Clitheroe Royal, Lancaster Girls’, Ermysted’s and Skipton Girls’ (one consortium), the two Calderdale grammar schools and Heckmondwike Grammar School use the FSCE test in September of Year 6: one paper of English and maths multiple choice, and one of English and maths short written answers. The Calderdale schools and Heckmondwike add about 20 minutes of creative writing, marked for candidates who reach the eligible score. FSCE publishes no past papers and no paper lengths, so Prism practises the English and maths at the core of the test in papers of our own length. There is no non-verbal reasoning.
How to prepare for the FSCE North
The FSCE test (Lancashire, Calderdale, Kirklees and Skipton) covers maths and English. Most families start steady preparation in Year 4 or early Year 5, building accuracy first and speed later, then sit timed papers through the summer before the test, which usually takes place in September.
For maths, secure the Key Stage 2 arithmetic, fractions, ratio and problem solving before moving to the multi-step questions that separate the strongest candidates.
For English, read widely every day and practise comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar; selective tests reward precise word knowledge.
This test includes a piece of writing, so practise planning and writing a short story or description in a set time.
Some answers are written, not chosen, so practise without options to fall back on: write the number or the words yourself, show the working where the paper asks for it, and check each answer against the question.