An 11+ academic scholarship is an award made at Year 7 entry to a pupil whose entrance performance, and often interview, places them among the strongest applicants, and at several schools no separate application is needed to be considered. Dulwich College states that every boy who sits its entrance examinations is automatically considered, whilst Wycombe Abbey invites a small selection of candidates to sit scholarship papers after its Assessment Day. What an award carries ranges from an honour with no fee benefit to an annual fee reduction.
Not every school with a selective 11+ process makes academic awards at that age: Westminster School places its academic King's Scholarships at 13+ and 16+, and St Paul's School describes its academic scholarships at 13+. The first step is therefore to read the scholarship page of each school on your list, then match your child's Year 5 and Year 6 preparation to the stages that page names.
What is an 11+ academic scholarship and what does it carry?
An 11+ academic scholarship is a school-awarded recognition for top academic performance at Year 7 entry, and its content varies from an honour alone to a lasting fee reduction. Magdalen College School states that its scholarships are honorary and carry no financial benefit. Dulwich College describes a fee reduction that is not means-tested and continues until the holder leaves, subject to satisfactory progress and conduct. Brighton College describes an annual fee deduction that lasts throughout a pupil's time at the school, with scholars expected to act as role models in their fields.
Enrichment appears at some schools as part of an award. North London Collegiate School describes its Sophie Bryant Scholarship, offered for Year 7 and Year 12 entry, as including an individual mentoring and enrichment programme, a research presentation and publication in a school journal, with some level of fee remission usual, although the school may award a scholarship without it. Wycombe Abbey says its academic awards carry prestige but are of limited financial value. Because this page concerns UK independent-school awards, university scholarships and US athletic scholarships are separate matters.
How is a child considered for an 11+ academic scholarship?
At several schools a child is considered automatically through the entrance examinations, whilst others add a separate stage by invitation or application. Dulwich College states that all boys who sit the entrance examinations are considered, and Magdalen College School says no application is necessary. Wycombe Abbey states that no application is required, with a small selection of candidates invited to scholarship papers after the Assessment Day. North London Collegiate School considers external applicants through the normal entrance exam, interview and reference process.
Stowe School works differently, with a separate application in Year 6 and an Assessment Day, and with the scholarship held at one of its prep schools for Years 7 and 8 with the intention of progressing to Stowe at Year 9. The route is open to children already at those prep schools and to external candidates.
At 13+ and 16+ the routes are more formal. Westminster School awards King's Scholarships at 13+ through its Challenge paper and at 16+ through Sixth Form entrance papers and interviews. At 13+, St Paul's School expects external candidates to accept an unconditional place before sitting its scholarship examinations. The ISEB Common Academic Scholarship (CASE) is a separate assessment for 13+ pupils considering a scholarship application.
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Enquire about this tutorWhat do scholarship assessments test beyond the standard entrance papers?
Where schools publish the content, scholarship assessments add subject breadth, extended writing, aptitude testing and interview to the standard entrance papers. Wycombe Abbey describes a first stage of Common Pre-Tests, then an Assessment Day with an individual interview, small group activities and one-hour English and Mathematics exams, then scholarship papers for invited candidates. It also states that specimen scholarship papers are not available.
None of the pages reviewed describes question style or difficulty in detail, so a parent should ask the school what extended or harder material to expect in maths, English and reasoning. The published components that go beyond a standard entrance paper include the following.
- Wycombe Abbey: scholarship papers in English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities, plus a Language Aptitude Test.
- Stowe School: CAT4 and/or UKiset scores, a Head's Essay Paper set by the school, school reports and an interview with the Deputy Head Academic.
- Dulwich College: awards go to boys who score highest in the entrance examination and interview.
- St Paul's School at 13+: compulsory papers in English, History, Geography, Latin, French, Theology and Philosophy, Mathematics and Science, with an optional Greek paper.
How does the scholarship route fit with the ISEB Common Pre-Test?
The ISEB Common Pre-Test is a set of four online, adaptive entrance assessments in mathematics, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, and a school may place its own scholarship stages after it. ISEB states that pupils usually take them in Year 6 or Year 7, and that senior schools can use the tests for Year 7 entry or deferred Year 9 entry.
Wycombe Abbey shows the sequence in practice, with the Common Pre-Test as Stage 1, the Assessment Day as Stage 2 and scholarship papers after that. ISEB adds that individual senior schools have their own test deadlines, and its Common Pre-Test page does not link the tests to scholarships. For a school that sets its own papers only, such as those whose pages describe automatic consideration, the entrance exam itself is the scholarship route.
