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There are two types of student who sit scholarship: those who already have a conditional offer to the school having passed their pretest, and are bypassing regular Common Entrance papers, and those who have not and must win a scholarship to gain entrance.

 

In my estimation, the quality, if not the quantity, of questioning is bordering on GCSE and A-level material. It can be a daunting prospect for students and requires a significant amount of preparation. They must be curious, be willing to stretch their reading, world awareness and analytical skills. It is a real journey of discovery. They must be willing to push themselves when it comes to writing essay-length answers, for subjects such as English, History, Divinity, Geography and General Papers. General or miscellaneous papers may contain anything from testing language skills, problem-solving, science, data-handling, history, culture or current affairs.

 

A tutor can come in and be a mentor and motivator in this preparation process to support both the child and parents in what can seem an isolating position; the scholarship exams take place earlier in the summer term and other children in their class are preparing for the later Common Entrance exams in the summer. Their school teachers may know nothing or little about a particular school’s scholarship papers and the preparation process; a tutor can work alongside the student, point out resources and ideas and make suggestions on what he can improve.

 

There are all manner of children sitting these exams, those who are very bright and gifted, those who work very diligently and those who are quietly confident. Expect that they will all be working hard in different areas depending on their own strengths and weaknesses. Whatever the result of their scholarship exams, they will have learnt valuable independent study skills ahead of their peers in readiness to hit the ground running at their new schools and for public exams that follow in the future.

 

To apply for and sit the scholarship exams is not a decision to be taken lightly. Explore the options, seek the advice of your child’s school and if they are willing and able, it is a worthy endeavour for their educational development.

Registration: Stage 1

The first deadline is registration is usually the end of June when a child is in Year 5, however, students can be registered for 13+ entrance at any point beforehand. It is important to note that most children who are given a place to study at 13+ have been involved with Wellington for at least three years, so the earlier a family registers, the better.

 

A professional tutor or mentor can offer considerable advantage to the student at any point during the application process. With a network of elite tutors and mentors, including Old Wellingtonians, Think Tutors can help support students at any level with all aspects of Wellington entrance – from the ISEB Common Pre-Test to the Assessment Day.

Pre-Test: Stage 2

After registering, students are expected to take the ISEB Common Pre-Test in November or October of Year 5, a standardised form of assessment for entrance into Independent Schools across the UK, references are requested to gauge a student’s academic level.

 

The Pre-Test is designed to establish a student’s academic level before admission by testing Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and English. Usually taken at the current school of the applicant, results can be accessed by all schools they are applying for, so it is important to perform well. Wellington also asks for references from current schools to gauge a student’s academic level.

 

After this stage, candidates may be long-listed, moving one-step closer to entrance which is determined by Assessment Day performance, and successful completion of schooling until Year 8.

Assessment Day: Stage 3

In accordance to Wellington’s ‘whole child’ approach, students are expected to take part in one of six in January or February of Year 6 so Wellington can assess their character. The format is subject to changing, particularly in light of COVID-19, however, recent years were structured around mock lessons, in which a senior teacher assesses a student’s performance in a classroom context.

 

Throughout the day, students are scheduled interviews with both teachers and house masters, in addition to being asked to undertake problem solving and group based tasks. Pupils who are applying for scholarships (sport, music, drama or art) also have the opportunity to showcase their skills throughout the day.

Offers and House Selection: Stage 4

In March or April of Year 6, conditional offers are granted to successful students and the process for selecting a house begins. Offer holders can visit houses, attend another open day and are encouraged to speak to current students and house masters to help them decide. In Michaelmas Term of Year 7, offer holders accept their place and confirm their choice of houses.

How do top students prepare?

Before tacking practice papers, diving into the wealth of online resources or even enlisting the help of a private tutor or mentor, the best way to start preparation is to develop an understanding of each component. To help with this, our Education Advisory team have produced this useful guide for parents.

 

With a solid knowledge of each element of the ISEB Pre-Test, practice should begin. Top students start up to twelve months before the exam, and begin to work with a private tutor to master the foundational techniques required to thrive.

