CSSE 11+ Guide: Dates, Format, Pass Mark and How to Prepare

The CSSE 11 plus is the grammar school entrance exam used by the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex. It consists of two written papers, an English paper and a maths paper, both sat on the same day in September. The CSSE 11 plus pass mark is 303 (total standardised score). Registration for 2027 entry opened on 12th May 2026 and closes on 19th June 2026. The exam takes place on 19th September 2026. There is no verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning in the CSSE. Your child only needs to sit the test once for all 10 consortium schools. 

Thinking about a grammar school place in Essex? This is your complete guide to the CSSE 11 plus, what the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex is, which 10 schools use it, all the 2026 key dates, what the English and maths papers cover, how the exam is scored, what the CSSE 11 plus pass mark is and how to give your child the best possible preparation. 

Key facts

• Consortium name: Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) 

• Number of schools: 10 grammar schools 

• Papers: Two written papers - English and maths  

• Subjects tested: English (comprehension and creative writing) and maths (KS2 curriculum) 

• Scoring: Each paper marked out of 60, equal weighting, age-standardised 

What is the CSSE 11 plus?

The CSSE 11 plus is the Year 7 entrance exam used by the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex. It is taken by Year 6 children in September of the year before they start secondary school, and it is the only test your child needs to sit, even if you are applying to more than one CSSE grammar school.

The CSSE is quite different from the standard GL Assessment 11 plus used in many other areas of England. It does not include verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning papers. Instead, it tests English (through reading comprehension and creative writing) and maths (through a curriculum-based paper covering KS2 content). This means the CSSE rewards children with strong reading, writing and maths skills, the same core skills built at primary school, rather than specialist reasoning techniques that need to be separately taught.

Children eligible to sit the 2026 exam were born between 1st September 2015 and 31st August 2016 and will sit the test on 19th September 2026 for entry to Year 7 in September 2027.

The 10 CSSE grammar schools

All 10 schools in the consortium use exactly the same entrance exam. Your child's score from the single September test is used when applying to any or all of them.

• King Edward VI Grammar School

• Colchester County High School for Girls

• Colchester Royal Grammar School

• Shoeburyness High School

• Southend High School for Boys

• Southend High School for Girls

• St Bernard's High School

• St Thomas More High School

• Westcliff High School for Boys

• Westcliff High School for Girl

CSSE 11 plus 2026 key dates

Here is the complete timeline for the CSSE 11 plus registration, exam day, CSSE 11 plus results and secondary school application for 2027 entry.

12 May 2026: CSSE 11 plus registration opens 

19 June 2026: CSSE 11 plus registration closes 

19 September 2026: CSSE 11 plus exam day 

Mid-October 2026: CSSE 11 plus results sent to parents 

31 October 2026: Secondary school common application form deadline 

1 March 2027: National secondary school offers day 

Registration for 2026 has closed. If your child missed this window, contact the CSSE schools directly to ask about late entry options. For families planning ahead for 2028 entry, registration is expected to open again in May 2027. 

CSSE 11 plus registration process

The CSSE 11 plus registration process is straightforward and free. Here is how it works.

1. Register during the window (May to June)

Registration opens in May and closes in June each year. You register online through the CSSE website or through any of the 10 member schools' websites. One registration covers all 10 consortium schools, you do not need to register separately with each school. 

2. Receive exam day details

After registering, you will be informed where your child will sit the exam. Both papers are sat on the same day 19th September 2026. 

3. Your child sits both papers on 19th September 2026

The English paper is sat first (1 hour plus 10 minutes reading time), followed by the maths paper (1 hour). Both papers are written, there are no multiple-choice sections. 

4. Receive your results (mid-October 2026)

Results are sent in mid-October 2026. You will see your child's standardised score for each paper and their combined total. If the total is 303 or above, your child has met the CSSE qualifying standard. 

5. Apply through your common application form (by 31st October 2026)

List your preferred CSSE grammar schools on your secondary school common application form through your local authority. The deadline is 31st October 2026 at 5pm. This is a firm deadline, missing it risks your child's application. 

