Marling School 11+

How to get into Marling School

Marling School is a selective secondary school in Gloucestershire. To get into Marling School children need to pass the school's 11+ entrance test. Here is the step-by-step guide to getting your child into Marling School with all the important information you need to know.

Admission Requirements

Marling School is a selective boys' grammar school for children aged 11 to 18 with a co-educational Sixth Form. The school offers 150 places for Year 7 entry annually and operates without a catchment area ^[1].

Boys must achieve a qualifying rank in the Gloucestershire 11+ examination to be considered for admission. Registration for the entrance test occurs in Year 5 and the test is taken in Year 6 ^[1].

In cases of oversubscription, priority is given to looked after or previously looked after children, followed by children eligible for Pupil Premium, and then other qualifying children in test rank order ^[1].

Application Process

For September 2026 entry, the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test will be held on Saturday 13th September 2025 (see key dates) ^[1].

Registration for the test opens from noon Monday 19th May to noon Friday 27th June 2025 (see key dates). Families must complete the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Registration Form during the summer term of Year 5 ^[1].

• Complete the online test registration form available through the school website
• Register boys must share their result with Marling School on the registration form
• Complete the Common Application Form (CAF) through the local authority
• Submit CAF by 31st October 2025 (see key dates)
• List Marling School as one of the preferred choices on the CAF

Test Format and Dates

The Gloucestershire Grammar Schools admissions test is provided by GL Assessment and assesses verbal and non-verbal abilities, English skills and Mathematics through multiple choice questions ^[1].

The test consists of two one-hour papers with all multiple-choice questions. Paper 1 tests verbal skills including reading comprehension, vocabulary and verbal reasoning. Paper 2 tests non-verbal skills including non-verbal reasoning and mathematics ^[1].

Results will be emailed in mid-October 2025 (see key dates). Places are allocated by the local authority on National Allocation Day, Monday 2nd March 2026 (see key dates) ^[1].

Preparation Guidance

Families should begin preparation well in advance of the test date. The qualifying standard varies annually but has historically been around 210-220 marks. Students aiming to score 75%+ consistently in practice tests should be on track to pass ^[1].

GL Assessment develops material to allow all children to demonstrate their academic potential without excessive preparation. Families should focus on consistent practice with appropriate materials that match the GL Assessment format used by Gloucestershire grammar schools ^[1].

• Start preparation early in Year 5 to build familiarity with test formats
• Use regular short practice sessions rather than intensive cramming
• Focus on reading comprehension, vocabulary, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning
• Access free preparation resources through 11+ practice papers
• Consider professional guidance through qualified tutoring

Timeline and Key Dates

Open Mornings will be held on Wednesday 14th and Tuesday 20th May 2025 (see key dates) with talks at 8.45am and 9.15am followed by tours ^[1].

After results are released in mid-October, the school holds exclusive open mornings for pupils who achieved qualifying ranks. These sessions include talks, tours and opportunities to ask questions ^[1].

• May 2025: Open Mornings - see key dates
• May-June 2025: Test registration window - see key dates
• September 2025: Entrance Test - see key dates
• October 2025: Results released - see key dates
• 31st October 2025: CAF deadline - see key dates
• March 2026: Place allocation - see key dates

Practical Advice

On test day, children should arrive well-rested and prepared. At the beginning of each session, time is allocated for instruction sharing and worked examples, with students given 45 minutes to complete each test ^[1].

Passing the test does not guarantee a place as many grammar schools are oversubscribed with qualified children. Families should prepare backup options among other Gloucestershire schools ^[1].

• Ensure children are familiar with multiple-choice answer formats
• Practice time management with timed practice papers
• Plan transport and arrival well before test start time
• Prepare backup school choices on the CAF application
• Contact details and specific enquiries should be directed to the school information section

Special Circumstances

Out of county applications are accepted for families living outside Gloucestershire, but parents must contact their own local authority regarding the Common Application Form ^[1].

Out of cohort applicants must apply for approval from Marling School's Admissions Committee before registering for the entrance test. Candidates are offered two opportunities to join Marling School, with the Year 6 entrance test counting as the first attempt ^[1].

For specific circumstances, families should review the school's admissions policy document and contact the admissions team through the school information section.

Gloucestershire 11+ Information

In order to get into Marling School, children need to pass the Gloucestershire 11+. This 11+ test is written by GL Assessment for use by the school's admissions process.

Gloucestershire 11+ Subjects & Structure

The Gloucestershire 11+ requires children to complete tests in the following subjects:

• Reading Comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Verbal Reasoning
• Non-Verbal Reasoning
• Maths

The Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test is a crucial assessment for students seeking admission to Marling School, one of the prestigious grammar schools in the region. This comprehensive examination is designed to evaluate the academic potential and aptitude of prospective students across various disciplines.

