Inside City of London Girls’ in 2026: A Parent’s 11+ Guide for 2027 Entry
So how do you actually get into CLSG?
It is the question I am asked most often, by parents whose daughters are in Year 4 or Year 5, at the kitchen table at 9pm on a Tuesday. They have usually spent two hours on Mumsnet and another forty minutes on a tutoring blog, and are no clearer for it.
Two things to know up front. First, CLSG runs a two-stage process — a short computerised cognitive test in November (the CSI), then a longer written assessment and interview in January. The CSI is the gate to everything else. Strong girls miss CLSG every year because the CSI was treated as an afterthought. Second, the Barbican location is not just a setting. It is part of what the school teaches. Girls at CLSG move through the City every day, attend events at the Barbican Centre, and are taught from Year 7 to engage with the world outside school.
This guide is current as of May 2026, for parents whose daughters will sit between 13 and 18 November 2026 for September 2027 entry. By the end you should be calmer than you started.
Inside CLSG in 2026
City of London School for Girls sits at St Giles’ Terrace in the Barbican, in the heart of the City. The location matters. Girls at CLSG move through London every day, attend lectures across the City and beyond, and are taught from Year 7 to engage with the wider world.
CLSG is academically selective, and the school’s framing keeps returning to creative thinking, curiosity, and diversity of background. The bursary scheme is genuine and meaningful. Current parents tell us the school has a quietly purposeful feel: girls there are ambitious, but the atmosphere is collaborative rather than performative.
What parents tell us they love
The heart-of-the-City location — lectures, theatre, museums on the doorstep. Connection to the Barbican Centre and the cultural life of London. Diversity of background and thought. A quietly purposeful atmosphere, not performative. Strong creative thinking culture alongside academic rigour.
What parents tell us they worry about
The Stage 1 cognitive test can be missed despite strong written marks. The interview rewards girls with genuine views, not rehearsed answers. The comprehension paper assumes broad reading. The sector-wide shift to ISEB pre-test means the CSI format is in flux. Stage 2 written assessment differentiates within an already-strong field.
A note from Reena. Visit. Walk to the Barbican on a school day. Watch girls hurrying between sites for music or drama. The right school is the one your daughter will thrive in for seven years, not the one with the most prestigious name on the gates.
The admissions process for September 2027 entry
CLSG runs a two-stage process. Stage 1 is a 60-minute computerised cognitive test (the CSI) in November, sat at CLSG. Girls who pass Stage 1 are invited to Stage 2: a written assessment in early January, followed by an interview. Verified against clsg.org.uk in May 2026.
Key dates for September 2027 entry
Date
Day
What happens
June 2026
—
Registration opens for the September 2027 entry
Friday 30 October 2026
Friday
Registration closes (£300 fee)
13 to 18 November 2026
—
Stage 1: 60-min computer-based test (CSI)
Wednesday 6 January 2027
Wednesday
Stage 2: written assessment at CLSG
Mid- to late January 2027
—
Interview at CLSG
Friday 12 February 2027
Friday
Offer letters issued
Early March 2027
—
Acceptance deadline
WHAT TO DO NOW: Diary every date above. The 30 October deadline is unforgiving.Book an open day or visit early.If you are considering bursaries, start the conversation before the registration deadline.
The papers and the assessment in detail
What follows is a parent-friendly map of each stage, with the named techniques we teach.
No real exam questions appear in this guide. Every example is written by Academic Success in the style of the paper.
Stage 1: CSI cognitive test (November)
A 60-minute computer-based test sat at CLSG, covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and short comprehension. The pace is fast. The questions are designed to test thinking style rather than curriculum knowledge.
For Stage 1 we teach three techniques. Skip-and-Return: if a question takes more than 30 seconds, mark it and move on. The cost of one tricky question swallowing the next ten is the most common reason capable girls miss the cut. The Inference Ladder for comprehension (literal meaning → key word → connotation → writer’s intent). And the Definition Method for vocabulary in context — read the word, write its plain-English meaning in your head, then test it against each answer.
Worked example, in our voice. Library is to books as orchard is to which of the following: A) trees, B) fruit, C) apples, D) gardens, E) flowers. A library is the place where books are kept. An orchard is the place where fruit trees are grown. The structural match is A (trees). Tempting wrong: B (fruit). Fruit is the product of an orchard, not what the orchard contains by definition. The answer is A.