CSSE 11 plus exam format

The CSSE 11 plus exam format is made up of two written papers only. There is no multiple-choice element, no verbal reasoning and no non-verbal reasoning. Everything is written, which means handwriting, spelling and the ability to communicate ideas clearly in writing are all part of how your child is assessed.

English Paper

• 10 minutes to read a passage (fiction, non-fiction or poetry)

• Section 1: Reading comprehension, answer questions on the passage

• Section 2: Creative writing, respond to a prompt

• Assessed on vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, grammar, originality and structure

• All answers written, no multiple choice

Maths Paper

• Based on the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum

• Questions may be more challenging than classroom work

• Arithmetic, reasoning and problem-solving all tested

• Multi-step word problems included

• All answers written, no multiple choice

How the CSSE 11 plus is scored

Understanding how the CSSE scores work helps you interpret your child's results clearly when they arrive in mid-October.

• 60: Maximum raw marks per paper

• 50/50: Equal weighting, each paper contributes 50% to total score

• 303: Minimum total standardised score to qualify

After both papers are marked by CSSE examiners, raw scores are converted to standardised scores. Age standardisation adjusts each child's score based on their exact date of birth, ensuring that children born in August (who are the youngest in the year group) are not at a disadvantage compared to children born in September (who are the oldest). The standardised scores for both papers are combined to produce one total score, which is the figure used to determine whether your child has met the qualifying standard of 303. 

What is the CSSE 11 plus pass mark?

The CSSE 11 plus pass mark is 303. This is the minimum combined standardised score a child must achieve to be considered eligible for a place at a CSSE grammar school. Some individual CSSE schools set their own higher qualifying scores above 303, so always check the admissions policy for your specific target schools.

CSSE 11 plus results

CSSE 11 plus results are sent to parents in mid-October 2026, approximately four weeks after the September exam. You will receive your child's standardised score for each paper and their combined total score.

If the total is 303 or above, your child has met the qualifying standard and is eligible to apply for a place at the CSSE grammar schools of your choice. You then list these schools on your secondary school common application form, which must be submitted to your local authority by 31st October 2026.

If your child's total score is below 303, they have not met the CSSE qualifying standard. They can still be listed on your common application form but will not be eligible for a grammar school place through the CSSE. If you believe there were exceptional circumstances that affected your child's performance, you can contact the CSSE to ask about the process for requesting a review.

How to apply after CSSE 11 plus results day

1. Receive your results (mid-October 2026)

Check your child's combined standardised score. A score of 303 or above means they have met the CSSE qualifying standard. Note which individual schools may have higher qualifying scores than 303. 

2. Read each school's admissions policy carefully

Before listing any school, read its full admissions policy. Pay particular attention to priority (catchment) area boundaries, sibling criteria and any other factors that affect how places are allocated when the school is oversubscribed. 

3. Complete your common application form (by 31st October 2026)

List your preferred schools in order of preference through your home local authority website. You can list up to six schools. The deadline is 31st October 2026 at this is a firm deadline and missing it can significantly affect your child's allocation. 

4. Offers day (1st March 2027)

Secondary school offers are released on 1st March 2027. You will receive one offer. If your preferred school does not offer your child a place, you will receive information about how to appeal and what alternatives are available. 

How to prepare for the CSSE 11 plus

Because the CSSE tests English and maths only, with no verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning, preparation looks different from the standard GL Assessment 11 plus.

1. Build a daily reading habit, it underpins every part of the English paper

Both sections of the CSSE English paper comprehension and creative writing reward children who read widely and think carefully about language. Reading 10 to 15 minutes every day across a variety of text types (fiction, non-fiction and poetry) builds vocabulary, comprehension accuracy, inference ability and grammar instinct simultaneously.

