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Exeter Devon

11 Plus preparation for families in Exeter and Devon

With no state grammar schools anywhere in Devon, a place at Exeter School or The Maynard School is the only route to selective secondary education in the city — making thorough, school-specific preparation not just advisable but essential.

Exeter is home to some of the South West's most academically respected selective independent schools — Exeter School, The Maynard School, and Exeter Cathedral School — each running its own entrance assessments for Year 7 entry rather than using a standardised national exam board. Because Devon has no state grammar schools, all selective places in the city sit within the fee-paying independent sector, and competition, while less extreme than London super-selectives, is genuine enough that unprepared children regularly miss out. Assessments take place in January or February of Year 6, with registration windows closing as early as November of Year 5, meaning families need a clear preparation strategy well before most parents begin thinking about secondary school. Applaa's AI-powered platform provides personalised English comprehension and maths practice calibrated to the specific difficulty and format of Exeter's school-set papers, helping children build both skills and confidence across the 12–16 months before assessment day.

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Selective Schools in Exeter: What Parents Need to Know

Exeter is home to several highly regarded independent selective schools, but unlike many parts of England, Devon has no state grammar schools. This means that families seeking selective education for their children must look exclusively at the independent sector. The three most prominent selective independent schools in Exeter are Exeter School, The Maynard School, and Exeter Cathedral School. Each sets its own entrance assessments, meaning there is no single unified exam format in Exeter as you might find in grammar school counties. Competition at these schools is genuine but not as extreme as London super-selective grammars: broadly, the top 20–40% of assessed applicants receive offers, depending on the school and year. Understanding the nuances of each school's process is the essential first step in any preparation strategy.

  • ✓Exeter School (co-educational, independent) is one of the largest selective independent schools in the South West, catering for ages 7–18 and consistently appearing in national performance tables
  • ✓The Maynard School is Exeter's long-established selective independent girls' school, founded in 1658, with a strong tradition in academic performance and co-curricular breadth
  • ✓Exeter Cathedral School (ECCS) is a co-educational independent prep school that feeds selectively into senior schools including Exeter School and Maynard, and runs its own 11+ entry process
  • ✓Devon has zero state grammar schools — selection is available only through the fee-paying independent sector, making financial planning an integral part of the admissions decision
  • ✓Each Exeter independent school designs its own entrance paper; there is no GL Assessment or CEM-style standardised test used across the county
  • ✓Exeter School's 11+ entry typically involves English, mathematics, and a reasoning or interview component assessed across one or two half-day sessions in January or February
  • ✓The Maynard School's admissions process includes written assessments in English and maths plus, in recent years, a short interview or group activity for shortlisted candidates
  • ✓Competition ratios are school-dependent: Exeter School typically receives significantly more applications than available Year 7 places, making thorough preparation essential rather than optional

Exeter 11 Plus Exam Format and Subject Breakdown

Because Exeter's selective schools set their own papers rather than using a standardised board such as GL or CEM, the content and format can vary from year to year and between schools. However, there is substantial consistency in the subjects tested. Candidates at Exeter School and The Maynard School should expect assessments in English comprehension and creative or extended writing, arithmetic and problem-solving mathematics, and, increasingly, verbal or non-verbal reasoning elements. Some schools also include an interview stage for shortlisted applicants. The English component typically draws on reading comprehension of an unfamiliar passage followed by written response questions requiring inference, language analysis, and sometimes a short composition. The maths section covers the full KS2 curriculum plus stretch problems requiring logical deduction. Preparation should therefore be broad and skills-based rather than narrowly focused on past papers alone.

  • ✓Exeter School's 11+ English paper usually contains an unseen comprehension passage of 500–700 words followed by 8–12 questions testing retrieval, inference, vocabulary in context, and authorial technique
  • ✓The maths paper at Exeter School covers all KS2 content plus extension problems; topics consistently appearing include fractions, percentages, ratio, area and perimeter, and multi-step word problems
  • ✓The Maynard School's maths assessment has historically included mental arithmetic warm-up questions followed by a longer structured problem section, rewarding methodical working rather than speed alone
  • ✓Non-verbal reasoning appears in some Exeter School papers in the form of spatial and pattern questions; candidates unfamiliar with NVR format find these unexpectedly difficult without targeted practice
  • ✓Creative writing is weighted heavily at both Exeter School and Maynard — examiners look for vocabulary range, sentence variety, and a clear narrative or argument, not length alone
  • ✓Shortlisted candidates at The Maynard School may be called to an interview or collaborative group activity; preparation should include practising confident, articulate spoken responses about books, hobbies, and current events
  • ✓No calculator is permitted in any Exeter independent school 11+ maths assessment; mental arithmetic and written method fluency are therefore non-negotiable skills
  • ✓Sample or specimen papers published by Exeter School provide the most accurate format guide; these should be the foundation of timed practice in the final three months before assessment