Stage 2: Written assessment and interview (January)
Stage 2 has two parts. The written assessment, sat at CLSG on 6 January 2027, covers comprehension and creative writing (English) and problem-solving (Maths). Girls write their own answers — not multiple choice. The English paper rewards inference, vocabulary range, and the ability to plan a structured short piece under timed conditions. The Maths paper goes beyond Key Stage 2 into early Year 7 territory for problem-solving.
For Stage 2 English we teach the PEE Chain (Point, Evidence, Explanation) for every paragraph of every comprehension answer, STAR for creative writing (Setup, Tension, Action, Resolution), and the In the Action Rule for openings.
For Stage 2 Maths: the Column Method for arithmetic beyond two digits, the LCM Method for fractions, the Hidden Question for word problems (underline what is actually being asked), and the discipline of showing every step of working.
The interview is a one-to-one conversation with senior staff, 15–20 minutes, covering reading interests, general knowledge, and one or two open-ended questions designed to test live thinking. CLSG markers reward girls who think aloud rather than perform.
What CLSG is really looking for
The assessment tests cognitive ability, written work, and live conversation. That is true, but it is not the whole story. Four qualities show up repeatedly across the girls we have helped onto the CLSG offer list.
- Speed and accuracy under fast pacing. The CSI rewards girls who can hold focus for 60 minutes and not let a tricky question early on derail the next ten.
- Written depth. Stage 2 English requires extended written answers and creative writing. A girl who has only practised multiple choice will hit a wall.
- Genuine views in conversation. The interview rewards girls who have actually thought about something and can speak about it in their own words. Rehearsed answers drop the temperature in seconds.
- A reading habit. CLSG comprehension and vocabulary assume a wider reading background than the Key Stage 2 curriculum alone provides. The girls who score in the top band have read across genres for years.
The six most common pitfalls
- Underweighting Stage 1. The CSI is short and computerised, so parents sometimes treat it as a warm-up. It is not. Girls who do not pass Stage 1 do not sit Stage 2. Drill online practice from spring of Year 5.
- Drilling only multiple choice. Stage 2 English is write-your-own-answer with creative writing. A girl with thousands of MCQs but no extended writing practice will struggle. Use written-format practice in parallel.
- Rehearsing interview answers. CLSG interviewers spot rehearsed answers in the first sentence. Drill the Out Loud Method — speak through your thinking, not your conclusions.
- Reading too narrowly. Bright girls often read only fantasy or contemporary fiction. CLSG comprehension rewards girls who have also sat with slower, more formal texts. Mix classic literature, age-appropriate non-fiction, and quality newspapers.
- Missing the bursary deadline. CLSG bursaries are real but the application runs in parallel with admissions. Start the conversation before the 30 October registration deadline.
- Letting nerves grow over half-term. The CSI falls in mid-November, just after October half-term. Two extremes hurt girls equally: the total break and the total panic. Half-paced October half-term, real downtime included.
The 12-month preparation pathway
A calm, well-paced 12 months for a Year 5 girl targeting CLSG.
November to December (Year 5): Foundations. A diagnostic in English and Maths. Daily reading, 20–30 minutes. Begin a vocabulary book. Confirm Year 4 and Year 5 maths fluency. One written-answer English exercise per fortnight.
January to March (Year 6): Building. Online practice introduced — short CSI-style sessions weekly. Comprehension with the Inference Ladder taught explicitly. PEE Chain for written answers. STAR structure for creative writing. Maths defaults: Column Method, LCM Method, Hidden Question.
April to June: Pace and accuracy. Full CSI-format online mocks every three to four weeks. Stage 2 written practice in parallel. Begin timed creative writing under exam conditions. Reading rises in difficulty.
July to August: Mastery. Two CSI mocks per month. Stage 2 written practice continues. Side-by-Side Review every mock. A real summer holiday in there.
September to early November: Final run-in. Full CSI mocks at pace. Two-stage rehearsal: CSI in the morning, Stage 2 written in the afternoon. Register by 30 October.
Mid-November: Stage 1 week. Light maintenance only. No new content. Sleep tightens to 9.5 to 10 hours.
December to early January: Stage 2 run-in. After CSI results, a short pause. Mid-December onwards: Stage 2 written practice intensifies. Christmas: a real break. Early January: two practice sessions, including one full Stage 2 written mock.
Mid-January: Interview run-in. After Stage 2 written, light interview practice. One conversation a week with someone she doesn’t know.
The final eight weeks
From mid-September to mid-November, your daughter is in the run-in to Stage 1.
Eight weeks out (mid-September). Three sessions a week. One full CSI mock per fortnight.
