Eleven Plus Academy

Whitgift School 11+: guide for 2028 entry

For boys in Year 5 now, who would sit Whitgift's entrance exams in January of Year 6 to join in September 2028. The subjects and dates are taken from Whitgift School's own 11+ entry page, checked October 2026.

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At a glance

School
Whitgift School, South Croydon: an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 10 to 18
The exams
The school's own exams in English, Maths and Thinking Skills (age-related)
Exam date
Tuesday 5 January 2027 for September 2027 entry. The date for 2028 entry isn't published yet
Sample papers
The school's page says it does not have sample papers for Critical Thinking Skills

Key dates

For 2028 entry

Whitgift hasn't published its dates for September 2028 entry yet. Going by this year, expect the exams in early January of Year 6. Check the 11+ entry page for the registration deadline.

Source: Whitgift School: 11+ Entry

This year's date (2027 entry), as a guide to the pattern

Tuesday 5 January 2027
11+ entrance exams

Source: Whitgift School: 11+ Entry

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The three exams

EnglishThe school's own paper. Its page doesn't give the length or what each part contains.
MathsThe school's own paper. Its page doesn't give the length.
Thinking SkillsDescribed as age-related Thinking Skills. The same page also mentions Critical Thinking Skills, so exactly what this paper contains is not confirmed.

What the school doesn't publish

Whitgift's page lists the three subjects and the date but not the timings, question counts or the content of the Thinking Skills paper. Our Whitgift-style practice papers use timings we have estimated: an English paper with reading questions and creative writing, a maths paper, and a Thinking Skills paper made from problem-solving and verbal reasoning questions. The real papers need written answers.

Thinking skills

Thinking skills questions usually ask a child to reason through something unfamiliar: spotting a pattern, working out what must be true from a few facts, or finding the best way to solve a puzzle. Explaining his reasoning out loud at home is good preparation, whatever the exact paper looks like.

Five sample questions: maths and thinking skills

These are our own questions, written to show the level. They are not taken from any real paper. Tap a question to see the answer and the method.

1. What is 3/4 of 96?
  • A) 24
  • B) 64
  • C) 72
  • D) 76
Answer: C) 72. Find one quarter first: 96 ÷ 4 = 24. Three quarters is three lots of that: 24 × 3 = 72.
2. Amir is taller than Ben. Ben is taller than Chloe. Dev is shorter than Chloe. Who is the shortest?
  • A) Amir
  • B) Ben
  • C) Chloe
  • D) Dev
Answer: D) Dev. Put them in order from the facts: Amir is taller than Ben, Ben is taller than Chloe, and Dev is shorter than Chloe. So the order from tallest is Amir, Ben, Chloe, Dev, and Dev is the shortest.
3. A rectangle has a perimeter of 30 cm and a length of 9 cm. What is its width?
  • A) 6 cm
  • B) 12 cm
  • C) 21 cm
  • D) 3 cm
Answer: A) 6 cm. The perimeter is two lengths plus two widths. Two lengths make 9 × 2 = 18 cm, leaving 30 − 18 = 12 cm for the two widths. So one width is 12 ÷ 2 = 6 cm.
4. Every Monday the shop is shut. Today the shop is shut. Which statement must be true?
  • A) Today is Monday
  • B) Today might not be Monday
  • C) The shop is shut every day
  • D) Tomorrow is Tuesday
Answer: B) Today might not be Monday. We only know the shop shuts on Mondays. It could also shut on other days, so a shut shop doesn't prove it is Monday. The only statement that must be true is that today might not be Monday.
5. Which number is both a square number and a multiple of 6?
  • A) 16
  • B) 24
  • C) 36
  • D) 49
Answer: C) 36. Square numbers here are 16 (4 × 4), 36 (6 × 6) and 49 (7 × 7); 24 isn't square. Of those, only 36 divides exactly by 6 (36 ÷ 6 = 6), so 36 is the answer.

What a Year 5 parent can do now

  1. Visit Whitgift at an open event and watch its 11+ entry page for the 2028 registration deadline.
  2. Keep English and maths strong with regular written practice, including timed stories.
  3. Add a few logic puzzles each week and ask him to explain his thinking.

Free Year 5 baseline check: 20 questions in 15 minutes

How to prepare

Try a free Whitgift-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 7-day trial, no card needed.

Start my Whitgift-style mock

Or get a free Whitgift-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 38 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 · Newstead Wood 11+ guide · Tiffin Girls' 11+ guide · Trinity School (Croydon) 11+ guide · Sydenham & Dulwich Girls 11+ guide · Bromley High 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 Whitgift 11+ exam?

Tuesday 5 January 2027 for September 2027 entry. The date for 2028 entry isn't published yet.

What is in the Whitgift 11+ exam?

English. The school's own paper. Its page doesn't give the length or what each part contains. Maths. The school's own paper. Its page doesn't give the length. Thinking Skills. Described as age-related Thinking Skills. The same page also mentions Critical Thinking Skills, so exactly what this paper contains is not confirmed.

Are there sample or past papers for the Whitgift 11+?

The school's page says it does not have sample papers for Critical Thinking Skills.

How can my child practise for the Whitgift 11+?

Keep English and maths strong: reading with written answers, a timed story, and maths without a calculator.

Sources

Checked 26 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 Whitgift School or the Whitgift Foundation.