What is the 13 Plus?

The 13 Plus is a set of entrance exams which are used by senior independent schools in the UK to assess candidates for entry into Year 9. They are typically taken in the spring or summer term of Year 8, and for some schools, may follow earlier stages in the assessment process such as the pre-test and 11 Plus, taken in Year 6.

Common Entrance is a term for the 13 Plus examinations set and administered by the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB). The majority of independent senior schools use the Common Entrance for their 13 Plus assessments. A small number, for instance Dulwich College, prefer to set their own 13 Plus papers.

What does the 13 Plus Common Entrance exam involve?

The 13 Plus Common Entrance assesses a much wider range of subjects than the 11 Plus. The level of difficulty is also considerably higher. There are three compulsory papers:

• Maths
• English
• Science

There are also a wide range of additional papers. Some schools, especially more academically selective ones, may require students to sit some of these; others leave it up to individual students to decide which they take. The additional papers include:

• History
• Geography
• Theology, philosophy and religion
• Modern foreign languages
• Classics

What is the difference between 13 Plus Common Entrance and the ISEB pre-test?

Like the 13 Plus Common Entrance, the ISEB pre-test is an assessment set by the Independent Schools Examination Board. The pre-test is taken in Year 6 and is the first stage in the assessment process for some of the most competitive senior schools (for instance, Eton College, Wellington College, St Paul’s, Harrow and Westminster). Successful candidates progress to the 11 Plus assessment later in Year 6, and those who perform well at that stage will be made an offer of a place conditional on them achieving certain grades at 13 Plus Common Entrance in Year 8.

The ISEB pre-test is an online adaptive assessment, testing English, Maths and reasoning, taken in Year 6. For most schools, the 13 Plus is a handwritten series of assessments in English, Maths, Science, and potentially other additional subjects, taken in Year 8.

You can read our full guide to the ISEB pre-test for more information.

How tutoring for the 13 Plus works

Every 13 Plus tutor will have a slightly different approach, but good 13 Plus preparation will always target the specific skills which are tested in the assessments. Some tutors will have experience of teaching multiple subjects at 13 Plus, but you might also want to consider working with a specialist tutor for the additional subjects like Classics or Theology, Philosophy and Religion.

The tutor’s first step will be to assess your child’s current level of ability in the subject they are preparing for. Then they can work on developing their core skills and knowledge in that subject through a mixture of interactive practise in the lesson and homework which the child can tackle independently in their free time.

It is important for the tutor to begin integrating past exam practice at an early stage. This is to familiarise your child with how the exams look, and to enable them to master exam technique and time management. Finally, they will focus on any remaining areas of weakness so there are no gaps in your child’s knowledge before the real exams.

At SLT, all of our 13 Plus Common Entrance tuition is delivered one-to-one so it is completely bespoke to your child’s needs. We know every tutor we introduce personally, and match them to your child so that there is a good character and academic fit between them. In our experience, this ensures the child is happy and engaged in their learning, and gets the best results.

How to decide whether a child needs 13 Plus tuition or tutoring for specific subjects

If your child is in Year 7 or 8, will not be taking the 13 Plus, but is struggling in a particular subject (like English, Maths, Science, History or a modern language) they would likely benefit from working with a tutor for that subject. However, they would not need dedicated 13 Plus tuition.

If your child has 13 Plus examinations coming up for entry to senior school, working with an experienced 13 Plus tutor can make all the difference to their preparation. A generalist tutor may be able to help a little with the core skills, but the 13 Plus also tests knowledge which is not part of the school curriculum. This is so that academically competitive schools can select only the strongest applicants.

Here, there is no substitute for working one-to-one with a tutor with lots of entrance exam experience. Furthermore, some schools will include an interview as part of their assessment at 13 Plus. Preparation with a school entrance specialist will be invaluable for giving them the edge in this part of the process.

How to prepare for the 13 Plus Common Entrance exam

The first stage in preparation is to make sure you know which subjects your child will be taking. For most schools, English, Maths and Science are compulsory, but your child may also be taking a range of additional papers in other subjects.

We have successfully prepared students for the 13 Plus since 2009, and in our experience, preparation should begin at least a year in advance (when the child is in Year 7). This allows plenty of time to cover the 13 Plus curriculum and to integrate the all-important past paper practice which can make such a difference on the day. Last-minute cramming is scientifically proven to be ineffective compared with a measured course of targeted preparation.

As the level of difficulty steps up from 11 Plus, many parents will find that the questions are less familiar and they are less confident preparing their child themselves. Children benefit enormously from 1-1 tuition from an expert 13 Plus tutor with experience of preparing students for the specific subjects they are taking. The tutor can tackle any areas of weakness, consolidate areas of strength, and pass on vital advice on exam technique which can often be the difference between grade boundaries. 

For further information, our in-house team of tuition experts, in consultation with some leading 13 Plus tutors, have written this guide to 13 Plus preparation.

13 Plus practice exams

You can order past papers and practice papers for the 13 Plus Common Entrance from the ISEB site.