Exeter 11 Plus Registration Timeline and Key Dates

Missing a registration window in Exeter's independent school admissions process can mean waiting an entire year, so parents need to act well before the deadlines. The typical registration cycle for Year 7 entry runs from November to January of Year 5, with actual assessments sitting in January or February of Year 6 — approximately 12 to 14 months before the child would begin at the school. Open mornings and taster sessions at Exeter School and The Maynard School are usually held in the autumn term of Year 5 and are strongly recommended: both schools use these events to inform families about exact test formats and marking criteria for that year's cohort. Offer letters are typically issued in late February or early March, with parents asked to accept or decline by a specified date in March. Scholarships and bursary applications often run on parallel but separate timelines.

  • ✓Exeter School's Year 7 registration typically opens in September–October of Year 5 and closes in late November or early December — check the school website each year as exact dates shift
  • ✓The Maynard School's registration for 11+ entry closes around November in Year 5; late applications are occasionally considered if spaces exist but are not guaranteed a full assessment slot
  • ✓Exeter Cathedral School senior transition assessments for Year 7 follow a similar November–January registration window; ECCS pupils already at the school are automatically considered but still sit the same papers
  • ✓Open mornings at Exeter School typically run in October of Year 5; attendance is not compulsory but gives children exposure to the environment and reduces anxiety on assessment day
  • ✓Scholarship auditions and assessments at Exeter School — covering academic, music, art, and sports scholarships — usually require a separate early application by November or December of Year 5
  • ✓Offer notifications from Exeter School and Maynard are typically released in late February; parents have until mid-March to accept, meaning some families are managing multiple offer decisions simultaneously
  • ✓Bursary applications at Exeter School must normally be submitted before or at the time of registration, as financial assessment runs concurrently with academic assessment — not after an offer is made
  • ✓Families should note that deferred entry requests (e.g., starting in Year 8 rather than Year 7) are considered on a case-by-case basis and do not follow the standard 11+ timeline

How to Prepare Effectively for Exeter's Independent School Assessments

Preparation for Exeter's independent school 11+ assessments needs to begin in earnest by the start of Year 5, with structured practice intensifying from the summer holidays onwards. Because the papers are school-set rather than standardised, the single most effective resource is the specimen or past papers released by Exeter School and The Maynard School themselves, supplemented by high-quality comprehension anthologies and problem-solving maths workbooks that stretch beyond the standard KS2 curriculum. Children who perform well in Exeter's assessments are not necessarily those who have drilled the most past papers, but those who have built genuine fluency in reading and mathematical reasoning. Wide reading — ideally including non-fiction, journalism, and literary fiction — produces measurable gains in English. For maths, consistent mental arithmetic practice and exposure to multi-step problems from the Bond, CGP, or Schofield and Sims ranges is highly effective alongside school-specific past papers.

  • ✓Begin subject-specific preparation no later than September of Year 5, leaving 16–17 months for steady skill-building before the January/February Year 6 assessment window
  • ✓Download and study the most recent specimen papers published on the Exeter School and Maynard School admissions pages — these papers are the most reliable indicator of current format and difficulty level
  • ✓Prioritise reading stamina: Exeter's English comprehensions are typically longer and more literary than KS2 SATs passages, often drawing on 19th or early 20th century prose that requires vocabulary confidence
  • ✓Practise non-verbal reasoning from Year 4 onwards if applying to Exeter School, where spatial pattern questions can appear — unfamiliarity with NVR format, not difficulty, is the most common cause of lost marks
  • ✓Set a monthly writing target of at least two timed creative writing pieces at home; seek feedback specifically on sentence openings, punctuation variety, and vocabulary ambition rather than story plot alone
  • ✓Mental arithmetic fluency should be tested weekly — children aiming for Exeter School should be able to calculate percentages, find fractions of quantities, and solve ratio problems quickly and accurately without a calculator
  • ✓Simulate exam conditions in the final six weeks: use a timer, sit in silence, and mark against the school's mark scheme to build both accuracy and pacing under pressure
  • ✓Consider Applaa's AI-powered practice system for personalised question generation in English comprehension and maths problem-solving, adapting difficulty in real time based on performance patterns

