Eltham College 11+: guide for 2028 entry
For children in Year 5 now, who would sit the entrance exams in January of Year 6 to start Year 7 in September 2028. Dates and format are taken from Eltham College's own admissions pages.
At a glance
- Exam dates
- Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year's exams are on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 January 2027
- Registration deadline
- Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year it is Monday 9 November 2026 at 4pm
- Papers
- Maths (45 minutes) and English (25 minutes reading, 20 minutes writing), going by the school's sample papers
- Reasoning
- A computer-adaptive verbal and non-verbal reasoning assessment
- Interview
- Every candidate has a one-to-one interview with a senior member of teaching staff
- Sample papers
- English reading, English writing and Maths, on the school's website
Key dates
For 2028 entry (exams expected in January 2028, going by this year's pattern)
Eltham College has not published these dates yet. When we checked, its 11+ page covered September 2027 entry only.
Source: Eltham College: entry at 11+
This year's dates (2027 entry), as a guide to the pattern
- Saturday 19 September 2026
- Whole School Open Day
- Monday 9 November 2026, 4pm
- Registration deadline
- Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 January 2027
- Entrance exams
- Thursday 21 to Friday 29 January 2027 (to be confirmed)
- Music, Sport, Drama, Chess and Art scholarship assessments
- Friday 12 February 2027
- Offer day
- Wednesday 3 March 2027 (midday)
- Acceptance deadline
Source: Eltham College: entry at 11+
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The papers
What the sample papers show
Going by the school's own sample papers, most of the Maths paper is multiple choice, but the last 5 questions need clear written working. In English, the reading questions are answered in writing, and the story has only 20 minutes, so a quick plan and a strong opening matter.
Sample papers show the style the school uses. The real papers may differ in length or layout, so check the school's website for the current versions.
Everyone is interviewed
The school says every candidate has a one-to-one interview with a senior member of teaching staff. Reading widely and talking about what your child has read and enjoys doing is good preparation.
Cost and visiting
This year the registration fee is £234 including VAT. The school encourages all prospective candidates to visit before registering; this year's whole-school open day was on Saturday 19 September 2026.
Five Eltham College-style sample questions
These are our own questions, written so you can see the level. They are not taken from any real paper. The school's papers ask for written answers; we use multiple choice here only so you can check quickly. Tap a question to see the answer and the method.
1. Pencils cost 35p each. Sam buys 12 pencils and pays with a £5 note. How much change does he get, in pence?
- A) 60
- B) 70
- C) 80
- D) 120
2. What is the value of 7 + 3 × (10 − 4)?
- A) 25
- B) 60
- C) 36
- D) 46
3. Read this sentence: "Maya's hands shook as she unfolded the letter." What does it suggest about Maya?
- A) She is bored
- B) She is sleepy
- C) She cannot read
- D) She is nervous about what the letter says
4. Which word is closest in meaning to vast?
- A) narrow
- B) enormous
- C) quick
- D) empty
5. A pattern of shapes goes: triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon. How many sides does the next shape have?
- A) 6
- B) 8
- C) 7
- D) 9
What a Year 5 parent can do now
- Download the school's sample papers and look through them together.
- Start short, regular practice in Maths, comprehension and story writing now, and add timed papers in Year 6.
- Check the school's 11+ page in the summer term of 2027 for the 2028 entry dates. This year registration closes at 4pm on Monday 9 November 2026 and the exams are on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 January 2027.
How to prepare
- Work through the school's own sample papers first, so your child sees how the school sets its papers out.
- Do 45-minute Maths practice without a calculator, and write out the working for longer problems.
- Practise planning and writing a short story in 20 minutes, including continuing a story from a passage.
- Answer comprehension questions in full sentences, using evidence from the text.
- Try verbal and non-verbal reasoning questions on a screen, so that format is not new on the day.
Try a free Eltham College-style mock
Set out like the papers the school or area describes, with your child's score at the end and, where the school sets a writing task, their writing marked from a photo. Where a timing is not published, ours is an estimate. Free 3-day trial, no card needed.
Start my Eltham College-style mockOr get a free Eltham College-style practice paper (PDF)
Our mocks follow the published format where there is one. The timings we estimate and the questions are our own, not real past papers.
The other 32 school and area guides
Blackheath High 11+ guide · Dulwich College 11+ guide · Alleyn's 11+ guide · Kent Test guide · Bexley 11+ guide · Colfe's 11+ guide · St Olave's 11+ guide · Medway Test guide · Tiffin 11+ guide · Sutton SET guide · ISEB Pre-Test guide · London 11+ Consortium guide · Latymer Upper 11+ guide · Henrietta Barnett 11+ guide · Dame Alice Owen's 11+ guide · QE Barnet 11+ guide · Redbridge 11+ guide · Buckinghamshire Transfer Test guide · Essex CSSE 11+ guide · Slough Consortium 11+ guide · Kendrick School 11+ guide · Bournemouth and Poole 11+ guide · South Wilts Grammar 11+ guide · Bishop Wordsworth's 11+ guide · Torbay grammar schools 11+ guide · Plymouth grammar schools 11+ guide · Lincolnshire 11+ guide · West Midlands grammar schools 11+ guide · Wirral 11+ guide · Ripon Grammar School 11+ guide · Lancaster Royal Grammar 11+ guide · Northern Ireland SEAG Transfer Test guide
More free practice: Free 11+ Maths practice questions → · Free 11+ Verbal Reasoning practice → · Free 11+ Fractions questions → · Free 11+ Vocabulary questions →
Quick answers
When is the Eltham College 11+ exam?
Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year's exams are on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 January 2027.
What is in the Eltham College 11+ exam?
Maths: 45 minutes, no calculator. The school's sample Maths paper has 20 multiple-choice questions, then 5 problem-solving questions where working must be shown. Rulers are allowed; calculators and other measuring tools such as protractors are not. English: reading (25 minutes), then writing (20 minutes). The sample reading section suggests about 5 minutes reading the passage, and shows the marks beside each question. The sample writing section is worth 20 marks: one task from a choice of two, either continuing the story from the passage or writing a story of your own. It says description matters as much as the plot, and spelling, punctuation and grammar are marked. Reasoning: on screen. A computer-adaptive assessment of verbal and non-verbal reasoning. The school does not publish its length.
When do I need to register for the Eltham College 11+?
Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year it is Monday 9 November 2026 at 4pm.
Is there an interview for Eltham College?
Every candidate has a one-to-one interview with a senior member of teaching staff.
Are there sample or past papers for the Eltham College 11+?
English reading, English writing and Maths, on the school's website.
How can my child practise for the Eltham College 11+?
Work through the school's own sample papers first, so your child sees how the school sets its papers out.
Sources
Checked 7 October 2026. Schools change their tests, so always confirm dates and details on the official pages below.
Eleven Plus Academy is independent. It is not affiliated with Eltham College or any school.