King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford: 11+ entrance test and admissions
King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS) in Chelmsford is a boys' grammar school that admits 150 boys to Year 7 through the Essex CSSE test: two papers, English and Mathematics, each worth 50% of the marks. 120 of the 150 places go to the highest-scoring boys living within 12.5 miles of the school; the remainder go to the highest scorers wherever they live. Registration is with CSSE in May and June of Year 5, and the test is on a Saturday in September of Year 6.
Facts checked against the school's and council's own published pages on 8 October 2026. Admissions details change every year — always confirm with the school before applying.
KEGS Chelmsford at a glance
- Places in Year 7
- 150 for 2027 entry
- Test
- CSSE: English (60 minutes after 10 minutes' reading time) and Mathematics (60 minutes)
- Priority area
- 120 places for boys living within 12.5 miles
- Registration (2027 entry)
- 12 May to 19 June 2026, with CSSE
- Test date (2027 entry)
- Saturday 19 September 2026
- Results (2027 entry)
- Emailed on 12 October 2026
- Offers
- National Offer Day — 1 March 2027
How places are allocated
Boys whose Education, Health and Care Plan names KEGS are admitted first. The school then fills 120 places with boys living within its 12.5-mile priority area, in descending order of marks — up to 8 of those are available to the top-performing boys who meet further criteria, including looked-after status and a final standardised score of at least 330. The remaining places go in rank order of marks to the highest-scoring boys regardless of address, with up to 2 of them available to Pupil Premium or looked-after boys scoring at least 350.
Residence matters precisely. A priority-area offer is conditional on the boy being continuously resident within 12.5 miles from 10 October of Year 6 until he starts at KEGS, at both his and his primary carer's permanent address, and only one address can be used. Distances are straight-line, calculated by Essex County Council, which offers an online checker for whether an address falls within 12.5 miles. The school reserves the right to check addresses and to withdraw a place obtained with false information.
The CSSE test
KEGS is a member of the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex, so one CSSE sitting lets a boy be considered for KEGS and any other CSSE school his family names. The test has two papers. English lasts 60 minutes after 10 minutes' reading time and combines comprehension (tick-box and written answers) with continuous writing; Applied Reasoning questions were removed from 2025 entry onwards. Mathematics lasts 60 minutes, with answers and working written out. There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning paper.
The two papers are standardised and weighted, each worth 50% of the marks, and CSSE determines any age adjustment. The KEGS policy notes that its papers are marked by staff employed by the school. CSSE publishes free familiarisation papers and sells practice packs.
Key dates
For September 2027 entry, CSSE registration opened on 12 May 2026 and closed on 19 June 2026, with access-arrangement requests due by 26 June. The test was on Saturday 19 September 2026, with an alternative Tuesday date only for religious observance or documented illness. Results are emailed to all candidates on 12 October 2026. Registering with CSSE is not an application: families must also name KEGS on their council's Common Application Form by 31 October.
CSSE says important dates for 2028 entry will be published by Easter 2027. Expect registration in May and June of Year 5 again, but confirm on the CSSE website.
How to prepare
Prepare for written English and maths, not reasoning drills. In maths, CSSE rewards children who can work accurately through multi-step problems and set out their working; in English, close reading with evidence from the text, and a well-organised piece of continuous writing in roughly the 20 minutes left after comprehension.
Because KEGS ranks by marks within the priority area, small differences in score matter: finishing both papers, checking arithmetic and answering in full sentences where asked are all worth practising deliberately. Start with CSSE's own familiarisation papers; our Essex CSSE guide covers a 12-month plan.
KEGS Chelmsford: frequently asked questions
What score do you need for KEGS?
KEGS does not publish a fixed pass mark. It offers places in rank order of marks: 120 to the highest-scoring boys within 12.5 miles, and the rest to the highest scorers from anywhere. The school publishes data from each year's tests the following autumn; check its admissions FAQ for recent figures.
What is the KEGS priority area?
12.5 miles from the school, measured in a straight line by Essex County Council. A priority-area offer requires continuous residence from 10 October of Year 6 until the boy starts, and Essex provides an online checker for addresses.
Does KEGS use the CSSE test?
Yes. KEGS is a member of the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex. Boys register with CSSE and sit its English and Mathematics papers; one sitting covers every CSSE school the family names.
Can boys from outside Essex apply to KEGS?
Yes, the test is open to pupils in and outside Essex. Boys living beyond 12.5 miles compete for the places remaining after the 120 priority-area places, in rank order of marks.
Sources
Checked 8 October 2026.