Torbay grammar schools 11+: guide for 2028 entry
For children in Year 5 now, who would sit the tests in the autumn of Year 6 to start secondary school in September 2028. Dates and format are taken from the three Torbay grammar schools' own pages and admissions policies.
At a glance
- Test date
- Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year's tests at Torquay Girls' and Torquay Boys' Grammar Schools were on Saturday 19 September 2026
- Registration
- Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year the two Torquay schools asked for registration by Wednesday 15 July 2026 if possible, and by midday on Friday 4 September 2026 at the latest
- Subjects
- English and Maths only
- Tests
- Two tests, one in English and one in Maths. Torquay Boys' says about 50 minutes each. Torquay Girls' says about 1 hour each
- Set by
- GL Assessment, according to Torquay Girls' and Churston Ferrers Grammar Schools
- Results
- A guidance letter. This year the two Torquay schools were to send theirs on, or as soon as possible after, Monday 12 October 2026
Key dates
For 2028 entry (tests expected in September 2027, going by this year's pattern)
The Torbay grammar schools have not published these dates yet. When we checked, the Torquay schools' pages and policies covered September 2027 entry only, and Churston Ferrers Grammar School says it publishes its date each year once it is confirmed.
Source: Torquay Boys' Grammar School: Apply to Join Us
This year's dates (2026 tests, 2027 entry), as a guide to the pattern
- 1 March 2026
- Registration opened at Torquay Boys' Grammar School
- Wednesday 15 July 2026 (midday at Torquay Girls')
- Preferred registration deadline at Torquay Girls' and Torquay Boys'
- Friday 4 September 2026 (midday)
- Final registration deadline at Torquay Girls' and Torquay Boys'
- Saturday 19 September 2026
- Tests at Torquay Girls' and Torquay Boys'
- Friday 25 September 2026
- Catch-up date at Torquay Girls' for children who could not sit on 19 September through illness or another accepted reason
- Monday 12 October 2026
- Outcomes sent to parents on, or as soon as possible after, this date
- 31 October 2026
- Deadline for the local authority Common Application Form
- 1 March 2027
- National Offer Day
Get an email when Torbay publishes new 11+ dates
We check the official admissions pages every morning. When registration, test dates or results are announced, we'll send you a short email saying what changed and where to find it. We use your address for nothing else.
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The two tests
English and Maths only
All three schools say the tests cover English and Maths. Torquay Girls' Grammar School tells families to look only at GL's English and Maths familiarisation material, because those are the only two elements tested.
One test, at one school
Churston Ferrers Grammar School says a child can sit the 11+ at only one selective school in Torbay. Torquay Girls' admissions policy says its guidance letter covers whether the scores would be likely to gain a place at each of the selective schools in Torbay.
What the result looks like
Scores are adjusted for age. Torquay Boys' Grammar School says parents are not given the actual scores, but a yes or no on whether the child's performance was of the required standard. It also says this is not a promise of a place: you must still name the school on your local authority's Common Application Form by 31 October.
How places are decided differs by school
At Torquay Girls', children with eligible scores are placed in this order: looked after and previously looked after children, then children entitled to the Pupil Premium, then all others in rank order of total test score. At Torquay Boys', places go from the highest score downwards, and looked after children and children eligible for the Pupil Premium come first only where candidates have the same score. Churston Ferrers Grammar School says it changed its admissions policy in 2025 and describes its previous system as based purely on rank order of 11+ scores. Read the admissions policy of each school you are considering.
Registering late
This year the two Torquay schools accepted registrations after midday on Friday 4 September 2026 only in exceptional circumstances. Other late registrations are to be considered for testing in March 2027, after the first round of allocations.
Five Torbay-style sample questions
These are our own questions, written in the style of the test so you can see the level. They are not taken from any real paper. Tap a question to see the answer and the method.
1. A ferry has room for 64 cars on each crossing and makes 9 crossings in a day. Over the whole day 38 spaces are left empty. How many cars does it carry that day?
- A) 538
- B) 548
- C) 576
- D) 614
2. A fishing net 5.6 m long is cut into 7 equal lengths. How many metres long is each length?
- A) 0.7
- B) 0.08
- C) 0.8
- D) 8
3. Which word is closest in meaning to sturdy?
- A) flimsy
- B) robust
- C) heavy
- D) tall
4. Which word in this sentence is an adjective? The rusty anchor lay on the quay.
- A) anchor
- B) lay
- C) quay
- D) rusty
5. Which word in this sentence is a pronoun? The gulls squabbled until they spotted the trawler.
- A) gulls
- B) until
- C) they
- D) spotted
What a Year 5 parent can do now
- Look through GL Assessment's free English and Maths familiarisation materials together, so the style of the questions is not a surprise.
- Start short, regular English and Maths practice now, and add timed sets in the summer term.
- Check each school's admissions page from the spring of 2027 for the 2028 entry dates. This year registration at Torquay Boys' opened on 1 March 2026 and the tests were on Saturday 19 September 2026.
How to prepare
- Look at GL Assessment's free English and Maths familiarisation materials together, which the schools point families to.
- Practise English: comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
- Keep Year 5 maths secure, and practise working without a calculator at a steady pace.
- Practise one English and one Maths set of about 50 minutes to an hour each. Doing both in one morning is our own suggestion, not something the schools publish.
- If your child is eligible for the Pupil Premium or free school meals, ask about extra familiarisation material. Torquay Girls' Grammar School says it offers an additional online package.
Try a free Torbay-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 Torbay-style mockOr get a free Torbay-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 · Eltham College 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 · 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 Torbay 11+ exam?
Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year's tests at Torquay Girls' and Torquay Boys' Grammar Schools were on Saturday 19 September 2026.
What is in the Torbay 11+ exam?
English. One English test. Torquay Boys' Grammar School says each test is about 50 minutes. Torquay Girls' Grammar School says its tests are about 1 hour each and that, from autumn 2025, both of its papers are taken online. Maths. One Maths test, of the same length as the English. Churston Ferrers Grammar School says the test is designed around standard primary school learning up to the end of Year 5.
When do I need to register for the Torbay 11+?
Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year the two Torquay schools asked for registration by Wednesday 15 July 2026 if possible, and by midday on Friday 4 September 2026 at the latest.
How can my child practise for the Torbay 11+?
Look at GL Assessment's free English and Maths familiarisation materials together, which the schools point families to.
Sources
Checked 7 October 2026. Schools change their tests, so always confirm dates and details on the official pages below.
- Torquay Girls' Grammar School: Selection Tests
- Torquay Girls' Grammar School: Admissions Policy, entry September 2027
- Torquay Boys' Grammar School: Apply to Join Us
- Torquay Boys' Grammar School: Admissions Policy 2027-28
- Churston Ferrers Grammar School: Admissions Process
- Churston Ferrers Grammar School: Admissions FAQs
- Churston Ferrers Grammar School: Entry Requirements and 11+ Admissions
Eleven Plus Academy is independent. It is not affiliated with Torquay Girls' Grammar School, Torquay Boys' Grammar School, Churston Ferrers Grammar School, GL Assessment or any school.