Sixth-Form Interviews: What Independent Schools Ask at 16+

A sixth form interview at an independent school, often called the 16+ interview, is usually a conversation with teaching staff about why the candidate wants to join the school, why they have chosen the subjects they plan to study and how they think about those subjects, with some schools adding a short subject discussion or a piece of information to analyse. Format, length and the number of interviews differ from school to school, so each school's own admissions page decides what a candidate will face.

Admissions pages from several day and boarding schools describe the interview as one input into a decision that also draws on written assessments, a reference from the candidate's current school and, at some schools, predicted GCSE grades and school reports. Interviews tend to follow the written papers, which means candidates who reach interview have usually met the school's standard in those papers.

What is the 16+ interview for?

Schools use the 16+ interview to meet candidates in person and to judge their interest in, and potential for, the subjects they hope to study, alongside written results and a reference. One school's page says the interview gives students the chance to meet teaching staff and gives teachers the chance to understand candidates' interest in their subjects. Alleyn's describes its interviews as exploring subject choices and motivation and assessing each candidate's potential in their chosen subjects.

Some pages, including Downe House's, list the interview as a stage of the process without stating its purpose, and another school describes it as one of several inputs considered together with assessment results and the Headteacher's reference. Westminster says candidates who performed most strongly in the examinations are invited to interview, which places the interview after the written stage.

Who conducts the sixth form interview?

Interviewers named on school pages are senior staff and teachers, including the Head of Sixth Form, the Head or Headmistress, members of the Upper School team and heads of department. Downe House says successful candidates are interviewed by the Head of Sixth Form and the Headmistress, and another school pairs the Head and the Head of Sixth Form in a first interview before a second interview with a different senior member of staff. Alleyn's runs a general interview with members of the Upper School team and two academic interviews in the candidate's A-level subjects.

Several pages, Westminster's among them, do not say who sits on the panel. The pages read for this article also do not describe a housemaster or housemistress interview at 16+, and the Boarding Schools' Association page on applying does not mention interviews, so boarding applicants can ask the admissions office whether house staff will meet them and at which stage.

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What questions do independent schools ask at 16+?

School pages describe questions about subject choices, reasons for wanting to join the school, interest in a subject and, in some cases, a short piece of analysis, although most pages stop short of listing questions. Alleyn's general interview covers the candidate's subject choices and why they want to come to the school, while its academic interviews cover why the candidate wants to study the subject and may ask them to analyse a piece of information.

For subjects that many candidates have not studied at GCSE, such as Economics, Psychology or Philosophy, Alleyn's says heads of department will not try to catch candidates out and will look for potential from general knowledge. Interview lengths appear on some pages, for example a 15-minute interview in each examination subject plus a 15-minute general interview at Westminster, so a candidate may meet several interviewers in one day.

• Why this school: the reason for applying, named as a topic of the general interview on Alleyn's page.
• Why these subjects: the reasons behind each subject choice, named as a topic of Alleyn's academic interviews.
• Interests and wider reading: one school's page says its conversations cover academic interests, hobbies and values.
• A short discussion or problem: Alleyn's says interviewers may ask candidates to analyse a piece of information.

How does the 16+ interview differ from the 13+ interview?

The 16+ interview centres on the subjects a candidate wants to study, whereas a 13+ interview forms part of a wider assessment of a younger child. Downe House illustrates the difference: its 13+ day includes an interview with the Headmistress, a collaborative task and a piece of creative or persuasive writing, and its 16+ interview, with the Head of Sixth Form and the Headmistress, follows written examination papers in the candidate's subjects.

At 13+, Westminster invites candidates who perform well in the ISEB Common Pre-Tests to further tests in Mathematics and English and a separate interview, and says the aim is to be confident that the child can reach the required standard and that the school is the right fit. Its 16+ page describes interviews that follow examinations, with a 15-minute interview in each of the candidate's four examination subjects.

How can a student prepare for a sixth form interview?

Preparation tends to centre on reading around the intended subjects, practising explaining ideas aloud and being ready to say why the school and the subjects suit the candidate. The school pages read for this article give little interview-specific advice, and Alleyn's notes that sample papers for its 16+ assessments are not published, so the school's own published information is the main guide.

Reading a book, article or lecture in each subject and then explaining it in a minute or two to a parent, teacher or tutor often shows where an idea is unclear. A tutor can help the student practise talking through ideas and responding to follow-up questions. Candidates who plan to study a subject not taken at GCSE can read around it so that general knowledge is ready to draw on.

Questions for the school can follow the Boarding Schools' Association's advice on visits, which suggests asking about evenings, weekends, pastoral care and activities and talking to the pupils met on the day. One school's page points families to its visitor events and A-level options booklet. Subject choices deserve care before registering, since Alleyn's says nominated A-level subjects cannot be changed during the admissions process once the closing date has passed.

What should parents do on the day of the interview?

Parents should follow the school's instructions on attendance, since the pages read for this article address candidates and give parents few instructions of their own. Westminster says all invited candidates, including those from overseas, must attend interviews in person on the interview day and does not offer online interviews, while another school's page says interviews are held on the day of the assessments or soon afterwards online through Teams.

Parents can help by confirming arrangements with the admissions office in advance, using the contact on the school's page, and by checking that the reference from the current school is in hand, which Westminster says it requests directly from the Head. Schools describe notifying candidates or parents of outcomes after the process. Scholarship questions are covered in the sixth-form scholarships guide.

Teachers are trying to understand the candidate's own interest in their subjects, so parents tend to help most by letting the candidate answer for themselves and by directing practical questions to the admissions office. Parents should not answer on a candidate's behalf or supply scripted answers, because rehearsed lines give interviewers less to go on.

Related guides

• 16+ entrance exam tutors
• Sixth form tutors
• A-level tutors
• The 13+ interview
• Scholarship interviews at 11+ and 13+

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