 

Outside of tuition sessions, students are encouraged to work through past papers and exercises on Atom Learning or Pretest Plus to familiarise themselves with the often unfamiliar question styles. Whilst Maths and English are closely aligned with the National Curriculum, most students are challenged by the Non-Verbal and Verbal Reasoning problems, however, the top students are already accustomed to the questions, and have an armoury of techniques ready to solve them. Practice really does make perfect.

 

During the sessions, Think Tutors’ elite tutors and professional mentors are adept at identifying your child’s learning style and preparing a scheme of learning which is tailored to them. With over five years of tuition experience, our tutors and mentors are all practiced at laying the foundations for future success to ensure your child performs on the day. They will work with your child to set realistic goals, improve confidence, and ultimately, prioritise your child’s enjoyment of the process.

What is a good score?

Measuring success is, naturally, subjective. Whilst all our professional tutors have a 100% track record of grade improvement, all children are different, and the ISEB Pre-Test is often their first experience of a formal exam. Furthermore, schools have varied entry requirements, and commonly value ISEB Pre-Test results differently.

 

That being said, this insight is about nurturing the highest possible levels of success in the Common Entrance Pre-Test. When it comes to results, the scores are standardised, meaning that the average mark will always be 100. The very top students score 120 or more, and school entrance requirements typically range from 110 upwards.

Contact Think Tutors

If you have any further questions about how your child can master the ISEB Pre-Test, or would like some more information on entry requirements for schools you would like to send your child to, please get in touch. We also help with all aspects of Independent School Placements, including 7/8 plus tuition and 13 plus tuition.

01 Wellington College

Located in Berkshire, a convenient hour from London, Wellington College’s commitment to sport, music, art and drama is unrivalled, with facilities ranging from a golf course, 16 rugby pitches and 9 cricket pitches to a theatre and arts centre. According to the latest ISI Report, academic achievement is well above the national average across all year groups and disciplines in the 2020/2021 academic year.

 

Inspired, Intellectual, Independent, Individual and Inclusive. Wellington College, founded in 1853, seeks to impart their five values upon every student who walks their 400-acre grounds. Wellington College is a co-educational school with 1080 pupils aged 13-18. Despite its size, the pupils are guided through a holistic pastoral structure, with ‘houses’ at the core, designed to shape students both inside and outside the classroom.

 

See our admissions guide to Wellington College for further details on the process and applying.

02 Harrow School

Harrow School has provided boys between 13 and 18 a world-class education since 1572.

 

Upon visiting the school, families are immediately struck by the tradition. Students, donning straw hats, blue blazers and grey trousers move quickly between the red-brick buildings which were built as a result of a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I in the late 1600s. Do not be fooled, however, into thinking Harrow is in any way archaic. Modernity lies at the core of their approach and is the primary reason why Harrovians have achieved excellent results in national examinations for as long as they have existed.

 

Outside the classroom, students are excelling in community projects. For example, in 2021, the Shaftesbury Enterprise recorded a baffling donation of 8,000 hours of volunteering by Harrow students. Alongside a full-time, demanding education.

03 Eton College

Over its 600-year history, Eton College, known globally as ‘Eton’, has cultivated a reputation as the most prestigious school in the world; the benchmark for Independent Schools. Originally opened to 70 boys but now home to 1340 students.

 

Eton has an extraordinary reputation befitting its long and storied history. It may therefore come as a surprise that Eton continually moves forward at a staggeringly ambitious pace. 2019 saw the Queen open a new science department and an aquatics centre, for example.

 

Academia is taken very seriously. With staff-student ratios at 8:1, and class sizes between 20 and 25 pupils, students are fortunate enough to receive a perfect balance between tailored education, and the freedom to explore knowledge on their own terms. It is no coincidence that Eton has educated nineteen British Prime Ministers.

 

We’ve also put together a guide about the admissions process to Eton College.

04 Wycombe Abbey

Wycombe Abbey, located in Buckinghamshire, is the premier school for girls between 11 and 18. It is The Carrington Award Programme, which, for us, exemplifies why Wycombe Abbey is one of the leading girls’ schools in the world. Similar to Think Tutors own mantra, non vitae sed scholae discimus, The Carrington Award Programme helps equip students for challenges beyond school, by imparting them with the knowledge and skills to excel. This philosophy is carried forward into all aspects of academic and co-curricular life, where lessons, musical, artistic and sporting endeavours are contextualised by their ‘real life’ uses.