When your child reads, talk about it. Ask what they think the author meant by a particular phrase. Ask why a character made a choice. Ask what mood the passage creates and how. These conversations build exactly the analytical language skills that CSSE comprehension questions test. Our 11 plus tutors always build reading habit review into every CSSE English preparation session because the relationship between reading quality and exam performance is direct and measurable.

2. Practise creative writing regularly, with a plan every single time

The CSSE creative writing section is one of the most challenging components of any grammar school entrance exam. It is assessed on six criteria: vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, grammar, originality and structure. These skills accumulate over months of regular practice they cannot be crammed in a few weeks before the exam.

Practise at home at least once a week. Give your child a prompt and five minutes to plan before they write anything. Then give them 20 minutes to write. Read the piece back together and ask specific questions: where is the strongest image? Where could the vocabulary be more precise? Where does the structure feel unclear? This feedback loop is what builds real improvement over time.

3. Build deep, flexible maths knowledge, not just surface familiarity

The CSSE maths paper includes multi-step word problems that require your child to decide which operation to use, extract the relevant information from a question and solve it in a logical sequence. This is different from the straightforward single-operation questions most children encounter in classroom tests.

Work through every topic area in the maths table above. Make sure your child understands each topic deeply enough to use it in an unfamiliar context not just in the format they practised. Ten minutes of daily mental maths including times tables, mental arithmetic and number fluency drills builds the automatic calculation speed that multi-step problems require. Our free 11 plus practice papers include full maths papers directly relevant to the CSSE format and difficulty level.

4. Practise under timed conditions both papers are written, not multiple choice

Unlike GL Assessment papers, both CSSE papers require written answers. This means your child needs to write clearly, spell accurately and express ideas in complete sentences throughout all under a one-hour time limit per paper. Children who have never practised writing under time pressure often find the pace much harder than expected on exam day.

From at least six months before September, practise full sections under timed conditions. Then work up to full timed papers as the exam approaches. Our 11 plus mock exams replicate real CSSE exam conditions with both written papers and a detailed performance breakdown covering every topic area, so you always know exactly what to focus on next.

5. Build vocabulary actively every week

CSSE creative writing is assessed on vocabulary range and precision. "He walked" earns fewer marks than "he trudged" or "he skulked" or "he staggered." The best vocabulary is built through wide reading, conversation and actively collecting and using new words in real writing, not through memorising word lists.

Encourage your child to keep a vocabulary notebook. When they encounter a new word in a book or a comprehension passage, they write it down with its definition, a synonym and a sentence they wrote themselves. Reviewing this notebook weekly and trying to use three new words in each creative writing practice session builds vocabulary awareness that shows up directly in CSSE marking.

6. Start in Year 4 or Year 5, not the term before the exam

Reading habits, creative writing skills and flexible maths knowledge all take months to build properly. A child who starts CSSE preparation in September of Year 6, one month before the exam, will find themselves trying to cover two years' worth of skill-building in four weeks. That is not possible, and it produces anxiety rather than improvement.

Start in Year 4 or early Year 5. Keep sessions short and consistent 20 to 30 minutes a day. Build reading and maths habits first, then layer in creative writing practice and timed papers from Year 5. Our 11 plus tuition is designed around this progressive approach, and our 11 plus intensive summer course gives your child a focused final boost across all CSSE subjects in the summer before the September exam.

Final thoughts

The CSSE 11 plus is one of the most distinctive grammar school entrance exams in England. No verbal reasoning. No non-verbal reasoning. Two written papers, one English, one maths, that reward genuine academic ability built at school. The creative writing section in particular sets it apart from almost every other 11 plus format in the country.

At Pass 11 Plus Grammar, we have been helping children prepare for the CSSE 11 plus for over 30 years. Our expert tutors know exactly what the CSSE exam demands and how to build the English depth, Maths accuracy and creative writing confidence your child needs to perform at their best. Whether your child is just starting out or heading into the final summer before the exam, our tuition, free practice papers, intensive summer courses and mock exams give them everything they need to walk into that exam room feeling genuinely ready. Get in touch today and let us help your child earn a place at one of Essex's finest grammar schools.