13+ Academic Scholarships: Papers, Timing and Preparation

A 13+ academic scholarship is an award made to a pupil entering Year 9 at an independent school, usually decided by scholarship papers sat in Year 8 and, at some schools, an interview. Harrow describes its scholarships as primarily an acknowledgement of a boy's achievement, and St Paul's describes its awards as honorary, so what the award carries depends on the school and is set out on that school's own page. UK independent-school awards are the only awards covered here; university and US athletic scholarships are separate matters.

Pupils at prep schools and at state schools usually meet the same papers by different routes, and the stages fall across Year 6 to Year 8 depending on whether a school uses the ISEB Common Pre-Test, Common Entrance or papers of its own. Named awards such as Eton's King's Scholarship, Westminster's Challenge and Winchester's Election each have their own entry requirements, and a separate page covers them.

What does a 13+ academic scholarship carry?

A 13+ academic scholarship usually carries recognition of academic achievement together with whatever the school attaches to the award, so the detail sits on each school's own page. Brighton College says successful scholarship pupils receive an annual amount deducted from their fees, whilst St Paul's describes its awards as honorary, with a sum that many families put towards book costs. Westminster requires its King's Scholars to board, so that award comes with a boarding commitment.

Harrow describes a scholarship as an award that serves primarily as an acknowledgement of a boy's achievement, and St Paul's says its awards are retained until the end of a pupil's career, subject to good work and conduct. Reading the wording on the specific school's page shows whether an award reduces fees, recognises attainment or sets residential conditions, and that is worth doing before a family chooses which papers to enter.

How does 13+ scholarship entry relate to the Common Pre-Test, Common Entrance and ISEB's scholarship papers?

13+ scholarship entry usually sits on top of a school's ordinary admissions route, which may include the ISEB Common Pre-Test, Common Entrance or the school's own assessment. ISEB describes the Common Pre-Tests as four multiple-choice, adaptive, online tests in English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, usually taken in Year 6 for Year 7 entry, and it says some senior schools, such as Eton and Harrow, use them as a precursor to Year 9 entry. The ISEB Pre-Tests page for families does not mention scholarships.

Harrow says only boys who have been screened through its admissions process are invited to the scholarship assessments, and St Paul's describes candidates at external prep schools as having successfully completed the 13+ admission process and received an unconditional Main List offer. Westminster's page adds that candidates for The Challenge need not have registered for the school or hold a place, although a regular place will not be offered if a King's Scholarship is not awarded.

Common Entrance at 13+ has three compulsory papers in English, mathematics and science, with optional French, geography, German, Classical Greek, history, Latin, TPR and Spanish, and ISEB says pupils are usually entered by their prep school. On scholarships, ISEB states that some senior schools select their scholars from candidates who sit Common Entrance in the autumn or spring term, and that these candidates are entered in the usual way. St Edward's says candidates need not have followed a specific scholarship or Common Entrance syllabus.

ISEB does publish scholarship-level examinations, called Common Academic Scholarship (CASE) assessments at 13+, with questions based on its Common Entrance at 13+ specifications. Senior schools enter the pupils, choose which papers they sit and mark them, and pupils usually sit the exam at the senior school. Schools can buy past Common Entrance and CASE papers from the ISEB Online Shop, whilst parents and tutors cannot order them until one year after the exams have taken place.

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Which subjects do 13+ scholarship papers cover?

13+ scholarship papers usually cover English, mathematics and science, with languages, humanities and a general paper added in a pattern that differs by school. ISEB lists the CASE subjects as English, mathematics, science, history, geography, theology, philosophy and religion, French and Latin, and the schools below set their own combinations.

Westminster adds that candidates choose specialisms, and not all of these are written papers; its options include art, drama, English, French, Greek, humanities, mathematics and science, some of them practical or oral. Candidates with no Latin or French take a Linguistics and Language paper in place of those subjects.

