The ISEB (Independent Schools Examinations Board) Common Entrance Exams test English and Maths for all schools
Some schools also test other subjects, such as Science, History, Geography, additional modern language and Latin
English paper tends to contain two main components: 1. Reading comprehension (factual or fictional passages) & Poetry 2. Written composition (narrative, descriptive, informative or persuasive)
Following our initial assessment, students will receive a customised plan based on the following curriculum which is designed to imitate UK school assessments.
Reading Comprehension
Practice reading different texts and long passages
Text analysis and inference skills (e.g. “explain what is implied by”)
Understand and be able to identify a range of literary devices
Practice structuring clearly explained answers (e.g. PEE = Point, Evidence, Explanation)
It may help to keep up with current affairs as news articles sometimes appear in exams
Written Composition
Essay planning and structuring. Submit your essay plan along with your essay wherever possible. If you run out of time and do not finish writing, you may still get marks from your essay plan
Develop grammar accuracy, especially tense consistency
Learn set phrases that help with storytelling and essay structure
Practice including description, opinion and personal opinion in writing (not just fact listing)
Develop arguments in essays
Maths papers
Calculators are usually not allowed, so mental arithmetic is important
Work on Maths terminology and wordy Maths questions
Make a habit of showing working as examiners give marks for this even if the final answer is wrong
Ampla’s ISEB Course Highlights
24/7 on-demand tutoring with our experienced team of UK boarding school specialists
Flexible scheduling: online/ face-to-face lessons available
Tailor-made lesson plan complemented by weekly timed quizzes and progress reports