For parents and guardians: Please verify all school data — cut-off scores, applicant numbers and competition ratios — against official sources (school websites, local authority admissions data) before making any decisions. The figures on this page are researched but not guaranteed and change each admissions cycle.
Complete 2025/26 11+ Guide to Grammar Schools in Wiltshire
Wiltshire is home to 1 fully selective grammar school and 0 partially selective schools. This guide covers every school — admissions criteria, competition data, cut-off scores, GCSE results, and specific prep advice — so you can make an informed decision.
How the Wiltshire 11+ works
Two papers, all multiple-choice. Paper 1 — Verbal Skills: English comprehension, spelling, punctuation, grammar and verbal reasoning (~50 mins). Paper 2 — Non-Verbal Reasoning and Mathematics (~50 mins). Scores are age-standardised.
Bishop Wordsworth's School sets its own 11+ test using GL Assessment. There is no consortium in Wiltshire — BWS operates independently. The school publishes a qualifying standard (pass mark) each year after the September exam; reaching the standard does not guarantee a place if places are oversubscribed. A "designated area" exists and confers priority, but boys from outside it may still qualify and be offered places.
Key dates
Who can apply?
Open to boys in Year 6 (age 10–11 in the autumn term of application).
No catchment area restriction — boys from any area within reasonable travelling distance may apply; the school recommends a journey time of under one hour.
A "designated area" exists: boys resident in the designated area receive priority over non-designated-area applicants when oversubscribed (after Looked After Children and Pupil Premium criteria).
Pupil Premium-eligible applicants who achieve the qualifying standard receive elevated priority; up to 10 places may be designated for PP-qualifying boys.
Boys outside the designated area are considered if they achieve the qualifying standard and list BWS as a preference on their Local Authority Common Application Form (CAF).
Late registrations (after the published deadline) are treated as second-priority and sit the exam in November.
Admissions process
Complete BWS's own online registration form (available on the school website from March each year). Registration for 2027 entry opens 25 March 2026. Late registrations receive second-priority.
Two multiple-choice papers taken at Bishop Wordsworth's School in late September (2027 entry: 26 September 2026). Papers cover verbal skills (English + VR) and non-verbal reasoning + mathematics. Scores are age-standardised by GL Assessment.
Results are emailed to parents in mid-October. The letter states whether the qualifying standard has been met. BWS does not publish individual raw scores against a fixed cut-off; the qualifying standard (percentage) is set each year after marking.
Parents must also submit a Common Application Form to their home Local Authority (Wiltshire, Hampshire, Dorset, Southampton, or other) by 31 October 2026 for 2027 entry, naming BWS as a preference. Both the BWS registration and the CAF are required.
Offers are made on 1 March each year. If qualifying applicants exceed 160 places, places are allocated by: (1) Looked After / Previously Looked After children; (2) Pupil Premium-eligible boys (up to 10 places); (3) Boys in the designated area; (4) Siblings of current pupils; (5) Children of permanent staff members. Tie-break: proximity (straight-line distance).
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Create free accountDisclaimer: Data from official school website (bishopwordsworths.org.uk), school admissions policy PDF (2023–24), official FOI responses published on WhatDoTheyKnow (November 2024), DfE Compare School Performance (compare.education.gov.uk, October 2025 data), Sunday Times Parent Power 2024 and 2026, and GIAS (get-information-schools.service.gov.uk). Ofsted rating from reports.ofsted.gov.uk (URN 136500). Verify all key dates and figures at bishopwordsworths.org.uk/main-school/admissions/overview/ before acting. Always verify figures on the school or local authority website before making decisions — data changes each admissions cycle. Last updated: 2026-04-19. We aim to refresh this guide every year after new DfE data is published (typically June/July).