How should a child prepare across Year 5 and Year 6?
Preparation across Year 5 and Year 6 usually works best as steady work on the subjects a school names, with timed practice papers kept for the later months. In Year 5, wide reading, regular extended writing, secure arithmetic and varied problem-solving build the base that every stage draws on. Short sessions across the week tend to hold attention better than long weekend blocks.
In the September of Year 6, once the school's stages are confirmed, practice can turn to the actual formats. Because the scholarship step often adds an interview or an essay, conversation about books, ideas and interests belongs alongside the papers.
To avoid over-drilling, a parent can keep to a few habits.
- Read the school's scholarship page first and prepare only for the stages it lists.
- Alternate subjects within a week, and leave at least one day free of work.
- Practise the Common Pre-Test format on screen, since it is online and adaptive.
- Keep extended writing and interview talk in the plan, because these are the parts a standard entrance paper tests least.
For one-to-one help with the harder maths, extended writing and interview practice a scholarship stage adds, read about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or tell us about your child and the schools on your list and we will reply with tutor recommendations.
How do scholarships relate to means-tested bursaries?
At the schools reviewed, a scholarship is not means-tested and a bursary is a separate, means-tested fee reduction, and some schools allow the two to be combined. Dulwich College states that a scholarship may be supplemented by a bursary where there is genuine financial need. Westminster School states that bursary applicants must first gain a place on academic merit, and that its scholarships can be topped up by a bursary where need is proven. Stowe School describes a scholarship alongside a possible bursary of up to full fees.
Practice differs, so each school's rule needs checking. Magdalen College School points families to its Bursary Scheme for fee help, Wycombe Abbey and Brighton College describe bursaries as a distinct scheme with its own application, and Brighton College states that its bursaries apply to day places only.
What should you ask a school about its 11+ academic scholarship?
A short list of questions put to the admissions office settles most of the uncertainty, and the answers belong in writing in the family's own notes.
The questions below cover the points that differ most between schools.
- Is an academic scholarship offered at 11+, or only at 13+ or 16+?
- Is every candidate considered automatically, or is there a separate application or invitation?
- Which papers, interviews or tests does the scholarship stage add, and are specimen papers available?
- How is the Common Pre-Test used, and what are the school's own deadlines?
- Is the award an honour, a fee reduction, or both, and does it include enrichment?
- How long does an award last, and what conditions apply?
- How does a scholarship interact with a bursary, and when must a bursary application be made?
- Can a pupil at a prep school or state school be put forward, and by whom?
Related guides
- 11+ entrance exam tutors
- scholarship exam preparation
- 13+ academic scholarships
- Scholarship interviews at 11+ and 13+
- Private school bursaries: means testing and applications
- Scholarships and bursaries at leading independent schools
- ISEB Common Pre-Test guide
- 11+ interview preparation
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Frequently asked questions
- Is there a separate 11+ scholarship exam?
- It depends on the school. Dulwich College and Magdalen College School consider scholarships through their standard entrance examinations with no separate application. Wycombe Abbey invites a small selection of candidates to scholarship papers after its Assessment Day, and Stowe School runs its own application and Assessment Day. The school's scholarship page states which route applies, so check it before registering.
- How can a child win a scholarship to a private school?
- Start with each school's own scholarship page to see whether awards are made at 11+, 13+ or 16+ and whether consideration is automatic. Register for the entrance process by the school's deadline, prepare for the stages it lists, and ask the admissions office about any separate application, invitation or interview. Fee help based on household finances is a separate bursary application.
- Does an 11+ scholarship pay the school fees?
- Not necessarily. Magdalen College School describes its scholarships as honorary with no financial benefit, whilst Dulwich College and Brighton College describe fee reductions. Wycombe Abbey says its academic awards are of limited financial value. Where a family needs fee help, schools such as Dulwich College and Westminster School describe means-tested bursaries that can sit alongside a scholarship.
- Does the ISEB Common Pre-Test decide a scholarship?
- ISEB describes the Common Pre-Test as four online, adaptive assessments in mathematics, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, and its page does not link them to scholarships. Schools set their own use of the results. At Wycombe Abbey the Pre-Test is the first stage, followed by an Assessment Day and scholarship papers for invited candidates.
- Are there academic scholarships at 13+ and 16+ as well?
- Yes, at some schools. Westminster School awards King's Scholarships at 13+ and 16+, and St Paul's School awards academic scholarships at 13+. ISEB offers the Common Academic Scholarship (CASE) as an assessment for pupils at 13+ who are considering a scholarship application. Each school sets its own entry points, so confirm them on its admissions pages.
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