How to pass the King’s College Wimbledon 11+

Are you looking into King’s College School for the next step in your child’s education? Find out everything you need to know about the King’s College 11+ admissions process, and how to help your child succeed.

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• The 11+ admissions process
• Exam content
• The interview
• Scholarships
• Find a tutor for KCS
• Contact us

Introduction to King’s College

King’s College School, or KCS, is an independent day school for boys aged 7-18 and girls aged 16-18 in Wimbledon. It is however planning on becoming fully co-educational over the next 10 years. Since its foundation in 1829, King’s College has strived for, and achieved, academic excellence. 

King’s College is a forward-thinking and innovative community with a love of learning at its heart. In 2020 KCS won the Sunday Times title of “Top boys or co-ed independent school” for the third consecutive year. King’s College is proud to offer both International Baccalaureate and A Level to its co-educational sixth form. Admission to King’s College is highly competitive, considering its outstanding results when it comes to higher education and university admissions. In 2024, 99% of GCSEs achieved at Grade 9, 8 or 7 (A*-A), while 69% achieved at Grade 9. In the same year, 87% of A Levels were achieved at A* or A, while 62% of IBs were achieved at a Grade 7. Of the 2024 leavers, 18% went on to study at Oxbridge.

King’s College is known for high academic status and exceptional exam results. That level of success usually goes hand in hand with a “hothouse” reputation – a combination that KCS isn’t immune to. Despite the academic pressure that the students face, King’s College also stands out for its kindness and community spirit. The school is keen to foster a nurturing, friendly environment, particularly in the lower school. Dr Anne Cotton became Head in 2022.

Fees at King’s College

£10,410 per term for Years 7-8 and £11,404 per term for Years 9-13. An acceptance of £4,338 deposit is required upon entry. This is refunded in full when your child leaves the school.

Open Days at King’s College for 11+

KCS hosts an 11 plus open evening in the Autumn term the year before your child is scheduled to join in Year 7. During this, you and your child will have the opportunity to listen to a speech from the Heads of the Senior and the Lower schools and attend a tour of the school led by a current pupil. The school will publish more details on its website closer to the time, but you do not need to book a place. A whole school open day is also taking place on the 13th September 2025. In addition, the school hosts 11+ forums for Year 6 students as tasters of life at King’s. These will take place on 16 September and 6 October 2025. Both the whole school open day and the 11+ forums are available to book via the school’s website.

These events provide an opportunity for parents to ask questions about the school, and for children to familiarise themselves with the atmosphere before attending the exam. We have found children who attend Open Events are better prepared in interviews and more confident upon entering in September.

The Transition to Co-education

King’s has announced that it will become fully co-educational over the next decade, with girls and boys being admitted to year 7 of the senior school at 11+ from September 2033. As the school approaches its 200th anniversary in 2029, this change is being made to give the opportunity of an exceptional King’s education to as many children as possible. This expansion is possible thanks to the addition of a new site on The Downs and continued development of the main campus to support the social, academic, pastoral, and co-curricular needs of all pupils.

11 Plus Admissions at King’s College

Registration for KCS opens at the end of the Summer Term in Year 5 and closes in late October of his Year 6. The application deadline for 2026 entry is the 3rd of November 2025. The registration form requires you to pay a fee of £210. King’s College currently only accept applications from British or Irish citizens. It is not possible to apply for both 11 plus and 13 plus entry, you must indicate what year your child wishes to apply for on the application form. All children are assessed in Year 6 with offers made in early February. Those who apply for 13 plus entry hold a deferred place for two years before joining King’s College in Year 9. 11 plus applicants need to submit a copy of their end of year school report from Year 5. 

There are around 60 places available at 11 plus at King’s College for outside applicants. 80 additional places will go to children coming up from the Junior School. While every applicant must meet the same academic standard, having a sibling attending or who has recently left will be considered as an additional factor if KCS has to decide between two or more equally qualified candidates.

KCS 11 Plus Exam Content

For entrance into KCS at 11 plus and 13 plus, children sit an exam in Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning in January of his Year 6. King’s College have a sample paper for the Maths and English aspects on its website. The exams will take place on the 6th of December 2025.

The English exam is 50 minutes and is comprised of a comprehension question and creative writing task. The paper will assess children’s ability to read, understand and respond to a given text. They are also judged on their aptitude at spelling, vocabulary, punctuation and ability to understand character.

The Maths exam is 50 minutes long and will test numeracy and problem solving skills.

Often, children are not taught Reasoning at primary school. This is an important discipline that plays a big part in 11+ success. Children will have a natural ability level at Reasoning, but practice definitely helps, and confidence grows with familiarity. If you want an experienced third party to help you stay on track with your preparation our specialist 11 plus tutors with significant KCS entrance experience can help.

