11 Plus CSSE Style
CSSE stands for Consortium of Secondary Schools for Essex. As the name suggests, this is a consortium of most of the grammar schools in Essex. The consortium sets its own tests.
The papers are only maths and English. Verbal reasoning is a small part of the English paper. There is a big focus on vocabulary in the CSSE English papers as well as problem-solving. There are generally more questions than there is time to answer them.
What makes 11 Plus CSSE style papers challenging?
CSSE style papers have one particular component that make them unique. This component is the written exercises. These short pieces of writing are challenging because a student needs to put together something concise where they demonstrate technical ability and/or flair. It is also challenging because it can take more time to help a student develop his or her writing ability than other skills.
On the other hand, it is less challenging than CEM and GL because there is minimal inclusion of non verbal reasoning and verbal reasoning.
Which boroughs use CSSE?
As the name suggests, this is for schools in Essex only. The following grammar schools in Essex are part of the CSSE consortium:
- King Edward VI – Grammar School
- Colchester County High School — for Girls
- Colchester Royal – Grammar School
- Southend High School – for Girls
- Southend High School – for Boys
- Westcliff High School – for Girls
- Westcliff High School – for Boys
- St. Bernards High School – for Girls
- St. Thomas More – High School
- Shoeburyness – High School
CSSE Exam Structure:
Paper breakdown |
MCQ-Section by section |
| Separate answer sheet | No |
| Full maths papers -Always a standard format |
Topics include:Knowledge of times tablesApplying the four basic operations (+ – x ÷)Quick mental arithmeticGraph readingUnderstanding of shapes, space & measures |
| Full English Paper -Always standard format |
Comprehension exercisesVocabulary, where children are asked to replace words in the passageShort writing pieceVery short Verbal reasoning section |
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