London-based 13 Plus (13+) Exam Tutors
At Athena Tuition, we work with top-end 13 Plus (13+) Exam Tutors who have a brilliant track record supporting children with their 13+ assessment preparation.
What is the 13+ assessment?
13+ assessments are secondary school admissions examinations used by mostly private boys’ schools in order to determine their Year 9 intake the following year. Private secondary entrance exams are often called ‘Common Entrance’. These assessments are in stages, usually sat between Year 6 (ages 10-11) and Year 8 (ages 12-13). The exams are pitched at Key Stage 3 level.
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On top of the standard 13+ admissions route, many private schools offer academic scholarship examinations, which are more stretching assessments used to separate out the most able applicants. Students ranking highly in these exams will gain scholarships which usually involves some financial award or school fee discount, and they may have slightly different duties / expectations within the school. More information can be found here.
Is the 13+ the same as the 11+?
There are similarities to 11+, such as an assessment of Maths and English skills, and an interview stage, but the 13+ exams can be more broad, often assessing subjects like Science and Humanities.  Some schools place an emphasis on elements like creative writing or critical thinking to gauge educational potential.
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Unlike with 11+, 13+ isn’t a typical admissions route for grammar schools, so 13+ is exclusively a private school admissions pathway.
The precise admissions journey does vary based on the school, so we strongly recommend you double-check your target schools’ websites and ideally speak to admissions to have as detailed an idea of what hurdles your child will face.
Our private tutors can provide information with respect to the different processes of schools, too.
What is the process?
Most secondary schools will have an ISEB Pre-test as the first round, to be sat in Year 6. Candidates successful here may then be invited to sit another, more specific school entrance exam. At this stage, unconditional or provisional/conditional offers can be issued, the latter of which would require a 13+ assessment round in Year 8.
Many schools will offer the opportunity to opt into additional papers, such as scholarship assessments, which are typically sat in Year 8. These scholarships can be academic or extracurricular. Scholarships are awarded according to merit, and ‘bursary scholarships’ are means-tested, offering more significant fee discounts (up to 100%).
How can we help?
At Athena Tuition, we interview, vet, and track each of our experienced tutors, so we can find the most ideal match for your child. Our tutors are able to help with the admissions process to all top schools, including:
Our tutors have specific experience preparing children for 13+ entry
and scholarships at the following schools, among others:
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London day schools with 13+ entry:
St Paul’s School | King’s College School Wimbledon | Westminster School |
Highgate School | Dulwich College | Alleyn’s School | Emanuel School |
King’s College School | Merchant Taylors’ School
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Boarding schools with 13+ entry:
Eton College | Harrow School | Tonbridge School | Sevenoaks School |
Oundle School | Radley College | Charterhouse | The King’s School Canterbury |
Benenden School | St Edward’s Oxford | Epsom College
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Each school sets its own papers particularly at scholarship levelÂ
and our tutors prepare children specifically for their target school
rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.
- Content teaching – Our 13+ tutors cover the full range of subjects required, ensuring that even the most complex concepts on the syllabus are understood. Typically, one tutor covers all components, however, it is possible to have English tuition, Maths tuition, and Science tuition separated between more than one tutor, if a multi-tutor package is preferred. There are pros and cons to both strategies here. Feel free to discuss with us!
- Exam technique – This is about being able to deploy the content knowledge your child has in order to get the best scores possible on the day. This will involve high resolution study and practice of exam papers for your child’s first-choice school as well as those of other schools of a similar standard; more practice is better!. Our tutors will share details on exam conditions and format, and expose students to the wide range of possible question types.
- Interview preparation – A key part of the assessment is the entrance interview, and so our tutors ensure that interview practice is built into tutoring sessions as the interview approaches. Building academic confidence and familiarity with the interview environment is the key here.
- Work scheduling and routine – Time management is vital. Our professional tutors work with parents to ensure tutoring sessions and personal learning are well-planned out. By sticking to these strategies, students will progress at the optimum rate, putting themselves in the best position to see success in their exams.
One of our experienced tutors:
Ameet
Reports
For more information about our process, please visit our How it Works page.
When should I start 13+ tutoring?
13+ can be quite a long process when factoring in the ISEB Common pre-tests sat in Year 6, so commencing tuition in Year 5 is quite standard and allows for a less intensive approach.
Get in touch!
Please fill out the contact form below to make an enquiry or call us on 0208 133 6284 to speak to our friendly team, who can arrange your tutoring or answer any questions.
Resources
If you’d like to learn more about the 11+, please read our 11+ Tutors page next.
The 13+ is a secondary school admissions examination used by selective independent schools to determine their Year 9 intake. These exams are often referred to as Common Entrance, and the process typically takes place in stages between Year 6 and Year 8, with papers pitched at Key Stage 3 level. Beyond the standard admissions route, many schools also offer academic scholarship examinations — more demanding assessments designed to identify the most able candidates. Students who perform strongly in scholarship papers may receive a financial award or fee reduction, and are often expected to take on particular responsibilities within the school. More information about scholarship preparation can be found on our archive.
Start early, ideally in Year 5, to allow a thorough, gradual approach rather than intensive cramming in Year 8. Work through past papers from your specific target school rather than generic materials, since each school’s papers have their own style, subject mix and marking criteria. Core subjects for most schools are English, Maths and Science, but many also examine Humanities, Languages and in some cases Latin or Greek in common entrance. If your child is targeting a scholarship, the preparation goes considerably deeper: wider reading, essay practice and the ability to engage with unseen material under time pressure are all essential. Getting your child familiar with the examination format early, exposing them to a range of question types and building consistent revision habits between sessions are the most reliable predictors of success. A specialist tutor who knows your target school’s papers is the single most effective investment you can make.
It depends significantly on the school and the level being sat. The independent papers set by schools like Eton, Westminster, Harrow and Radley, particularly at scholarship level are among the most demanding examinations sat by eleven-year-olds anywhere in the British education system. These papers are not extensions of the curriculum so much as invitations to think, rewarding intellectual curiosity and the ability to engage with unseen material rather than simply well-prepared answers. The 13+ exam can be very challenging, and evaluates students across multiple difficulty levels, ranging from 1-3, with 2 being the most common level paper taken. Core subject include English, Maths and Science, so students should have a good grasp of each, as they will need to perform well in at least two of the three areas
All schools have different requirements for what is considered a ‘pass’ for the 13+, although most commonly a 60% score is considered selective, with a 70% score considered highly selective.
No score guarantees entry, though, which is why it’s important that your teenager completes the exam in a way that meets the expectations of the school.