CEM and the 13+ Exam: What Essex Parents Actually Need to Know (2026)
Two questions come up again and again from Essex families, and both have answers that were true years ago and aren't now. "Is the Essex 11+ a CEM test?" — no, and it never was for the consortium schools. "Is there a 13+ into the Essex grammars?" — no, there isn't. This guide gives the current, accurate picture on both, and shows how the genuine 13+ route (independent schools) sits alongside the CSSE 11+.
The short version
Practical takeaways:
- Don't buy "CEM" practice material for an Essex CSSE application — it's the wrong format.
- If you want a 13+ independent route, the key test is usually taken in Year 6 or 7, not Year 8.
- Plan any independent-school backup in parallel with the 11+, not after results.
Misconception 1: "The Essex 11+ is a CEM test"
It isn't, and for the CSSE consortium schools it never was. The Essex selective test is set, sat and marked by the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex itself — two written papers, English and Maths, built on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum, with no external commercial or academic provider involved. Our full CSSE parent guide covers the format in detail.
The one Essex grammar that sits outside CSSE — Chelmsford County High School for Girls — uses a test set by FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise), a not-for-profit provider run as a subsidiary of Reading School. Not CEM either.
So where does the "CEM" idea come from? Two places: national "11+ exam board" guides that lump every region together, and the fact that CEM genuinely was a major grammar-school test provider in other parts of the country until recently.
What actually happened to CEM
- CEM — the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, originally based at Durham University and later part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment — ran secondary-transfer (11+) tests for a number of grammar regions.
- It withdrew from paper-based 11+ testing, with its last such sittings for 2023 entry. Former CEM grammar areas moved mostly to GL Assessment.
- In April 2025 CEM was rebranded "Cambridge Insight", and its remaining selective assessment — a computer-based test used by some independent schools — is now called Cambridge Select Insight (it had already been "CEM Select" from 2023).
For a state-grammar family today, the practical position is: CEM is not a test you will sit. In Essex it was never relevant; elsewhere it has been replaced. See CEM vs GL Assessment 11+ for why that comparison is now largely historical, and 11+ Test Providers Are Shifting for how to confirm any school's current provider.
Misconception 2: "There's a 13+ into Essex grammar schools"
There isn't. The CSSE consortium runs one selective test, at 11+, for entry into Year 7. There is no 13+ CSSE exam and no second sitting two years later. Places that come free after the main round are filled from the school's waiting list or through in-year admission — and an in-year application to a selective school may involve an assessment set by that school, but it is not a scheduled "13+ exam" and there is no consortium-wide process for it.
When people say "13+ exam," they almost always mean independent-school entry at 13+ — a completely separate system that happens to share the age label. Our existing guides cover it in depth: What Is the 13+ Exam? and 13+ Common Entrance Explained.
How the independent 13+ route works
- Register early. Many academically selective senior schools require registration years ahead — sometimes by Year 5 or 6.
- The ISEB Common Pre-Test (Year 6 or 7). An online, adaptive assessment covering English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, taken once and shareable with several schools. A strong result typically leads to a conditional offer of a Year 9 place.
- Confirmation in Year 8. The conditional place is confirmed by ISEB Common Entrance at 13+ (English, maths, science, languages, humanities) or by the school's own examination. Some highly selective schools use their own tests and interviews instead of Common Entrance.
The key point for planning: the decisive assessment is usually the pre-test in Year 6 or 7, not the Year 8 exam. A family that waits until Year 8 to think about 13+ has usually missed the moment that mattered.
If the Essex 11+ doesn't go your way
Because there's no grammar 13+ in Essex, it's worth knowing the real alternatives before results day:
| Route | What it involves | Realistic for whom |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting list + appeal | Ranked by the school's admissions criteria, not application date; independent appeal panel per school | Children who scored close to a school's recent cut-off |
| Independent school at 11+ | School's own 11+ exam or the ISEB Pre-Test; fees or a means-tested bursary | Families able to fund fees or likely to qualify for substantial bursary support |
| Independent school at 13+ | ISEB Pre-Test in Year 6/7, then Common Entrance or school exam in Year 8 | Families wanting more preparation time, or targeting a specific senior school |
| Strong non-selective + sixth-form move | Excellent local secondary now; apply to selective/independent sixth forms at 16 | Children who would thrive with less exam pressure at 11 |
For fee help, see Scholarships vs Bursaries: The Real Money and How Independent School Scholarships Work.
Parent advice
Ignore "CEM Essex" entirely. Prepare for CSSE with CSSE's format in mind: written English (comprehension plus a composition) and written Maths method, both to the Key Stage 2 curriculum.
If a 13+ independent route appeals, act in Year 5. Registration deadlines and the pre-test timetable make it an early decision, not a fallback you can pick up after 11+ results.
Run backups in parallel. The strongest position on 1 March is an offer you're happy with plus a considered alternative already in motion — not a scramble to research options you'd dismissed.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Essex 11+ a CEM test?
No. The Essex 11+ for the ten consortium grammar schools is the CSSE test, set and marked by the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex — English and Maths papers based on Key Stage 2. Chelmsford County High School for Girls runs a separate test set by FSCE. CEM is not involved in either.
What happened to CEM 11+?
CEM (part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment) stopped offering paper-based secondary transfer tests, with its last such sittings for 2023 entry, and former CEM grammar regions moved mostly to GL Assessment. In April 2025 CEM was rebranded Cambridge Insight, and its remaining selective test — used by some independent schools as a computer-based assessment — is now called Cambridge Select Insight.
Is there a 13+ exam for Essex grammar schools?
No. The CSSE consortium tests at 11+ only; there is no formal 13+ entry route into the CSSE grammar schools. Later vacancies are filled from waiting lists or by in-year admission, which may involve an assessment set by the school. The "13+ exam" almost always refers to independent-school entry.
What is the 13+ exam?
For independent senior schools, entry at 13+ (Year 9) typically involves the ISEB Common Pre-Test in Year 6 or 7 to secure a conditional place, then in Year 8 either ISEB Common Entrance (English, maths, science, languages, humanities) or the school's own examination to confirm it. Some highly selective schools use their own tests instead of Common Entrance.
If we miss the Essex 11+, what are the options?
Join a CSSE school's waiting list and lodge an independent appeal; apply to independent senior schools at 11+ or at 13+ via the ISEB Common Pre-Test and Common Entrance or a school's own exam; or choose a strong non-selective secondary with a planned review at sixth form, when selective and independent options reopen. There is no second sitting of the CSSE test.
Does Chelmsford County High School for Girls use CEM?
Not now. CCHS previously used a CEM-style test but adopted the FSCE test for 2026 entry onwards. It is not part of the CSSE consortium and runs its own registration and test dates, earlier in the year than CSSE.
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