Exams guide · ISEB
ISEB Pre-Tests and Common Entrance explained
ISEB Pre-Test 与 Common Entrance 13+ 详解
ISEB is the exam board many independent schools use to assess children before they join. There are two things parents meet: the Pre-Tests, an online set of four tests taken in the year or two before entry, and Common Entrance at 13+, a paper-based exam. This page sets out what each involves, using ISEB's own published information.
ISEB 是很多英国私立学校使用的考试机构。家长会遇到两种考试:入学前一两年参加的线上 Pre-Test(四项测试),以及 13+ 的纸质 Common Entrance。以下内容来自 ISEB 官网。
Last checked 30 October 2026. Hongwen is not affiliated with ISEB.
Pre-Tests · 线上测试
The ISEB Pre-Tests: four online tests, 2 hours 15 minutes
The Pre-Tests are taken on a computer and are adaptive: the questions get harder or easier according to how your child answers. ISEB publishes no pass mark. If your child needs extra time, ISEB says this can be arranged if agreed with the senior school.
Pre-Test 在电脑上完成,题目会根据孩子的答题自动调整难度。ISEB 没有公布合格分数。如需额外时间,需与目标中学确认。
40 min
English · 英语
40 min
Maths · 数学
30 min
Non-verbal reasoning · 非语言推理
25 min
Verbal reasoning · 语言推理
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes.
2026-27 window: registration opened on 9 June 2026 through ISEB's Guardian Portal; testing runs from 1 September 2026 to late May 2027.
Common Entrance · 13+
Common Entrance at 13+: 2026-27 sessions
Common Entrance is a paper-based exam taken by many children entering senior school at 13+. ISEB publishes the timetable for each session.
Common Entrance(13+)为纸质考试,ISEB 公布每一场的时间表。
Autumn 2026
2 to 6 November 2026: written papers and listening and speaking.
Spring 2027
25 to 29 January 2027.
Summer 2027
Listening and speaking 17 to 22 May 2027. Written papers 7 to 11 June 2027.
English: the reading paper is on Tuesday 3 November 2026, 26 January 2027 and 8 June 2027, lasting 70 minutes. The writing paper is on Wednesday 4 November 2026, 27 January 2027 and 9 June 2027, lasting 75 minutes. Maths includes a 10-minute mental arithmetic test on the same Wednesdays. For the exam fee and any changes, check ISEB's own pages.
Our reading · 我们的理解
What this means for a child learning English as a second language
This part is Hongwen's own interpretation, not ISEB's. Because the Pre-Tests adapt, a child who understands words and idioms quickly is shown harder questions sooner, and a child who stumbles on one unfamiliar phrase can lose time on every later question. The English test rewards close reading and a wide, flexible vocabulary. That is why we teach words by use, show grammar against the Chinese way of saying the same thing, and practise under timed conditions with support removed in steps.
以下是 Hongwen 的个人理解,不是 ISEB 的官方说法。由于 Pre-Test 会自适应调整,孩子越快掌握词汇和习语,就越早遇到更难的题。英语测试看重精读和灵活的词汇。
Common questions
How long are the Pre-Tests? Four tests totalling 2 hours 15 minutes: English 40, maths 40, non-verbal reasoning 30 and verbal reasoning 25 minutes.
Are they adaptive? Yes. The questions change according to how your child answers.
Is there a pass mark? ISEB does not publish one. Each school decides how it uses the results.
When can my child sit them? In the 2026-27 session, testing runs from 1 September 2026 to late May 2027. Your child's school or the senior schools you apply to will tell you when to register.
Can my child have extra time? ISEB says extra time can be arranged if agreed with the senior school. Ask the school early.
Where can I practise? ISEB has a preparation page for families on iseb.co.uk. Hongwen's own practice tools are in development.
Is Common Entrance the same as the Pre-Test? No. Common Entrance is a paper-based exam at 13+, and the Pre-Tests are online and adaptive.
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Sources: iseb.co.uk (Pre-Tests for families, preparing for the Pre-Tests, the CE 13+ timetable), checked 30 October 2026. Hongwen is an independent tutoring service and cannot promise any exam outcome.