You apply for the 11 Plus examinations by visiting our webpage, Plymouth High School for Girls - Admissions (phsg.org), or DHSG's webpage (www.dhsg.co.uk), and completing the 11 Plus registration form, which opens in mid/late April. Regardless of which school website you visit, the registration form allows you to choose which school you would like to sit the examinations at. You also have the option of 'no preference'.

You will only need to register to sit the examination at one of the schools. Please do not register for both schools.

There is no limit on the number of students who can register to take the real 11 Plus examinations.

Registration for the real 11 Plus examinations closes at the end of August prior to your child starting Year 6.

English Comprehension and Mathematics - multiple choice papers.

Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and spatial reasoning are not tested. There is no longer a 'free-writing' element to the English test.

In 2026, the English Comprehension and the Mathematics test will both be 40 minutes each.

In 2026, the English Comprehension test and the Mathematics test will contain 60 questions each.

The number of questions can vary year-on-year.

No. The July Practice exam is optional.

No. The results of the Practice exam do not get considered in any way when school places are being allocated.

Allocations are made based on the results of the real exam papers, which are sat in September.

The real 11 Plus examinations are held on two separate Saturday mornings in September when your child is in Year 6.

The application window for the real 11 Plus examinations opens just after the Easter school break (mid/late April) and will remain open until 12 o'clock noon on August 31st of the same year.

This will be when your child is in Year 5.

Please note, there is no limit to the number of students who can register to take the real 11 Plus examinations.

More information is available on our 'Timeline' web pages.

The Practice 11 Plus examinations are held on one Saturday morning in July when your child will be in Year 5.

The application window for the Practice 11 Plus examinations opens just after the Easter school break (mid/late April) and will remain open until a specified date in May of the same year, or until 170 spaces have been filled. 

More information about the process is available on our 11 Plus Practice Examination web page.

Yes. Both girls' grammar schools use the same test papers and hold the exams on the same days.

This is why we ask that you do not register your child at both schools.

No, the location your child took the 11 Plus at does not affect your choice of secondary school. Your child can sit the 11 Plus examinations at either grammar school, and can then apply to either/both grammar schools.

You will need to complete the secondary schools application form via your local authority admissions (which for most will be Plymouth City Council), by the end of October. If you choose to put either or both of the grammar schools as your choices, and your child did not sit the exams in September, then the local authority will note that your child does not have an 11 Plus examination result, and they will get in contact with you.

Children are allocated based on their 11 Plus result and their first choice of school. For example, if your child's 11 Plus score is ranked as 1st, and their first choice of school is Plymouth High School for Girls, then they will be allocated to Plymouth High School for Girls. Ultimately, you should choose the best school setting for your child.

Plymouth High School for Girls has 120 spaces in Year 7, and these spaces are usually filled by students who have chosen us as their first choice of secondary grammar school, and who have scored well enough to secure an allocation. 

You will only get your second choice grammar school once either PHSG and/or DHSG is full; this could happen anywhere up to the 278^th student depending on preferences. However, being outside the 278^th position in the rankings does not mean with certainty your child will not gain a place at a grammar school, as some students in the top 278 will choose not to take up their place.

No. Neither of the Plymouth girls' grammar schools can choose which students are allocated to them. All allocations are made by Plymouth City Council. 

There is no 'pass mark' for the 11 Plus. 

Allocations are made for both Plymouth girls' grammar schools based on the first 278 students who have put a grammar school as their first or second choice, and who have accepted a grammar school place. Being outside the 278^th position in the rankings does not mean with certainty your child will not gain a place at one of the Plymouth grammar schools, as some students in the top 278 will choose not to take up their place.