Latymer Upper 11 Plus: Admissions, Entrance and Interview
Blog Contents:
Latymer Upper 11 Plus Admissions
Latymer Upper School is a co-educational institution with a dynamic ethos centred on academic excellence, creativity, and global awareness. The school’s curriculum is designed to inspire intellectual curiosity and foster a love of learning, with a strong focus on interdisciplinary education. In Years 10 and 11, pupils undertake ten GCSE courses alongside Latymer’s bespoke World Perspectives programme, which integrates Geography, Politics, and Economics to encourage a deeper understanding of global challenges. Latymer Upper’s co-educational environment promotes collaboration and inclusivity, preparing students to thrive in a diverse and interconnected world while developing the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for the future.
This guide will talk you through the admissions process for Latymer Upper 11+, outlining the application timeline as well as tips for excelling in the Latymer upper entrance exam and interview, and routes to get further support.
Latymer Upper 11+ Timeline
Here’s a full breakdown of the key stages of Latymer Upper 11+ admissions:
Registration opens: Registration opens in May while students are in Year 5
Attend an open day: Latymer Upper hosts open days in September and October each year where you can tour the school and hear from the head.
Registration closes: The deadline to register for Latymer Upper 11+ applications is mid October.
Entrance Exam: All Latymer Upper 11+ applicants will sit the entrance exam in early December of Year 6. This is taken in-person at Latymer Upper School. See our Latymer Entrance Exam section for a breakdown of the papers and our preparation tips!
Interview offers sent: Roughly a week after the entrance exam, Latymer Upper will inform students whether they have been invited to interview, and request a reference form their current school if so.
Interviews: Successful candidates will attend the school for the 11+ interview day in early January.
Offers of places made: In early March, students will be informed whether they have an 11+ Latymer Upper place.
The Latymer Upper Entrance Exam
All students applying for a Latymer Upper 11+ place must sit the entrance exams at Latymer Upper School in early December of Year 6. They will sit:
One Maths paper (60 minutes)
Two English Papers
Comprehension/Multiple Choice (35 minutes)
Descriptive writing (45 minutes)
There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning paper for Latymer Upper 11+.
How to prepare for the Latymer Upper 11+ English Paper
The types of questions in the reading comprehension section of the Latymer upper 11+ exam are fairly typical. Your child will have to respond to questions testing:
Inference: Understanding implied meanings, e.g., “What does the phrase ‘trampled calmly’ tell us about the man’s behavior?”
Vocabulary: Finding meanings of words in context, e.g., “What is the closest definition of ‘sordid’?”
Literary Devices: Identifying techniques like similes, metaphors, and oxymorons.
Close Reading: Answering questions about specific lines or phrases in the passage.
Text Structure: Understanding the author’s use of sentence structure, e.g., Mr. Enfield’s sentence complexity.
We have curated a great guide to mastering 11+ reading comprehension that breaks down the common kinds of comprehension questions in more detail and offers further preparation tips.
For the Latymer Upper 11+ reading comprehension, it's important your child is confident with more complex texts. Both the Latymer Upper sample papers use extracts from Victorian or 19th-century literature (Villette and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) which students may be less familiar with unless they have practice reading texts from this period. A strong Latymer Upper 11+ candidate will be reading at an ambitious level, and this means reading beyond contemporary texts.
Some other older texts that they could start with to boost their preparation could be:
Frances Hodgson Burnett The Secret Garden
Louisa May Alcott Little Women
E Nesbit The Railway Children
Agatha Christie e.g. Murder on the Orient Express
As you read these texts, ask your child questions in the style laid out above, testing their inference and close reading, and make note of new vocabulary. You could also pick out extracts to turn into Latymer Upper entrance exam papers, or work with one of U2 Tuition’s team of experienced Latymer Upper 11+ tutors who are able to create bespoke resources in the style of the Latymer Upper entrance exam and enhance their preparation.
For the descriptive writing section of the Latymer Upper entrance exam, students are asked to describe an experience on 1-1.5 sides of A4. They are encouraged to use interesting and ambitious vocabulary and to keep their writing engaging. This means using varied sentence structures, interesting images and accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation.
We’ve curated an in-depth guide to improving your child’s creative writing for 11+ exams, offering tips and prompts to help inspire their creativity.
Some of the questions for the descriptive writing task for the Latymer 11 plus exam are particularly looking to test student’s empathy, asking them to put themselves in someone else’s (human or animal!) shoes and imagine their experience. Here are some useful Latymer Upper 11+ exam practice questions:
Write about an animal’s day in their enclosure in the zoo.
Describe the experience of a once-beloved toy that has been left behind in the attic.
Students should also get used to setting up and concluding their story in the time and length of the paper. Having a good plan of the arc of the piece is important for this. If the question asks them to describe a day, they should ensure their writing covers a whole day, not just a morning, and structure their writing in accordance with this.
How to prepare for the Latymer Upper 11+ Maths Paper
The Maths paper has two sections: quick mental arithmetic (Section A) and longer, problem-solving questions (Section B).
To excel in Section A, the most straightforward section of the Latymer Upper 11+ entrance exam, students need to have strong mental math skills and be confident quickly applying their knowledge to answer multiple-choice questions. In Section B, students must show their workings to ensure they pick up all marks. They will face longer, multi-step questions, including some that combine different mathematical concepts like fractions, percentages, and algebra. Students should build their confidence in key topics such as geometry (e.g. calculating area or perimeter from given shapes), real life-scenarios (e.g. calculating change or travel times), and logical puzzles, e.g., arranging beads into piles or solving for unknowns in algebraic expressions.