• St Paul's: compulsory papers in English, History, Geography, Latin, French, Theology and Philosophy, Mathematics and Science, with an optional paper in Greek.
• Harrow: English, Mathematics, Analytical Reasoning, Philosophy and Applied Ethics, General Linguistic Skills and Science, plus at least three of History, Geography, French, Spanish, Latin and Greek.
• St Edward's: three compulsory papers in Maths, English and Science, plus three optional papers from across the range of the curriculum.
• Westminster: English, French, General, Geography and History, Latin, Mathematics and Science, as the page lists them.

Is there an interview for a 13+ scholarship?

Some 13+ scholarship routes include an interview, and the school's page says so where it does. St Edward's states that all scholarship candidates are interviewed, with interviewers seeking scholarly potential and evidence of academic and cultural enthusiasm, and it also runs a group discussion that explores a candidate's ability to lead and support others in scholarly conversation.

The Harrow academic assessment, the Westminster Challenge page and the St Paul's page do not mention an interview for the academic award, whereas Harrow lists interviews or a viva voce for its art, drama and music assessments. Candidates preparing for an interview usually benefit from talking through their reading and favourite subjects aloud with an adult who will ask follow-up questions.

When do the 13+ scholarship stages fall in Year 7 and Year 8?

The 13+ scholarship stages fall between Year 6 and the summer term of Year 8, and the exact order is set by each school. The stages below come from ISEB and from the schools' own pages, so a family should check the sequence for every school on the list.

At 16+ the pattern differs. Harrow says candidates apply in Year 11 and sit assessment as part of general application testing, St Edward's candidates sit papers in their nominated subjects and are interviewed, and St Paul's says no new academic scholarships are awarded at 16+.

• Year 6 or Year 7, autumn to spring term: ISEB Common Pre-Tests, where a school uses them, with the testing window set by the senior school.
• Year 8, autumn or spring term: a Common Entrance sitting, from which some senior schools select their scholars.
• In Year 8, from January to March, Harrow's academic assessment runs in January and February with results in March, and St Edward's candidates sit the CAT4 online in January before attending the school in March.
• The two ISEB CASE sessions each year fall in Year 8, in February and May.

How should prep school and state school pupils prepare?

Pupils at prep schools usually reach scholarship papers through the prep school's entry process, whilst pupils at state schools approach the senior school directly for the syllabus and past papers. ISEB says prep schools usually enter pupils for Common Entrance and that senior schools enter CASE candidates, Westminster asks that a candidate's current head teacher counter-signs the application, and St Paul's says boys joining from other schools are welcome to sit the scholarship examinations. St Edward's strongly encourages candidates who do not come from a prep school to apply.

Preparation usually begins with the school's own syllabus and past papers, which Harrow publishes on its scholarships page and which St Paul's says schools are given for practice. ISEB offers a Pre-Tests Admissions Toolkit for families preparing for the Pre-Tests, and CASE past papers become available to parents and tutors one year after each exam. State school pupils who have not studied Latin or French can note that Westminster sets a Linguistics and Language paper for them, and timed written practice in each paper's subjects tends to build familiarity with the format.

For one-to-one preparation for scholarship papers, CASE or a school's own 13+ examination, read about our 13+ Common Entrance tutors, or tell us about your child and the schools on your list and we will reply with tutor recommendations.

Can a 13+ scholarship be combined with a bursary?

A 13+ scholarship can be combined with a bursary at schools that say so on their pages, because the award rewards academic performance whilst a bursary responds to financial need. Dulwich states that academic, music, art and sports scholarships can be awarded in addition to a bursary, with total support capped at full tuition fees, and that its bursary assessment primarily considers gross family income, assets and liabilities.

Westminster says a King's Scholarship may be supplemented by a bursary up to the full fee level where there is proven financial need. Brighton College describes its bursaries as means-tested and given for day places only, and the Harrow and St Paul's scholarship pages point to separate bursary pages for their financial support, which families usually read alongside the scholarship information.

Related guides

• 13+ Common Entrance tutors
• scholarship exam preparation
• King's Scholarships, the Election and other named 13+ awards
• 11+ academic scholarships
• Scholarship interviews at 11+ and 13+
• Scholarships and bursaries at leading independent schools
• 13+ pre-tests and Common Entrance explained
• The 13+ interview

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