Who is the official new Gloucestershire 11+ exam provider?
Updated: Jun 22
FSCE - Future Stories Community Enterprise. It is a non-profit organisation focused on providing children with tailored education and support to help them achieve their full potential. FSCE offers a wide range of services, including support for the 11+ exam, as well as outreach programmes designed to ensure that children from all backgrounds have the opportunity to excel academically.
The organisation strives to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and their families, equipping them with the necessary skills to succeed in their educational journey.
Are they established? How long have they been providing 11+ exams? Why have they changed ?
The aim behind the changes is to make the test more accessible for all pupils. By changing the date it will remove the summer of preparation, which many disadvantaged pupils may suffer from. As they do not have access to holiday tutors.
When will the change for Gloucestershire take place?
2026 is the final year for GL. The new test will be taken in the summer term 2027.
Will the exam date change?
Yes - the exam will now take place in the summer term at the end of year 5.
Who else uses FSCE?
It is a relatively small company however it is used by:
And the list is growing.
What will be included?
The exam is different for all schools. Some have creative writing and VR. However, Gloucestershire have said their exam will not have NVR. Parents and schools will have to wait for the familiarisation materials in the autumn term 2026, to know exactly what the Gloucestershire exam will look like.
How can I prepare my child?
The key to doing well in this exam is being familiar with the new format so there are no mysteries. Your child will then be able to approach their exam with confidence as they know what to expect. For example, they should ideally be aware of details such as how their answers need to be marked and how the questions are laid out.
The English and Maths content is essentially the same as the current GL test. Strong reading and inference skills will be essential as well as language understanding in the english test.
The key maths areas are:
1. Number & Place Value
Reading, writing, ordering numbers up to:
Year 5: 1,000,000
Year 6: 10,000,000+
Negative numbers (including calculations with them in Y6)
Rounding numbers (to nearest 10, 100, 1000, etc.)
Roman numerals (up to 1000)
2. Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division
Formal written methods for all four operations
Multi-step word problems
Factors, multiples, prime numbers (Y5)
Long multiplication and long division (Y6)
Order of operations (BODMAS)
3. Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
Equivalent fractions
Adding/subtracting fractions (including mixed numbers)
Multiplying fractions (Y6)
Decimals up to 3 decimal places
Converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages
Percentage of amounts (Y6)
4. Measurement
Converting between units (length, mass, capacity)
Perimeter, area, and (Y6) volume
Time (including timetables and 24-hour clock)
Money and problem solving
5. Geometry (Shape)
Properties of 2D and 3D shapes
Angles (measuring, calculating missing angles)
Types of triangles and quadrilaterals
Nets of 3D shapes (Y6)
6. Position & Direction
Coordinates in four quadrants (Y6)
Translation and reflection of shapes
Describing movement and position
7. Statistics
Interpreting and drawing:
Line graphs
Bar charts
Pie charts (Y6)
Solving problems using data
8. Ratio & Proportion (Year 6 only)
Ratio language and notation
Scaling up/down
Simple proportion problems
9. Algebra This is a year 6 topic and thus really should not be part of the test if they are true to their word!
Simple formulas
Finding missing numbers
Using letters to represent numbers
Generating sequences
VR and NVR
Gloucestershire have said NVR will be removed, we will have to wait for September to know about VR in more detail.
Creative writing
Again, this will be disclosed in September 2026. However a language rich diet and high quality texts will prepare your child for this.
How will the test be marked?
Again, this is at the discretion of the schools. Typically for FSCE schools the main papers are marked by computer and can be a combination of multiple choice and written answers. The creative writing is then marked by humans. BUT only pupils who reach a particular level in the English and maths papers have their writing marked.
Are the scores age standardised?
Yes, all are age-standardised to ensure fairness.
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