13+ / Common Entrance

The 13+ Common Entrance (CE) exam is a pivotal assessment for pupils transitioning to many top UK independent senior schools in Year 9 (at age 13).

Contact us to discuss your tuition needs

The 13+ Common Entrance (CE) has been the admissions exam of choice for Britain’s leading independent schools for over a century. Typically taken in Year 8 (the school year before entry), these exams assess a broad range of subjects and skills. Most candidates sitting 13+ CE have already secured conditional places at their chosen senior schools (often via an earlier pre-test in Year 6 or 7), with final entry dependent on achieving the required CE results. In other words, a strong performance in CE confirms a student’s place, making it the crucial final step in a sometimes complex admissions journey. 

Subjects catered for:

13+ subjects catered for
Core
EnglishMathsScience
Sciences
BiologyChemistryPhysics
Humanities
HistoryGeographyReligious Studies
Modern Languages
FrenchSpanishGerman
Mandarin
Classics
LatinGreekClassical Civilisation
Additional
Verbal ReasoningNon-Verbal ReasoningComputer Science/ICT
Interview PreparationScholarship (CASE)

Get started

We’re here to help your child master new challenges and grow in confidence.

Contact us today to find out how our 13+ Common Entrance (CE) exam tutoring can support your child.

Contact us
We're here to help
and ready to talk
Contact us

FAQs

Ideally from Year 7 or early Year 8 to cover the syllabus and build exam technique through timed practice. Shorter, intensive programmes are possible closer to exam dates, focused on high-yield topics and past-paper cycles.

Yes. We teach the ISEB syllabus and adapt to each target school’s format, weightings and question styles. Scholarship prep adds extension reading, higher-order problem solving, advanced writing and viva/interview rehearsal.

Academic scholarships at 13+ go beyond CE: questions are more open-ended, cross-disciplinary and fast-paced, with school-specific papers (e.g., Eton King’s Scholarship, Westminster’s Challenge, Winchester Election) alongside ISEB’s Common Academic Scholarship (CASE). Papers typically run in late April/early May of Year 8 and are often sat at the senior school.

Common Scholarship Examinations:

  • ISEB CASE (Scholarship) – English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, TPR, French, Latin; set from ISEB specs, entered and marked by the destination school and usually sat at the senior school. Some schools add interviews/orals or set their own English paper.
  • Eton – ‘King’s Scholarship’ – Advanced, school-set papers at Eton in late April/early May of Year 8.
  • Westminster – ‘The Challenge’ – School-set scholarship exam in April of Year 8 (historic “King’s Scholars” award).
  • Winchester – ‘Election’ – Three-day process in April/May of Year 8, combining written exams and interviews/viva.

Other entrance exams

See all success stories

7+

11+ / ISEB Pre-Test

16+