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Exam papers are a good way to practice some questions, but they are most useful when worked through alongside an experienced tutor who can check, mark and shed light on the context of the exam questions.
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The 7+ is sat by children aged six and seven who are applying for Year 3 entry to some of London's most competitive prep schools. Papers typically cover English and Maths, with the English section usually combining a reading comprehension exercise with a short piece of creative writing. The exams are designed to assess natural aptitude as much as anything taught, which is both reassuring and, frankly, the reason so many parents find them nerve-wracking. Schools with 7+ entry include Highgate, King's College Junior School, North London Collegiate, Haberdashers' and Latymer Prep, and competition at all of them is fierce. Working through past papers under timed conditions is one of the best forms of preparation, though they are most useful when reviewed alongside a tutor who knows what individual schools are actually looking for.
For more information about the 7+ exams and our related tuition services, including finding a 7 plus tutor click here.
English
Maths
The 8+ is sat by children in Year 3 applying for Year 4 entry, and it is offered by a considerably smaller number of schools than either the 7+ or 11+. Dulwich College and King's College Junior School are among the most sought after, and the written papers in English and Maths tend to stretch a little beyond what children would encounter in the standard curriculum at that age. A written round is usually followed by an interview, so preparation needs to cover both. Because far fewer resources exist for the 8+ than for other entry points, the papers gathered here are particularly worth working through carefully.
For information on the more specific and unusual 8+ entrance exam, including finding an 8 plus tutor click here.
English
Maths
The 9+ is one of the least common entry points in the independent school system, which makes preparation resources genuinely hard to come by. King's College School Wimbledon is the most notable school offering entry at this stage, and the papers here reflect that. At 9+, children are expected to handle more demanding comprehension and multi-step maths than at 7+ or 8+, and the smaller applicant pool if anything makes schools more selective rather than less. These papers are worth treating seriously.
English
Maths
The 10+ is sat by children in Year 5 applying for Year 6 entry, and the range of schools represented here spans London day schools and well-known boarding schools alike. Emanuel School, Kingston Grammar, City of London School, Trinity School Croydon and Oundle all set papers at this level, and the style of each differs enough that practising with papers from your specific target school is far more useful than generic preparation. By 10+, papers place noticeably greater emphasis on analytical writing and multi-step problem solving, so students who have previously focused purely on the mechanics of English and Maths may find the step up catches them slightly off guard.
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English
Maths
The 11+ is the most widely sat independent school entrance exam in the country, taken by children in Year 6 applying for Year 7 entry, and in London it covers some of the most selective schools anywhere. St Paul's Girls', Haberdashers', City of London School, Dulwich College, Highgate, Alleyn's, Sevenoaks, Withington Girls' and a good many others all set their own papers, which is the crucial thing to understand about the 11+. There is no single standard exam. St Paul's Girls' uses two separate comprehension papers (and a general paper). North London Independent Girls' Schools Consortium has its own distinct maths style. What works for one school will not necessarily prepare a child well for another, which is why working through the school-specific papers below is so much more valuable than generic 11+ practice materials. Most London 11+ exams are sat between November to January of Year 6, with registration typically opening the previous September.
English
Maths
General Assessment
The 12+ is a mid-school entry point for Year 8, and while fewer schools offer it than the 11+ or 13+, it is worth knowing about. Benenden, Oundle, St Albans, St George's College Weybridge and Junior King's Canterbury all feature in this archive. One thing that distinguishes the 12+ from earlier entry points is the introduction of language papers alongside English and Maths, with French, German and Spanish all appearing here, reflecting the broader curriculum children will have covered by this stage. The 12+ is particularly relevant for families considering a move from the state to the independent sector before GCSE, or for those looking to transfer between independent schools.
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English
Language (French, German and Spanish)
Maths
The 13+ is the major senior school entry point, typically sat at the end of Year 8, and the archive below is one of the most comprehensive sections on this page. Most schools use the ISEB Common Entrance framework, which covers English, Maths and the sciences, but the most prestigious schools set their own papers entirely, particularly for scholarships. Eton, Westminster, Harrow, Dulwich, Sevenoaks, Radley, Tonbridge and Oundle all appear here. The scholarship papers deserve a special mention. Those set by Eton for the King's Scholarship, and by Radley and Westminster at scholarship level, are among the most intellectually demanding papers produced for thirteen-year-olds anywhere in the British education system. They are not extensions of the curriculum so much as invitations to think, and if your child is aiming for one of these awards, working with a tutor who has specific experience of the exam in question is not just helpful but more or less essential.
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English
General
English as an Additional Language
French
Geography
Greek
History
Latin
Religious Studies / History
Spanish
Maths
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
The 14+ is sat by students in Year 9 applying for Year 10 entry, a less common but increasingly relevant point of entry as more families reconsider their schooling arrangements before GCSE begins. St Edward's Oxford is the most extensively represented school in this section, with papers in English, Maths and Science spanning several years, and the archive also includes papers from Benenden, Oundle, Tonbridge, Solihull and City of London Freemen's. St Edward's also provides EAL papers alongside its standard English papers, which makes this section particularly useful for international students entering the British education system at this stage and needing to demonstrate their language ability alongside their academic one.
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English
Maths
Science
The 16+ is sat by students applying for Sixth Form entry after GCSEs, and it is one of the most subject-specific points of entry in the independent school system. Rather than a general English and Maths paper, schools at this level set papers in individual subjects, meaning a student applying to study Biology, Chemistry and Maths at A-Level would typically sit separate papers in each of those three subjects. Benenden, Dulwich, Emanuel, St Edward's Oxford, St Mary's Cambridge and Tonbridge all feature in the archive below, across English, Maths and the three sciences. Many schools also conduct subject interviews alongside the written paper, so preparation should cover both the academic content and the ability to discuss it with confidence.
English
Maths
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
The papers here cover AQA GCSE Maths Higher Tier from 2012 to 2018, complete with mark schemes throughout, making them well suited to both independent revision and tutor-led sessions. The new specification, introduced in 2017, moved to three papers rather than two, with one non-calculator paper and two calculator papers, and placed considerably greater emphasis on problem solving and mathematical reasoning than the old spec did. Students working through this archive are best advised to start with the earlier papers to build confidence and familiarity before moving on to the post-2017 papers, which are meaningfully harder and reward a different kind of preparation.
Arts
Biology
Chemistry
Business, DT, ICT
Economics
English
Humanities and Language
English as an Additional Language
French
Geography
German
Greek
History
Latin
Mandarin
Politics and Government
Psychology
Religion, Philosophy, Theology
Spanish
Maths
PE
Physics
AQA Maths
Past papers are most valuable when worked through with someone who understands exactly what examiners are looking for. Our tutors have direct experience preparing students for every school and exam level listed on this page, and many attended these schools themselves or have spent years teaching the syllabuses in question. If you would like help finding the right tutor, get in touch and we will do the rest.
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