If you want an experienced third party to help you stay on track with your preparation, our 11 plus tutors have significant King’s College 11+ entrance experience. They can help your child consolidate syllabus knowledge, refine exam technique and improve speed, so they can reach the all important scholarship questions.

King’s College 11 Plus Interviews

King’s invites children who are successful in the entrance exam for an interview. This will take place around a week after the exam in January and is around 20 minutes long. For 2026 applicants, interviews are scheduled for the 15th, 16th and 17th of January 2026, with invites going out on the 12th.

The interview is a very important part of the admission process and success here is key to getting into King’s. It aims to explore your child’s interests, academic character, personal qualities, and what they will contribute to the school. The tone is friendly and relaxed, and the interviewer will aim to put your child at ease.

Your son will be asked to demonstrate his academic ability in the interview. Previously, boys have been given a passage to read and discuss, a maths problem to solve, a science or philosophy question, and asked to choose and discuss an image related to the news or science.

King’s is looking for well-rounded children, so it is important your child has something to say when asked about their interests beyond academics. They can discuss anything they could contribute to school life, such as a passion for music, drama, sport, art, debating or charity work. KCS values its co-curricular activities as they help develop confident individuals – in the interview they want to see that a candidate will contribute here too.

Teachers are looking for enthusiastic, confident children who will make the most of what the school offers. Your child should be able to engage in discussion and articulate themselves clearly. Over-rehearsed answers are discouraged. Every year Mentor runs sessions to build confidence and help children present their best self.

11 Plus Scholarships at King’s College

Many of our tutors have great success securing scholarships and are experienced with pushing the boundaries of learning for exceptional students. All applicants at King’s College are automatically eligible for an academic scholarship. Those who perform exceptionally well on the entrance exam and in interview will be awarded an academic scholarship. Academic scholarships are worth £400 or £200 per year.

King’s College also offers scholarships in Music and Sports for 11 plus applicants. Children must complete and submit a scholarship application form, found on the King’s College website, by early November. If their written application is successful, and they pass the entrance exam, Music applicants are invited for an in-person audition at King’s College. King’s College award one (or more on occasion) Music scholarship worth £400 per year and free tuition in two instruments. All children who apply for a Sports scholarship are invited to an assessment morning. Following this, King’s College will invite the children who performed the best to a more in depth sports assessment day. King’s College will then award the most exceptional children a scholarship of £400.

Meet our Tutors

To guarantee your child the best chance of admission to KCS, offer them some additional support from one of our tutors. Many of our over 200 tutors are experts in the King’s College 11 plus and with bespoke one-to-one tuition, they can help children to achieve success at exams and interviews. 

With almost 40 years of experience in tutoring children to gain admission to some of London’s most competitive independent schools, we at Mentor have a wealth of knowledge on how best to prepare your child for entry to King’s.

Over 80% of our tutors are qualified teachers, so they have an in-depth knowledge of their subject, the syllabus and the most effective teaching methods. Many have been heads of department, headteachers or examiners and all come with a wealth of experience and a great track record of success. All have up-to-date DBS certificates and references. Wherever possible we will match your child with a tutor who has a track record at King’s.

For information on our tutors’ unique approach to testing children in preparation for exams, contact our team.

More Information on KCS

The main entry points at King’s College are 7+, 8+ 11+, 13+ and 16+. There are over 1,400 pupils aged 7-18, with around 950 pupils occupying the senior school. King’s College’s passion and commitment to co-curricular activities is tangible from the highly invested in sports, music and drama facilities. Extended lunch breaks on Tuesdays and Thursdays are filled with a vast range of clubs. Additionally, the whole of Friday afternoon is given over to the pursuit of co-curricular activities. This provides a welcome rest from the academic rigours of the week and present pupils with new challenges. During this time, pupils can attend a wide variety of clubs including baking, engineering, bridge, international affairs and Dungeons and Dragons.

Students can enjoy the new sports centre with a six-court sports hall, strength and conditioning suites and 25m swimming pool; the sports ground at Kingsway with cricket nets, two astroturf hockey pitches and six grass pitches; an on-site cricket pitch and pavilion. The more musically inclined are welcome to explore the state of the art music school featuring a 210 seater concert hall. King’s drama has developed a national reputation for its outstanding performances, many of which take place in their fully equipped on-site theatre.

Address: King’s College School, Southside, Wimbledon Common, London, SW19 4TT

Telephone: 020 8255 5300

Email: reception@kcs.org.uk  

Website: www.kcs.org.uk

Local Authority: Merton

School’s Unique Reference Number (URN): 102684

Gender: Boys

Age Range: 7-18

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