confident with the KS2 Maths and English curriculum. Genuine understanding is crucial to success in the CEM online test, and a strong foundational knowledge helps ensure this.
Exam technique is also key, so we ensure students have lots of timed practice with 11+ past papers. We use the sample papers available and other mock resources tailored to the CLSG’s unique admissions process.
Tutors provide in-depth feedback based on mock performance and, based on this, enact strategies to help students’ development.
We offer several free resources to help parents support their children through the 11+ process. Check out our articles on:
U2 Tuition offers expert exam strategy and mock assessments tailored to CLSG’s process. To learn more about how your daughter could benefit from our bespoke 11+ support, book a free 20-minute consultation.
Preparing for City of London Girls’ Interviews
For those who pass the first assessment, interviews are mid-late January.
Interviewers look for girls who will fit in at CLSG, uphold their values, and contribute to their ethos:
Academic potential and interest are prioritised above all else.
Other factors that come under these are intellectual curiosity, the ability to think independently, articulate answers, and enthusiasm for learning.
CLSG has the following values: respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness.
They also have an ethos of inclusivity, curiosity, courage, respect, collaboration, and connectedness. They believe in learning and working together to forge something better.
Interview preparation tips:
Your daughter must be familiar with the values and ethos of CLSG. She should consider how she lives or demonstrates some of these.
Demonstration of a love for learning and evidence of contribution to school life are also key. Encourage your daughter to consider what subjects or activities she’s passionate about, both inside and outside the classroom.
Read widely. Reading is a great way to improve your vocabulary and communication. For some advice, check out this suggested reading list for Year 5 and 6 Eaton Square Prep School students.
Get used to answering unfamiliar questions, but in a way that encourages natural communication. Don’t rehearse or attempt to learn answers.
The school encourages students to practice articulating their ideas with enthusiasm and justification. Our Minds Underground extra-curricular offerings enable students to do this.
We offer after-school clubs, junior summer schools, and junior masterclasses.
We run several clubs, including the World Literature Club, the Debate Club, and junior STEM sessions.
Here, students develop public speaking, analysis, and critical discussion skills and expand their horizons beyond classroom teaching.
Learn more about Minds Underground here, or contact us to learn more.
For more 11 Plus interview success strategies, please read our article here.
Check out U2 Tuition’s 10 and 11+ interview guide, which contains helpful resources and practice questions for your daughter’s development.
Our Oxbridge-graduate tutors also run mock interviews to help students shine in CLSG’s selection process. Contact us for 11+ Interview Support.
U2 Tuition’s Bespoke Tutoring for City of London School for Girls 11+ Entry
For families applying to CLSG 11+, we offer tailored tutoring services to enable your daughter to reach her full potential, putting the whole family at ease and increasing her chances of a successful application. This includes:
Full support across every stage of the 11+ journey: from school selection to entrance assessments and interviews.
Expert preparation for the CEM online assessment, second-round English and Maths papers, and interview practice.
Access to free resources and mock exam feedback tailored to CLSG’s unique process.
Ongoing academic support: once your daughter secures her place, our tutors can provide subject tuition throughout her time at CLSG.
Our tutors are experienced at 11+ support, familiar with the intricacies of the CLSG’s procedures, have a track record of success, and can offer flexible tutoring, whether you need online, in-person, or hybrid support.
Book a free 20-minute consultation to learn more about how we can help your daughter succeed.