London-Based 11+ and 13+ Academic Scholarship Tutors
Many of the most prestigious independent schools in the country offer Academic Scholarships alongside their standard admissions process. These are awarded to candidates who not only pass the entrance examination but rank among the very highest performers, and they come with both financial recognition and a degree of prestige that sets scholarship holders apart throughout their time at the school.
At Athena Tuition, we have specialist tutors with direct experience of
scholarship preparation at the most sought-after schools, including
Eton College, Westminster School, Radley College, Tonbridge School,
Sevenoaks School and Oundle School, among many others.
If your child is targeting a scholarship, getting in touch early is essential.
General Information on Academic Scholarships
Examinations will require knowledge of Key Stage 2 concepts for 11+ and Key Stage 3 topics or 13+ exams, perhaps even limited areas of the GCSE syllabus in some subjects.
11+ Scholarships tend to have a narrower scope, more akin to standard 11+ subjects, possibly with a Science or Critical Thinking component added in.
13+ Scholarships can be much more broad, often with a full spectrum of subjects assessed.
The exams will have more varied and challenging questions and may test skills students aren’t used to having tested, such as:
- English -> French translations and rigorous grammar quizzing for French,
- broad compare and contrast essays in Humanities, which require the candidates to do a lot of information and thought organisation before answering,
- tough multi-variable graph analyses in Geography,
- very wordy, multi-part questions in Maths.
These exams are a lot more difficult than the standard admissions routes; prep schools will usually separate out scholars from the broader common entrance cohort, especially for 13+ scholarships where prospective scholars may be taught separately for the whole of Year 8, possibly longer. This allows for a faster rate of teaching to cover the necessary content and more targeted prep.
Private tuition in weaker or under-supported areas can be very helpful to support this peaking for the scholarships. Scholarship exams can sometimes have optional exams; if a student chooses a different option from his or her peers, this can lead to a scenario where it is difficult for the student to get the full support needed from the school for that optional exam, and so tuition can be very useful here, too.
- An example of this may be Tonbridge School offering compulsory French I and optional French II papers. If one student chooses French II, they will need much more advanced grammar teaching, which it may be difficult for the school to provide if all the other scholars have opted for French I only. A French tutor can be brought on just to focus on the French II-specific preparation.
For some schools, Academic Scholars have certain commitments expected of them, such as the attendance of some academic societies. It is worth investigating the ‘scholarly duties’ that come with the acquisition of a scholarship, in advance of deciding to pursue this route.
Bursaries
Scholarships can be means-tested Bursary Scholarships (up to a 100% discount) or ordinary Academic Scholarships (where the financial prize can be either be a fixed sum awarded to the student/family, or a fee discount. Often, exam performances are ranked and the top performer will get a more significant discount (King’ Scholar at Eton, Ainslie Scholar at Tonbridge.) Some schools differentiate their Academic Scholarships by referring to the top awards as ‘Scholarships’ and then having ‘Academic Exhibitions‘ below them. Sevenoaks School is an example of a school which does this.
Academic Scholarships come in two broad types. Means-tested Bursary Scholarships can provide fee reductions of up to 100% and are awarded based on financial need rather than examination performance alone. Ordinary Academic Scholarships by contrast are awarded purely on merit and carry either a fixed financial sum or a fee discount, with top performers typically receiving the most significant award. At Eton the King’s Scholar receives the most prestigious award and at Tonbridge the top academic award is the Ainslie Scholarship.
Some schools distinguish between their top academic awards and those just below them, referring to the former as Scholarships and the latter as Academic Exhibitions. Sevenoaks School is a good example of this approach.
In recent years there has been a notable shift in how schools allocate their financial resources, with many directing more money toward bursaries in order to widen access for students from lower income backgrounds. This means the financial value of ordinary academic scholarships has become less significant at many schools, though the prestige and the experience of being a scholar remains considerable. It is now more about what the award signals about a child’s ability and character than about the fee reduction itself.
Those who are not awarded a scholarship on entry may still have the opportunity to gain an Honorary Academic Scholarship later, typically by achieving a strong score in their GCSEs. These awards tend to carry less financial weight but are a genuine recognition of sustained academic achievement.
Preparation
Preparation for these examinations is key; whether they are 11+ or 13+ examinations, an accelerated 12-18 months of learning in advance of the examinations is recommended, in order to give the best possible chance of success.
Some schools utilise standard Academic Scholarship papers, such as the ISEB Common Academic Scholarship, whereas other schools produce their own, in-house, scholarship papers. Having a tutor who knows the examination format of the schools for which your child is applying is very important in ensuring preparation is targeted and efficient.
Please find a sample of our past papers by following this link
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