Scholarships, Bursaries, and Getting the Most from Exeter's Independent Schools

Exeter's leading independent schools offer a meaningful range of scholarships and means-tested bursaries that can make selective independent education financially accessible for families who might otherwise assume it is out of reach. At Exeter School, academic scholarships are awarded to the highest-performing candidates in the 11+ assessments automatically — no separate application is required, though the scholarship threshold is high. Music, sport, art, and drama scholarships at Exeter School each require a separate audition or portfolio process with earlier deadlines. The Maynard School similarly offers academic and co-curricular scholarships at 11+. Critically, bursaries — which are means-tested financial awards that can cover a significant proportion of fees — are entirely separate from scholarships and must be applied for proactively. Families on modest incomes are strongly encouraged to enquire about bursary availability at both schools before assuming the fees are prohibitive.

  • ✓Exeter School academic scholarships at 11+ are awarded automatically to the highest-scoring candidates in the entrance assessments; no separate application is needed but the bar is set at approximately the top 10% of the assessed cohort
  • ✓Music scholarships at Exeter School are available at 11+ entry for instrumentalists of Grade 4–5 standard or above; they include a music bursary element and free individual instrumental lessons
  • ✓Sports scholarships at Exeter School require demonstration of county- or regional-level performance in at least one sport; applicants should submit a separate sports scholarship form by November of Year 5
  • ✓The Maynard School academic awards at 11+ recognise all-round academic potential and can be combined with means-tested bursaries to substantially reduce net fees for qualifying families
  • ✓Bursary applications at Exeter School require submission of financial documentation (P60s, bank statements, etc.) and must be submitted concurrently with the admissions registration in November–December of Year 5
  • ✓Exeter Cathedral School also offers choral and music scholarships linked to its cathedral choir programme — a genuinely rare opportunity for musically gifted children, particularly boys with treble voices
  • ✓Scholarship and bursary awards are typically reviewed annually and may increase or decrease as family financial circumstances change — recipients must reapply for means-tested bursaries each year
  • ✓Families should contact each school's admissions office directly in September of Year 5 to request the current scholarship prospectus and financial aid application pack before the November registration deadline

Practical plan

Exeter 11 Plus preparation plan

Step 1

September–October Year 5: Attend open mornings at Exeter School, The Maynard School, and Exeter Cathedral School; download specimen papers from each school's admissions page; register with Applaa to baseline your child's current English and maths levels against the Exeter-specific difficulty curve

Step 2

November Year 5: Submit registration forms and — critically — bursary and scholarship applications before school deadlines close (typically late November); begin structured weekly practice sessions covering unseen comprehension, timed creative writing, and mixed KS2+ maths problem sets

Step 3

January–June Year 6 (pre-assessment build-up): Complete at least six full timed mock assessments using Exeter School and Maynard specimen papers under exam conditions; use Applaa's adaptive question bank to close specific gaps identified in mock marking, particularly in inference skills and multi-step maths

Step 4

January–February Year 6 (assessment window): Sit entrance assessments at Exeter School and/or The Maynard School; attend any shortlist interviews at Maynard or group activities if invited; await offer notifications expected in late February with acceptance deadline in mid-March

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Frequently asked questions

Are there any state grammar schools in Exeter or Devon I should know about?

No. Devon is a fully comprehensive county — there are no state-funded grammar schools anywhere in Devon, including Exeter. Selection in Exeter is available exclusively through the independent (fee-paying) sector. The three main selective independent schools families consider at 11+ are Exeter School, The Maynard School, and Exeter Cathedral School. This is a crucial distinction from grammar school counties such as Kent or Buckinghamshire, where selective state education is free. Families in Exeter must factor in independent school fees unless a bursary is awarded. There is no waitlist or appeal process for a state grammar place in Devon because no such places exist.

What is the difference between the Exeter School and The Maynard School 11+ process?

