INTERVIEW AND TASTER DAY
All external candidates who are registered for entry to year 7, and are living in the UK will be invited to attend a day at Kingswood, usually in early January to complete interviews and taster activities.
Pupils will be mixed into small groups of about six, for informal discussions (an interview) with either the Headmaster, Deputy Heads, or the Senior Housemaster and leadership team from Westwood. In addition, pupils will have the opportunity to join team events, helping them to meet those who they may start Year 7 with.
Overseas candidates may be interviewed on an individual bases on a visit to Kingswood, or via a virtual meeting if required.
YEAR 7 ENTRANCE ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW
WRITTEN ASSESSMENT PAPERS
There are three written papers for all candidates wishing to be considered for entry into Year 7: English; Mathematics and Non Verbal Reasoning. Details are outlined below and an example of an NVR question is shown overleaf. We are able to provide one sample paper for both English and Mathematics (including solutions to assist you in understanding how Mathematics is marked).
ENGLISH
The English assessment will be one hour and 15 minutes in length.
There are TWO sections to the English assessment: COMPREHENSION and WRITING.
The comprehension section will test the candidate’s ability to: find and select words and phrases (they should understand how to quote from a text); identify word classes/parts of speech e.g. noun, verb, pronoun etc; explore how the writer creates effects by commenting on quotations they have selected or the effects on the reader of particular literary techniques e.g. alliteration, metaphor, simile etc. The writing section will test the candidate’s ability to write an extended piece clearly and accurately (checking spelling, punctuation, vocabulary choice, sentence structures and paragraphing). This will be a piece of descriptive writing.
A sample paper is available from the Admissions Department.
MATHEMATICS
The Mathematics assessment will be 60 minutes non-calculator in length.
The questions contained in the entrance assessment for Mathematics have been designed to test understanding of the Years 5 and 6 National Curriculum outcomes. There are 84 marks available across the fields of number and place value, the four operations, fractions, ratio and proportion, algebra, measurement, properties of shapes, position and direction and statistics. Students should attempt the questions in any order and not be phased if they cannot answer any specific question, but answer as many as they can as accurately as possible in the time they have.
Equipment required: pen, pencil, ruler, protractor and rubber.
A sample paper, complete with worked solutions, is available from the Admissions Department.