Six weeks out (early October). Two CSI mocks across this fortnight.
Four weeks out (mid-October). Half-term falls roughly here. Plan two light sessions, then real downtime. Practise the Anchor Face technique.
Two weeks out (early November). One CSI mock, a confidence mock. Tighten sleep.
Stage 1 week (mid-November). No mocks. Light vocabulary review only. Walk the route to CLSG in advance. Two evenings before: early dinner, a film, early night.
THE ANCHOR FACE TECHNIQUE Girls lose marks on fast-paced cognitive tests not because they don’t know the answer but because a tricky question early on sets the panic spiralling.When she meets a question she can’t do in 30 seconds, she marks it, breathes once, and moves on with her face deliberately neutral. The face affects the body. The body affects the next answer.
A note from Reena. In the final week, your job as a parent is not to add. It is to remove. Remove distractions. Remove screens after 8pm. Your calm is the most important variable in your daughter’s exam-day performance.
Mock exam strategy for CLSG
Two mock types are needed: CSI-format and Stage 2 written.
When to start. Short CSI sections from late spring of Year 5. Full CSI mocks from June. Stage 2 written mocks from late November of Year 6 (after Stage 1 is sat).
What a good CLSG mock looks like. CSI-style: 60-minute computer-based test covering VR, NVR, and short comprehension, paced like the real thing. Stage 2: written format, English (comprehension + creative writing) and Maths (problem-solving), no multiple choice.
How to read a mock report. Track the trajectory, not the absolute score. The breakdown of where marks were lost is where the value is.
THE SIDE-BY-SIDE REVIEW METHOD After every mock, your daughter sits with a fresh page. On the left, the question she got wrong. On the right, in her own handwriting, the correct working step by step.
Our CLSG mocks run several times across Year 5 and Year 6, calibrated to both Stage 1 CSI and Stage 2 written formats.
Frequently asked questions
My daughter is strong on paper. Does the online format matter?
Yes. The CSI is online and paced fast. A girl who has only practised paper will be slower on screen. Build online practice in from spring of Year 5.
How does CLSG compare to NLCS, Habs Girls', or South Hampstead?
NLCS and Habs Girls' are in north London with their own bespoke written papers. South Hampstead uses the London 11+ Consortium exam. CLSG is in the Barbican with its own two-stage CSI + written + interview format. Each requires its own preparation strategy.
Is the CSI the same as the ISEB pre-test?
No, though both are online cognitive tests. The CSI is shorter and CLSG-specific. The sector is shifting towards ISEB pre-test more broadly, so the format may evolve — check the school's admissions page each spring.
Are bursaries genuinely available?
Yes. CLSG offers means-tested bursaries. The application runs in parallel with admissions — start the conversation before 30 October 2026.
How do I know if my daughter has a realistic chance?
We know after one diagnostic and one trial class. Within two hours we can usually tell you whether CLSG is realistic, ambitious, or beyond comfort.
No 11+ programme can guarantee an offer. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something.
What preparation can deliver is this. By the time your daughter sits the CLSG CSI in November, she will know the online format inside out. She will have named techniques for every question type. She will walk into the assessment calm. And by Stage 2 in January, she will have written extended answers under timed conditions, with PEE Chain and STAR as reflexes. Whether the offer comes is in her hands. But she will sit it as the best version of herself.
That is what twelve good months can do.
Your next steps with Academic Success
- See the website. Download the full PDF guide. Download at academicsuccess.uk →
- Join us on social media. I post weekly on Instagram and TikTok at @academicsuccess.uk.
- Sign up to the programme that fits your daughter.
- Weekly Workshops — small-group term-time classes on Zoom. Built for the bespoke selective papers including CLSG. Browse →
- Holiday Intensives — October half-term is particularly useful in the run-in to the November CSI. Browse →
- Summer School at NLCS, Edgware — flagship in-person summer school. Browse →
- CLSG-format Mock Exams — both CSI and Stage 2 written formats. Browse →
About Reena and Academic Success
Reena Damani is the founder and head teacher of Academic Success UK. A Habs Girls’ alumna with over 20 years working with children preparing for selective school entry, she has guided hundreds onto the offer lists of London’s most competitive schools, including CLSG, NLCS, Habs Girls’, South Hampstead, the Tiffin schools, and others.
Academic Success UK is a specialist tutoring and school preparation company based in north London. Small-group teacher-led classes, term-time programmes, holiday intensives, and full mock exams for 4+, 7+, and 11+.
Confidence first, results follow.
academicsuccess.uk
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