Both Exeter School and The Maynard School are independent selective schools assessing applicants in January or February of Year 6, but they differ in key respects. Exeter School is co-educational (boys and girls) and one of the larger independent schools in the South West; its 11+ includes English, mathematics, and sometimes a reasoning component, with the possibility of a short interview for borderline candidates. The Maynard School is girls-only, with a history stretching back to 1658, and its assessment similarly covers English and maths but with a stronger emphasis on a personal interview or group activity for shortlisted girls. Both schools publish specimen papers on their admissions pages, and preparation should be tailored to each school's specific format.

When should we register for Exeter School or Maynard School 11+ entry?

Registration for Year 7 entry at Exeter School and The Maynard School typically opens in September–October of Year 5 and closes in late November or early December. Families often make the mistake of assuming they have until the new year, but both schools fill assessment slots quickly and late registrations may not be accommodated. The actual entrance assessments then sit in January or February of Year 6. Scholarship and bursary applications usually carry earlier internal deadlines within the same November window. We recommend contacting both schools' admissions offices in September of Year 5 to confirm that year's exact registration dates, as they can shift by a week or two annually.

Which exam board do Exeter's independent schools use for their 11+ assessments?

Neither Exeter School nor The Maynard School uses a standardised external exam board such as GL Assessment or CEM for their 11+ entrance papers. Both schools write their own assessments internally, which means the format, question style, and difficulty level can evolve from year to year. This makes the specimen or sample papers published on each school's own admissions webpage the single most reliable preparation resource available. Generic GL or CEM preparation books are useful for building underlying skills in English comprehension, maths, and reasoning, but should be treated as supplementary to school-specific practice rather than the primary resource.

How competitive are Exeter School and Maynard School at 11+?

Competition at Exeter's selective independent schools is genuine but notably less extreme than at super-selective grammar schools in counties like Kent or Buckinghamshire, or at highly sought-after London independents. Broadly speaking, Exeter School and The Maynard School offer places to approximately the top 20–40% of assessed applicants, though this varies by year group and how many candidates sit the papers. Children working consistently at a high Level 4 or secure Level 5 equivalent in primary school — particularly in reading comprehension and mathematical problem-solving — are competitive candidates. That said, preparation still matters significantly: unfamiliarity with the paper format and time pressure causes many capable children to underperform on the day.

Does Exeter Cathedral School have its own 11+ entry process?

Yes. Exeter Cathedral School (ECCS) is an independent co-educational prep school that accepts external candidates at 11+ for Year 7 entry, alongside its own current pupils. ECCS pupils already attending the school are automatically considered for senior school transition but still sit internal assessments. For external applicants, ECCS runs a registration and assessment process similar in timing to Exeter School and Maynard — registration in the autumn of Year 5, assessments in January or February of Year 6. Exeter Cathedral School is particularly notable for its choral and music programme, linked to Exeter Cathedral's own choir, making it an attractive option for musically talented children in addition to its academic offering.

What subjects should my child focus on for Exeter's independent school 11+ exams?

The core subjects assessed at Exeter School and The Maynard School are English and mathematics, with some reasoning elements appearing in certain years. For English, the priority skills are reading comprehension of unseen literary and non-fiction passages, vocabulary in context, inference and deduction, and extended creative or argumentative writing. For mathematics, children need fluency across the full KS2 curriculum — fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, area, perimeter, and multi-step word problems — plus the ability to tackle stretch problems that go beyond standard SATs level. No calculator is permitted. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning practice is beneficial as a supporting skill, even in years when it does not appear explicitly, as it sharpens the logical thinking required across both English and maths papers.

Are bursaries available at Exeter's selective independent schools, and how do we apply?

Yes, both Exeter School and The Maynard School offer means-tested bursaries that can cover a substantial proportion of school fees — in some cases up to 100% for families who meet the financial criteria. Critically, bursary applications must be submitted at the time of registration in November of Year 5, not after an offer is received. Families need to provide financial documentation including P60 forms, recent bank statements, and details of savings, property, and any other assets. Scholarship awards (academic, music, sport, etc.) are assessed separately and can be combined with bursary support. Exeter Cathedral School also administers financial assistance, particularly linked to its choral scholarship programme. Families should contact each school's bursary officer directly in September of Year 5 to begin the process.

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