City of London School Interview: Tips and Common Questions

City of London School interviews its 11+ candidates in a second round, after the written assessment, alongside a group activity. The interview is a short, friendly, one-to-one conversation, usually held in January or early February for boys who have done well in the entrance assessment. The school describes it as a conversation with a purpose, and it is clear that no specific preparation is required. This guide explains what the interview involves, what the school looks for, and how to help your son prepare without turning him into a rehearsed performer.

What the City of London interview involves

City of London School's 11+ interview is a short, friendly, one-to-one conversation, usually lasting around fifteen to twenty minutes, held as part of the second round after the written assessment. It is not a formal panel, and it is described by the school as a conversation with a purpose, intended to draw out a boy's natural thinking and personality rather than test coached answers. The interview sits alongside a group activity, and together they let the school see how a boy communicates, reasons and works with others. Because the conversation is relaxed and the interviewers are experienced at putting boys at ease, a boy who is comfortable talking about his interests, and honest when he is unsure, comes across far better than one delivering answers learned by heart.

What the school is looking for

The interview helps the school judge whether a boy and the school are a good fit, and whether he would be happy and successful there. The qualities it draws out are clear communication and the ability to explain thinking, genuine academic curiosity and engagement with learning, sound reasoning and a sensible approach to problems, and confidence without being rehearsed.

The interview is a conversation with a purpose, drawing out how a boy thinks rather than what he has been coached to say.

This shapes how you prepare. A boy who can talk warmly about a book he loves, a subject that interests him, or an activity he pursues, and explain why, will impress far more than one who arrives with polished, pre-packaged answers.

Common interview themes

No two interviews are identical, but they tend to explore familiar ground. Your son may be asked about the subjects and activities he enjoys and why, about a book he has read or an interest he pursues, and about what attracts him to City of London School in particular. The conversation often touches on his current school, what he does outside lessons, and his interests beyond the classroom, whether music, sport, chess, coding or clubs. Because the school values reasoning, the interviewer may pose an on-the-spot question or a small problem to see how a boy thinks aloud, so questions without a single rehearsed answer are common. None of this needs a scripted response. What helps is a boy who has thought a little about why he wants to come to the school and can speak clearly and with genuine interest about himself.

The group activity

Alongside the interview, the second round includes a group activity, in which a small number of boys work together on a task while staff observe. This is not a test of knowledge, and there is no single right answer. What it shows the school is how a boy works with others: whether he listens, contributes his ideas, builds on what others say, and collaborates rather than competes. A boy who joins in readily, shares his thinking, and is considerate of the other boys comes across well. As with the interview, the best preparation is simply experience of working and talking in a group, rather than any special coaching.

How to prepare your son

The aim is a confident, genuine boy, not a rehearsed one, so the best preparation looks very little like exam practice. The single most useful thing you can do is have real conversations at home, so your son is used to expressing and explaining his opinions. Encourage him to think about what he enjoys and why, and to come up with a question or two he would genuinely like to ask about the school. Reading with reflection helps, since a boy who reads widely has more to say and reasons more readily, and plenty of experience working and talking in groups prepares him for the group activity. A single, relaxed practice conversation can settle nerves, but more than that risks making him sound coached. For the written side of the process, our guide to the City of London assessment covers both parts of the entrance assessment.

A note for parents

It is natural to want to prepare your son thoroughly, but the school's interviewers are experienced at telling a genuinely curious boy from a heavily coached one, and they consistently favour the former. Your most valuable contribution is not drilling answers. It is giving your son a home where ideas are discussed, opinions are welcomed, and reading and real interests are part of daily life. That preparation lasts well beyond a single conversation, and it happens to be exactly what the school is trying to find.