The entrance test comprises two distinct papers, each lasting for one hour. Both papers feature multiple-choice questions, allowing for objective evaluation of the candidates' abilities. Paper 1 focuses on assessing verbal skills, encompassing reading comprehension, vocabulary, and verbal reasoning. These components aim to gauge the students' language proficiency, comprehension abilities, and logical thinking skills in a verbal context.

Paper 2, on the other hand, concentrates on non-verbal skills. This paper includes non-verbal reasoning and mathematics sections. The non-verbal reasoning component evaluates the students' ability to identify patterns, solve problems, and apply logical reasoning in a visual context. The mathematics section assesses the candidates' numerical skills, mathematical understanding, and problem-solving abilities.

Other Schools using Gloucestershire 11+

As well as Marling School, several other schools also use Gloucestershire 11+. These are:

• Denmark Road High School
• Pate's Grammar School
• Ribston Hall High School
• Sir Thomas Rich's School
• Stroud High School
• The Crypt School

Gloucestershire 11+ Marking Process

The reality of 11+ tests, selective education and academic institutions such as Marling School is that only children with particularly high marks are admitted. Hence why it is important that children perform well in their 11+ papers.

Different schools (and different 11+ tests) have different marking processes. Some tests are marked in person, some remotely, while others utilise computer-based optical recognition technologies for quickly marking multiple-choice answer sheets.

Many 11+ tests are age-standardised to ensure younger children are not disadvantaged (i.e. their marks may be moderated depending on the month in which they were born). While creative writing papers can be used as tie-breakers, multiple-choice tests in Maths, Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning normally make up the bulk of a child's marks. The specific details and weightings can vary from year to year.

It's worth remembering that once children's 11+ tests are being marked, the admissions process is completely outside of the parents' control. Hence, parents should not worry themselves about whether their child has got a place!

Gloucestershire 11+ Pass Mark

The pass mark for the Gloucestershire 11+ changes every year and isn't generally made public knowledge. This is due to the academic strength of the children taking the test varying and how challenging the test ends up being (as well as plenty of other smaller variables).

Hence, as a vague rule-of-thumb, it's recommended that children aim for roughly 75-80% in their practice tests. Whilst this won't guarantee them a place at Marling School, it's a ballpark exam result figure for successful candidates.

Key Dates for the Marling School 11+ Entrance Tests

Here are all the important dates for the 11+ tests (to get into Marling School) as well as other relevant dates.

Although the utmost care has been taken to gather these dates, parents should treat them as a guide and check with Marling School as they may well change.

11+ Tutor for Marling School

As the Gloucestershire 11+ entrance process is particularly gruelling, we would highly recommend using an 11+ private tutor.

Why use a private 11+ tutor?

Personal tutors have the experience and expertise to help children pass their 11+ exams. They know the requirements of the GL Assessment 11+ tests inside-out and can provide tailored support to give children the best possible chance of success. It's also important to bear in mind that plenty of other children will be using private tutors too.

11+ tutors don't need to be face-to-face, plenty of children use online 11+ tutors.

11+ tutors can also provide regular progress reports and feedback, helping parents to monitor their child's progress and make any necessary adjustments to their preparation.

Most importantly, using an 11+ tutor helps ensure that the preparation work gets done!

Private 11+ Tutors for the Marling School 11+ Tests

We have a range of private tutors who specialise in preparing children for the Marling School 11+ entrance tests. Please click here to be put in touch with a range of excellent 11+ private tutors from our friends at exams.courses.

School Information

Below you will find further information about Marling School together with their admissions contact details.

Marling School is a boys only school. It is also an academy, meaning the school is run independently by a trust or sponsor and is directly funded by the central government (not the local authority).

In total 1,230 pupils attend Marling School and it's led by the Headteacher, Mrs Jules Godfrey.

Marling School Location

Below you will find a map showing the school's location:

Ofsted Information

Marling School was last inspected by Ofsted on 12/11/2013 and the inspection only lasted one day. Ofsted published their report on 04/12/2013, declaring that the school was 'Outstanding'. This information is summarised in the table below along with a link to the full report.

Last Ofsted Report Data

GCSE & A-Level Subjects

Below you will find a complete list of GCSE and A-Level subjects offered to pupils at Marling School for the 2022-23 academic year.

GCSE & A-Level Performance

Below are the individual GCSE and A-Level performance tables for Marling School per subject. Note that this may include children taking GCSEs early (e.g. taking a language GCSE in Year 10) or indeed a child in Year 12 retaking a GCSE.

GCSE Results Information (2022-23)

A-Level Results Information (2022-23)