The effect of the loading system on the stress distribution in the fully embedded fibre pull-out test has been considered. Tests on a fully embedded fibre specimen resemble more closely conditions within a composite system. Both the top-restrained and fixed-bottom test configurations were considered. Effects of relative moduli and radii of the matrix and the fibre on stress distribution were considered. The influence of these on the maximum debond force and on the location of debonding crack initiation within the specimen were also determined.