Key Facts
| ISEB extra time for SEND | 25% extra time per test element, where a senior school agrees. Source: https://www.iseb.co.uk/assessments/common-pre-tests/cpt-for-schools/ |
|---|---|
| ISEB Common Pre-Test elements | Four: English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Source: https://www.iseb.co.uk/assessments/common-pre-tests/cpt-for-schools/ |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
11+ access arrangements for the ISEB Common Pre-Test begin with the parent or guardian, who requests extra time during registration and supplies evidence of the child's needs. Because each senior school decides for its own tests, and because GL Assessment papers and school-own papers follow the publisher's or the school's own arrangements, the admissions office of every school on the shortlist is the place to confirm what is possible. The same questions apply to 13+ entrance tests, and the answers come from each school.
How do ISEB Common Pre-Test access arrangements work?
Senior schools can agree extra time for applicants with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) where appropriate, and the parent or guardian requests it on the Guardian Portal during registration. ISEB describes this in its information for families and for schools. It says senior schools should consider specific needs in their overall assessment, and the Common Pre-Test has four elements: English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.
What evidence do senior schools see, and can they challenge it?
Senior schools can view the evidence uploaded at registration and, if it does not meet their requirements, can challenge the request for extra time. The evidence is usually an educational psychologist's report or another suitably qualified professional's report, uploaded by the parent or guardian. Asking each chosen school what it requires before uploading shows whether the report in hand is likely to meet those requirements.
11+ tutors
Mark
Master TutorI have thirty years in education, including Head of English at an independent school and GCSE and A-Level examiner. I teach English, Literature, Language, Creative Writing and Critical Thinking, ages four to eighteen. I start from what a student can already do and adapt my methods to them.
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Hannah
Master TutorI am a UK-qualified teacher with 15+ years across private and state schools in the UK and abroad, and hold a BSc from LSE and a PGCE with QTS. I teach English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, 11+ and Common Entrance preparation. My approach is personalised, confidence-building and rigorous.
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Sochima
Master TutorI'm a qualified teacher in a London classroom every day, with a BSc in Computer Science from Brunel and a PGCE with QTS. I teach Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science to A-Level, plus 11+ preparation, through project-based work that suits SEND learners well.
Enquire about this tutorCan other reasonable adjustments be requested?
Other access arrangements and reasonable adjustments are also requested by the parent or guardian during Guardian Portal registration, in the same place as the request for extra time. ISEB says reasonable adjustments are decided case by case and depend on the applicant's specific needs, so each request is weighed against the child's own circumstances. A parent can therefore set out the specific need alongside the adjustment being sought.
Which test features need no request?
The ISEB test player includes three features for applicants with SEND that need no request: a coloured overlay, adjustable font size and a timer that can be hidden. Because they are part of the platform, they apply separately from the extra time and reasonable adjustments that depend on evidence and a school's decision. A parent can use this to tell apart what is built into the test from what has to be asked for at registration.
Who decides, and who should a parent ask?
Each senior school decides for its own tests, so the admissions office of each school on the shortlist is the first contact for any question about arrangements. A written reply gives the family and any tutor the same account of what was agreed. The answers shape what the parent requests on the Guardian Portal and what the tutor rehearses at home.
- What extra time or adjustments can the school agree?
- What evidence does it need?
- Which test papers does it use?
What about GL Assessment and school-own entrance papers?
Arrangements for GL Assessment papers differ by publisher and arrangements for school-own papers differ by school, so the answer comes from the school. GL Assessment's website points families to its 11+ site, and school-own entrance papers are set by each school, so neither can be described here. A parent who learns that a school uses either type of paper can put the same three questions to its admissions office.
How does this differ from JCQ GCSE arrangements?
JCQ sets the arrangements for GCSE exams, so they belong to a different system from the ISEB registration route and from each senior school's decisions about its own entrance tests. When GCSEs approach, a parent should read JCQ's own pages and ask the school what it needs, since a decision made for an entrance test was made by a school for its own tests.
How can a tutor practise under the same conditions?
A tutor can practise timed sections under the conditions the school has agreed, so the child meets the same pacing before the test. The parent passes on the school's written reply and the practice follows it. One-to-one tuition is paced and structured around how the child learns, and runs alongside the support the school already provides and any specialist or health input. SEN tuition concentrates on skills a child's needs make harder in a busy classroom, taught in shorter steps with more practice and review.
Sessions are online for families across the UK or in person in central London, and a parent can enquire and receive tutor recommendations for the child's age, subjects and needs through the 11+ tutoring and 13+ tutoring pages. Whichever entrance applies, the tuition gives a child more time with one adult on the skills school support has identified.
Related guides
- 11+ tutors
- 13+ Common Entrance tutors
- SEN tutors
- ISEB Common Pre-Test guide
- GL Assessment 11+ guide
- Exam access arrangements
- JCQ access arrangements: extra time, readers and scribes
- Choosing a tutor for a child with SEND
SEN tutoring with Taylor Tuition
Families who come to us alongside SEN support at school, an EHC plan or an access arrangements application usually want one-to-one tuition that fits around the support the school already gives. More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools.
Sessions run online for families across the UK and internationally, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject. There is no registration fee. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check and families receive progress reports after sessions.
Read more about our SEN tutoring, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- Can parents register for the ISEB Common Pre-Test before they have an educational psychologist's report?
- Yes. Parents can register without evidence and add it later, because the record can be amended. A parent whose report is still being arranged can therefore complete registration and upload the report once it is ready, which adds it to the record the senior schools view.
- Does every part of the Common Pre-Test have to suit my child?
- ISEB says schools may decide that not every test element suits a particular applicant. That decision sits with the senior school, so it is worth asking each school on the shortlist which of the four elements it expects the child to sit, and whether any adjustment applies to them.
- Who confirms test dates and deadlines for the Common Pre-Test?
- ISEB's page for families says the child's invigilation centre advises the testing dates. It also says to check with the chosen senior schools directly to confirm any additional test deadlines. The key-facts table and the source page give the exact figures.
- Where can parents read ISEB's guidance on SEND?
- ISEB publishes SEND guidance for parents, schools and invigilation centres, alongside its Common Pre-Test information for families on iseb.co.uk. Reading the parents' version before registration shows what ISEB expects at the Guardian Portal stage.
- Can a tutor request extra time or assess my child for arrangements?
- A tutor cannot request or grant arrangements, diagnose a need, assess for access arrangements or set statutory provision. The tutor's part is regular, well-paced teaching that carries the strategies in an SEN support plan or EHC plan into weekly practice.
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