 

Oxbridge and top US universities are common destinations for school leavers, whose grades are remarkably high year on year.

05 Winchester College

Winchester College, simply referred to as ‘Winchester’, is a full-boarding boys only Independent School in Winchester with a world-class reputation. They take pride in the fact that students are consistently challenged, in both academia and co-curricular contexts, to be the best student they can be – living up to their motto “Manners Makyth Man”.

 

With a strong focus on academic development and notorious entrance assessments, it is no surprise that Winchester is ranked as the number 1 for Independent Schools admissions to Oxbridge, and almost unmatched when it comes to academic achievement.

 

Of note, as one of only five full-boarding, boys only schools in the United Kingdom, Winchester college surprised all by planning to admit girls into the sixth-form in 2022 – a decision welcomed by many families who would like their daughter to share in the success and tradition of pupil excellence.

How we can help you achieve your goals?

Think Tutors are specialist providers of private tuition, having helped students excel through highly challenging admissions processes.

 

Throughout each stage of your child’s admissions journey, we can provide expert academic advice and unrivalled private tuition both in-person and online, at a time which suits you. Please contact us to find out more.

 

References and the Pre-Test: Stage 1

The process for Harrow entrance begins in Year 6. After registering, references are requested from the candidate’s current school in order to ascertain the character and academic level of the student. At this stage, applicants have the opportunity to declare whether they have a historical connection to Harrow. Although this does not guarantee entry, in our experience students who have a Harrovian sibling, parent or grandparent receive an advantage.

 

Following registration, candidates sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test at either their current school, or a test centre (if abroad), from which Harrow will develop a greater picture of the candidate’s academic level. The ISEB Common Pre-Test involves four components – English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning – and is the industry accepted procedure to test a student’s current academic and potential academic standard.

 

At this stage, organising tuition or mentoring with one of Think Tutors elite tutors or mentors is an excellent way to gain an advantage in the application process. With a 100% success rate for school entrance, our tutors are experts at improving results through practice, comprehensive planning and confidence building.

Meetings with House Masters: Stage 2

After ISEB Common Pre-Test results have been received by Harrow, successful candidates are split into two groups and unsuccessful students are notified by email. The highest performing students in Stage 1 are invited to meet with a House Master, with all successful boys invited to progress to Stage 3.

The Harrow Test: Stage 3

The Harrow Test is a three stage assessment, compromising of five distinct components. Applicants must first sit a Mathematics and English exam, which are designed to last thirty minutes each. Mathematics is comprised of mental arithmetic and problem solving, whereas English is focussed primarily on vocabulary, grammar and comprehension. To test a student’s writing skills (namely clarity) and creativity is the English Writing exam, designed to take a maximum of twenty-five minutes.

 

Next, applicants are subject to two interviews. First, the House Master Interview, in which the core traits of Harrow are tested. Successful demonstrate an interest to get involved in the Harrow community, develop and improve, adhere to the core values of a Harrovian (courage, honour, humility and fellowship), and show a genuine interest for learning.

 

The second interview and final element of The Harrow Test is a Member of Staff Interview. Unsurprisingly, academia will be the focus of this stage, with the primary goal being to assess the boy’s grasp of basic academic principles and vitally, develop a sense of the student’s appetite for learning.

 

Being relaxed is important at the interview stage, as overly rehearsed answers are obvious to the interviewer. The best way to do this is practice with somebody who knows the format and expectations of an Independent School interview. Our tutors are well-versed in the often peculiar assessment techniques included in a school interview, with many of them having been involved in the interview process itself. At this stage, our mentors have also had great success at building a natural confidence to ensure our students flourish during interviews.

Results

Applicants find out in early December when they are in Year 7. With approximately 160 places, many students are rejected, up to fifty students are put onto a waiting list, and the rest given a place (subject to achieving 65% at Common Entrance and a minimum of 60% in English and Mathematics).