INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS EXAMINATIONS BOARD
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS EXAMINATIONS BOARD (ISEB)
Common Entrance (CE)
Common Academic Scholarship (CASE)
ISEB Common Pre-Tests
ISEB Project Qualification (iPQ)
Chief Executive: Julia Martin, MA, BA, PGCE, FRSA
Chair: Wendy Griffiths, BSc, PGCE
Common Entrance (CE)
The Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) was founded in 1903 to design and deliver a ‘common’ entrance examination for independent senior school admissions. ISEB’s Common Entrance (CE) examinations were first introduced in 1904, and are still taken around the world 120 years later.
CE has evolved and expanded over the last 120 years and now produces examinations for ten subjects at 13+, from English, mathematics and science, through to geography, history, modern foreign languages, classical civilisation, and theology, philosophy and religion. The paper-based examinations remain an important and highly-regarded milestone in the independent academic calendar, and offer fantastic preparation for pupils ahead of GCSEs.
Candidates are entered for CE 13+ examinations if they attend a prep school that uses CE as part of its curriculum, or if they have been offered a place at a senior school subject to their passing the examinations.
Candidates will usually be entered by and take the examinations at their current prep school, however, if they attend a state or international school that does not use CE as part of their curriculum, they may need to be entered by a parent or guardian. In these cases, the senior school to which the candidate is applying will be able to advise which CE 13+ examinations the candidate should be entered for. Parent/guardian registration for CE 13+ is completed via the Family Hub on the ISEB website.
Common Academic Scholarship (CASE)
Common Academic Scholarship (CASE) examinations are used by independent senior schools to assess scholarship candidates at 13+. CASE papers are set in English, mathematics, science, history, geography, theology, philosophy and religion, French, and Latin.
Candidates taking CASE examinations will be entered by the senior school to which they have applied, and will usually sit the examinations at the senior school.
ISEB Common Pre-Tests
The ISEB Common Pre-Tests are shared online 11+ assessments used as part of senior school admissions processes. The Pre-Tests are used by the UK's leading independent senior schools, including Eton College, Harrow, Charterhouse, Marlborough College, Brighton College, Lady Eleanor Holles, and James Allen’s Girls’ School. The Pre-Tests are flexible, shared assessments, designed to reduce the test burden on families and support pupil wellbeing.
Comprising four tests in English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, the ISEB Pre-Tests are taken by pupils once during the academic year, usually in years 6 or 7. Their results are shared with any senior schools they have applied to that use the Pre-Tests as part of their admissions processes.
The results are age-standardised across each cohort of pupils, ensuring there are no benefits or disadvantages for candidates who are older or younger at the point at which they take the tests. The ISEB Pre-Tests are adaptive, which means that pupils are presented with questions based on their previous answers. This ensures that the difficulty remains at the right level to demonstrate the best of each pupil’s ability and potential, and that they feel confident and have an enjoyable test experience.
The ISEB Pre-Tests online test player offers a range of flexible features, so pupils can tailor the test experience to their individual needs. All candidates can hide the onscreen timer and adjust font size and colour overlays, and candidates with SEND requirements can request further access arrangements.
ISEB Project Qualification (iPQ)
Past papers, family resources, and endorsed support materials
Contact
Independent Schools Examinations Board
Suite 3, Endeavour House, Crow Arch Lane, Ringwood, Hampshire BH24 1HP