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Free FSCE Beacon Paper practice test
Sit a Beacon-style practice test online, exactly as a subscribed child sits it: a timed paper where every answer is written into boxes, one digit or one capital letter per box, then a marked report with the right answer and an explanation for every question. No account, no card, nothing to unlock at the end.
Written for Year 5 and Year 6. Works on a phone, tablet or computer.
What is the FSCE Beacon Paper?
FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) sets the 11+ entrance test for a growing group of grammar schools. Its test has four papers, which can be sat in any order: the Adventure and Compass papers are multiple choice, the Discovery Paper is a creative response, and the Beacon Paper is answered with short written answers. Each school chooses which papers it sets, so check the FSCE schools and dates for yours.
FSCE says its papers can draw on any of these KS2 subjects, at the level taught up to the end of Year 5: Art & Design, Computing, Design & Technology, English, Geography, History, Languages, Maths, Music, Physical Education and Science. Questions test how a child applies what they know rather than facts they have memorised. The full paper-by-paper picture is in our FSCE 11+ exam guide.
How Beacon answers are written on the day
For a number answer, write one digit in each box.
For a word answer, write one letter in each box, clearly and in capital letters.
To change an answer, cross it out and write the correct answer above the box.
Answers go on a separate answer sheet, in black biro or ballpoint pen. The question number on the sheet must match the booklet.
A recorded voice gives every instruction, including the time allowed for each section, and warns when time is nearly up.
Wrong answers lose no marks. Time left at the end of a section can be spent on that section only.
How our Beacon practice tests work
Our tests rehearse the Beacon answer format on screen: timed sections, answers written into boxes, and no options to pick from. The child has to produce every answer.
Answers in boxes
Each answer is typed one digit or one capital letter per box. Symbols such as £, the decimal point and units are printed for you, as they are on the answer sheet.
Timed like the real thing
A countdown for each section with a warning at one minute left. The time allowed is shown on every test before you start.
Negative numbers included
If an answer is negative, the minus sign goes in the first box. Every number answer can take one, so the boxes never give the sign away.
Marked box by box
Every box has to be right for the mark. A blank loses nothing, so it always pays to have a go.
How the free test works
Start when you are ready
No account, no card, no email. The timer starts with the first section and the test runs exactly as it does for a subscribed child.
Write each answer in its boxes
Move between questions and change any answer until time runs out. Questions you cannot do can wait until the end.
Read the full marked report
A score for the test and for each topic, then every question with your answer, the right answer and a written explanation. Nothing is held back.
The Beacon practice tests
Every test is timed, answered in boxes and built to the same plan, with new tests added as our question bank grows. Each card shows the topics in that test. The free test is open to everyone. The rest come with every Prep4All plan, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.
Tips for Beacon-style written answers
Short written answers reward care as much as knowledge. These habits are worth practising until they are automatic.
Read the boxes before you work it out
The boxes and the printed symbols show the shape of the answer: how many digits, whether there is a decimal point, which unit. A shape that does not fit your answer is a sign to check your working.
One character in each box
One digit or one capital letter per box, never two. Do not write a unit or a £ sign that the answer sheet has already printed.
Give the answer in the unit asked for
If the question asks for minutes, 1 hour 35 minutes is written as 95. If it asks for the 24-hour clock, 4:25 pm is 16:25.
Spell every letter exactly
In a word answer every box is checked, so a word that is nearly right scores nothing. The Year 3 to Year 6 statutory spelling lists are the place to start.
Never leave a box empty
Wrong answers lose no marks, so a sensible guess can only help. Come back to the hard ones if there is time left in the section.
Work it out, then copy it in
On the day, answers go on a separate answer sheet. Check that the question number matches before you write, and write clearly.
Beacon-style sample questions
Six questions in the Beacon answer format, from different subjects, marked as you go. Type one digit or one capital letter in each box. These are a taster: the free test is the full, timed thing.
At midday the temperature was 3 °C. By midnight it had fallen by 8 degrees. What was the temperature at midnight? Write the minus sign in the first box.
°C
Ali buys 3 notebooks at £1.35 each. He pays with a £5 note. How much change does he get?
£
.
What is 4.07 × 100?
Write the missing letters. The scientist made an important d_sc_v_ry.
D
S C
V
R Y
Write the missing letters to name the longest river in the United Kingdom: S_V_RN.
S
V
R N
In which year was the Battle of Hastings fought?
More drills in the same format are in the free FSCE practice questions: missing-letter spelling and one-digit-per-box maths, marked instantly.
Free, and what the free trial adds
Everything in the left-hand column happens without an account. We are not holding the marking back to make you sign up.
Free, right now
The full free test, properly timed
Your score, and a score for each topic
Every question reviewed, with the right answer
A written explanation for each one
With the 7-day free trial
Every Beacon practice test in the set, not just the free one
Every sitting saved, so you can see progress over time
Per-topic accuracy feeding into My Syllabus
FSCE Compass tests, and the rest of Prep4All: lessons, practice tests, mock exams and creative writing
Preparing for the multiple-choice papers too? Sit the free FSCE Compass test, or see every free option in our FSCE resources.
Questions parents ask
What is the Beacon Paper in the FSCE 11 plus?
It is the FSCE paper answered with short written answers instead of multiple choice. For a number the child writes one digit in each box, and for a word one capital letter in each box. FSCE says the Beacon Paper can draw on any of the KS2 subjects it lists, at the level taught up to the end of Year 5.
Is the free FSCE Beacon practice test really free?
Yes. Your child can sit the whole test and you can read the complete marked report, with a score, a topic breakdown and an explanation for every question, without an account, a card or an email address. Registering is optional and only matters if you want results saved or the rest of the set.
Which Beacon practice tests can my child sit?
Every test in the set is listed on this page with the topics it covers. The free test is open to everyone. The full set is included with every Prep4All plan, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, so a child can sit all of them before you pay anything.
How long does a Beacon practice test take?
Each test shows its time limit on its card before you start. The clock counts down on screen and gives a warning at one minute left. A child with extra time set up on their Prep4All account gets it automatically.
Are these real FSCE past papers?
No. FSCE authorises no past or practice papers. These are original Prep4All questions written in the answer format of the Beacon Paper, so a child can rehearse working to time and writing answers into boxes. They build skills; they do not predict the questions on the day.
How do you write a negative number in a Beacon answer?
The minus sign takes the first box, and the digits follow. In our tests the first box of every number answer can take a minus sign, so the boxes never give away whether the answer is negative.
Does my child's school set the Beacon Paper?
FSCE has four papers, Adventure, Beacon, Compass and Discovery, and each school decides which it uses. Our FSCE schools and dates page lists the schools and the format each one sets. Always check the school's own admissions information for your year of entry.
How is the Beacon Paper different from the Adventure and Compass papers?
Adventure and Compass are multiple choice: the child shades one oval for the answer they choose. On the Beacon Paper there are no options to choose from. The child has to produce the answer and write it in the boxes, so exact spelling, units and number format all count.
Can my child sit the test more than once?
Yes, as many times as you like. Nothing is stored between sittings unless you create an account, in which case results are saved and feed into the per-topic accuracy on My Syllabus.