Common Entrance exams are used for entry by many independent senior schools.

Common Entrance 11+ exams are sat in year 6 for entry into year 7, mainly for girls' schools, Common Entrance 13+ exams are sat in year 8 for entry into year 9, mainly boys and mixed schools.

I have extensive experience tutoring Common Entrance maths and science with students gaining entrance to schools including Eton, Westminster, Winchester, City Of London. I work individually with each student to i) help them to fill any gaps in their knowledge and ii) practise applying it in exam situations. My approach is individual to the student and is rooted in nurturing well-rounded, confident problem-solving skills which can then be applied, not in merely cramming for exams.

 

The Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) publish Common Entrance exam papers in a variety of subjects. The same papers are used by all schools in each year (hence the name, Common Entrance) and all schools sit exams on the same date.

Many schools sit exclusively Common Entrance exams in a full range of subjects while others require Common Entrance in Maths and English and sometimes Science alongside their own exam papers in other subjects.

Most major public schools use Common Entrance exams but some independent schools, particularly London day schools, set their own exams.

Common Entrance at 11+ are taken in the Spring or Autumn term of year 6. The questions are closely linked to the National Curriculum. Most questions will be at the old Level 4 to 5 standard, accessible to an average to above-average student in year 6. There will also be more challenging questions to stretch the most able candidates.

The tests are taken over two days. On day one, pupils sit English comprehension (45 minutes) and maths (one hour); on day two, they take English creative writing (45 minutes) and science (one hour).

For entrance at 13+, Common Entrance exams are usually taken in the spring of year 8. Exams will include English, maths and science as well as a range of the following subjects: Latin, Classical Greek, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Geography, History, Religious studies.

Some subjects have papers at 2 or 3 different levels. It is always worth checking with your school(s) of choice which level they use for each subject.

13+ students may also sit scholarship exams.

In some prep schools, children sit the ISEB’s Common Pre-Tests in Year 6 or 7. These are used to assess students' potential for application to senior schools. Many oversubscribed and heavily selective schools will use pre-testing to determine which candidates to select for sitting 13+ common entrance exams. Check with individual schools to find out how they use the pre-test.

Common entrance papers are sent to the prospective senior school for marking. Markschemes are provided by ISEB but marking and the threshold mark required for entry are entirely at the discretion of the school.