Here are some further Latymer Upper entrance exam sample questions:
In a class of 40 students, 3/5 are boys. If 25% of the boys wear glasses, how many boys wear glasses?
A rectangle has a length of 12cm and width of 8cm. If a square of side 4cm is cut out from one corner, what is the remaining area?
You can also incorporate this kind of thinking into daily home activities. For example:
Ask your child to plan a journey with timetables, calculating waiting times and total travel time. Example: "If a train leaves at 10:15 and arrives at 12:45, how long is the journey? If the return train departs at 15:00, how long will you have to explore?"
Convert recipes for different portions, e.g., "This recipe serves 4, but we need to serve 6. Adjust the ingredients."
These kinds of questions are a great way to get your child more used to the problem-solving skills required to excel in section B of the Latymer Upper entrance exam.
Looking for support with Latymer Upper 11+?
U2 Tuition provides expert support for Latymer Upper 11+ preparation, offering tailored tutoring plans that address all aspects of the admissions process, from mastering exam technique to excelling in interviews.
Our team of Oxbridge graduates and experienced tutors bring unique insight and expertise, equipping your child with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the competitive Latymer Upper admissions process. We specialise in creating bespoke practice papers with higher-level questions and multi-step problems, designed to mirror the more challenging elements of the Latymer Upper entrance exam so your child is fully prepared for everything in the test.
Our tutors also provide personalised interview coaching, helping your child embody Latymer Upper School’s values of curiosity, collaboration, and a love of learning, while presenting themselves as confident and enthusiastic candidates.
Whatever your child’s needs, our tutors are here to help them excel in the Latymer Upper 11+ admissions journey.
Latymer Upper 11+ Interview
Successful candidates in the Latymer Upper 11+ entrance exam will be invited to attend an interview day at the school in January. On this day students will have:
an independent interview
a half-day of immersive, classroom learning activities
Latymer Upper is looking to assess students’ character, curiosity and ‘teachability’ through these activities.
For the Latymer Upper 11+ interview day, students should focus on demonstrating the qualities that align with the school’s ethos: intellectual curiosity, a love of learning, and the ability to collaborate with others.
In the 1:2:1 interview, students should express their enthusiasm for independent learning, citing examples of any reject projects or topics that excite them and that they have gone on to research independently. They could talk about a book they’ve read or a co-curricular club they’ve taken part in, such as the Young Debate or STEM club run by our co-curricular division, Minds Underground. It’s important that they speak about these genuinely so that a real passion for learning comes through in their answers. A tutor specialising in Latymer 11+ interview support can help coach students to improve their confidence in interviews and allow them to come across as excited and enthusiastic in their responses, rather than stilted and rehearsed.
Latymer Upper is not only interested in academic achievements but also the student’s personality and interests beyond school. It’s important students engage in a healthy range of extracurricular activities. They should have a good knowledge of what extracurricular and co-curricular opportunities Latymer Upper offers and reference their excitement to have the opportunity to get involved in them if offered a place at the school.
Unlike the independent interview, the immersive classroom activities are focused on testing collaboration and problem-solving. It’s really important candidates demonstrate their ability to work productively as part of a team. This means having great active listening skills, showing curiosity in what others have to say, and contributing to the discussion without dominating. By showing curiosity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills in this section of the interview, students can showcase their suitability for Latymer, emulating their values.
If you’d like further guidance on preparing for the Latymer Upper 11+ interview, you can take a look at our 11 plus interview guide. We also have a great pack of 11+ questions that you can use to practice questions for the Latymer interview with your child, ensuring they’re fully prepared to tackle the interview on the day.
Preparing for the Latymer Upper 11+ interview with a tutor can be an excellent way to boost your child’s confidence and help them authentically reflect the school’s ethos and values in their responses. Our experienced tutors are highly knowledgeable about every aspect of the Latymer Upper 11+ admissions process and are committed to ensuring the interview preparation is both effective and stress-free. Learn more about how we can support you on your Latymer Upper 11+ journey.
Looking for a Tutor to help you secure a place at Latymer Upper
To support your child’s preparation for the Latymer Upper School 11+ entrance exam, a dedicated tutor can provide invaluable assistance. U2 Tuition offers bespoke study plans designed to target the key areas of the Latymer Upper admissions process, focusing on academic content and exam techniques to maximise your child's performance.
U2’s team of Latymer Upper 11+ tutors includes Oxbridge graduates and experienced tutors with a proven track record of supporting candidates to secure places at top schools, often having attended Latymer Upper themselves. With their expertise, our tutors can answer all your child’s questions and guide them through every step of the admissions process. They specialise in creating tailored resources, including practice papers with advanced and multi-step questions that mirror the most challenging aspects of the Latymer Upper exam, ensuring your child feels confident and well-prepared. In addition, they provide personalised interview coaching to help your child naturally reflect Latymer’s values of curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning.
We begin with a free consultation to discuss your child’s goals, identify areas for improvement, and match them with a tutor who specialises in Latymer Upper 11+ admissions. Starting early allows us to provide comprehensive support, but we also offer intensive preparation programmes closer to the entrance exam or interview. Our flexible tutoring options are available online or in-person to meet your family’s needs.
Book a free initial consultation now to find out more about how our tutors can support you and your child through the Latymer Upper admissions process.