Oxford High School (OHS) 13 Plus (13+) Entrance Exam Information
Bookmark this page? Pop your email into the box below to receive a link to this article so you can easily refer back to it later.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Oxford High School is a day school for girls in Oxford. Member of the GDST, it is the oldest girls’ school in the city, regularly featured among the top performing independent schools nationally. Its alumni list boasts a number of eminent academics, mathematicians and poets. [1]
To prepare students for the world of tomorrow, Oxford High encourages academic excellence through a challenging yet inspiring curriculum that features a number of disciplines. Classics, computer science, MFL, humanities and maths are just a few to mention, aiming to meet the changing learning needs of the cohort as part of their journey of discovery.
The enrichment programme is designed to further develop girls’ understanding and talents, providing them with numerous opportunities to try new activities and test their limitations. Clubs range from animation and robotics to Film Club and string ensemble, while educational visits, which boost cultural understanding, include thrilling destinations such as Iceland, Nepal and China. [2]
OHS maintains strong links with Oxford University and the Oxford University Hospitals, and thus welcomes esteemed visiting speakers to help extend girls’ familiarity with the world of work. The close proximity to the city’s museums, theatres and galleries allows them to develop aesthetic awareness, which complements their capacity for social adjustment and allows them to access the next chapter of their lives with a balanced personality.
Oxford High School 13 Plus (13+) Exam Information
Address: Belbroughton Road, Oxford OX2 6XA
County: Oxfordshire
Admissions info: admissions@oxf.gdst.net or 01865 478678
School type: Independent day school for girls
13+ Exam date, pre-test entry: March of Year 7
13+ Exam date, standard entry: October of Year 8
13+ Exam board: School’s own
Open Events for Oxford High School 13 Plus (13+) Entry
OHS’ Open Events provide prospective students with an insight into the school’s extensive offering. The events’ programme comprises guided tours, informal meetings with staff and a presentation from the Head, familiarising visiting families with the school’s ethos and philosophy. Details on how to book are available here.
Oxford High School 13 Plus (13+) Admissions
Year 9 entry into Oxford High is through two possible routes: pre-test entry and standard 13+ entry. Pre-test entry applicants are assessed while they are in Year 7. Standard 13+ entry applicants are assessed while in Year 8.
The application deadline for pre-test entry applicants is in February of Year 7, and for standard 13+ exam applicants, it is in September of Year 8.
- Pre-test applicants will sit a paper-based exam and attend an interview. A confidential reference from their current school will be obtained. Results will be made known in April of Year 7. If your daughter receives an offer of a place, you must accept it by the deadline in July with a payment of a £1,000 deposit.
- Standard entry applicants sit paper-based exams in October of Year 7 and attend an interview with the Head. As part of the admissions process, OHS will request your daughter’s reference. Offers are made in November, to be accepted by the deadline in March. A £1,000 deposit is payable upon acceptance.
Oxford High School 13 Plus (13+) Scholarships and Bursaries
Oxford High offers Academic, Drama, Art, Music, Sports and Head’s Scholarships to 13+ applicants. These are only available to applicants who have received an offer for a Year 9 place.
Academic and Head’s Scholarships are awarded on the basis of performance in the entrance examinations and interview, hence no separate application is required.
Drama award applicants are assessed on the basis of audition and interview. Music award applicants will also be asked to attend an audition, as well as an interview to discuss their musical interests and experience.
In order to be considered for a Sports Scholarship, applicants must be County Level or above in the following disciplines: hockey, football, netball, gymnastics, swimming, cricket, tennis and athletics. More details about 13+ scholarships are available here.
To cover fees in full or in part, scholarships can be coupled with means-tested bursaries. When awarded independently, bursaries can be worth 30–100% of fees.
Bursaries are available to children from low-income families. They are offered following a thorough means-testing procedure, repeated annually. Please note that families with gross annual income of over £87,500 would typically be considered ineligible. More details are available on this page.
Oxford High School 13 Plus (13+) Exam Format
The Oxford High pre-test 13+ entrance examination consists of the following assessments:
- English (60 mins)
- Mathematics (60 mins)
- Modern language (60 mins)
- Reasoning (90 mins)
The English paper examines comprehension and writing skills, including inference, vocabulary and punctuation. Marks will be awarded for good use of imagination, creativity, form, purpose, organisation, cohesion and sentence structure.
The maths exam assesses your daughter’s problem-solving abilities and arithmetic skills. The paper will include questions on number, measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics.
The Reasoning paper is primarily designed to test and assess logical thinking and the use of English language and vocabulary, as well as the ability to understand, interpret and problem-solve.
The Oxford High 13+ standard entry exam consists of the same assessments, but at a more difficult, age-appropriate level.
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the Oxford High School 13+ entrance examinations.
How to Prepare for the Oxford High School 13 Plus (13+) Exam
Our practice tests help students become familiar with the style and layout of the Oxford High School exams, which can help boost their confidence in the lead up to the big day. They cover all the question types that could be asked in the entrance exam and can be used to identify any weaker areas that require additional work.
Once you devise a specific study schedule and a structured approach towards 13+ exam preparation, you will be able to remove unnecessary stress from the preparation process and make it more manageable for your child.
We highly recommend that students take our practice tests under timed conditions to get used to answering questions quickly and under time pressure.
Our practice tests are age-appropriate, yet still challenging, corresponding perfectly with the demands of a competitive independent school’s 13+ entrance exam.
Our recommendations to help your child prepare for the Oxford High School 13 plus entrance examination can be found below.
Oxford High School 13 Plus (13+) Exam Practice Papers
Recommendations for each section of the Oxford High School 13 Plus exam can be found below:
Oxford High Pre-test 13+ Exam
English
We highly recommend the following packs to successfully prepare your daughter for the Oxford High School 13+ English paper, taken in Year 7:
12+ English: Rewrite & Improve
12+ English: Vocabulary & Grammar
Mathematics
We highly recommend the use of the following papers to help develop your daughter’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the Oxford High School 12 Plus maths test, taken in Year 7:
12+ Mathematics: Mental Arithmetic
12+ Mathematics: Problem Solving
Verbal Reasoning
The following practice papers will provide useful preparation for the Oxford High School 12+ Reasoning paper, taken in Year 7:
Oxford High Standard 13+ Entry Exam
English
We highly recommend the following packs to successfully prepare your daughter for the Oxford High School 13+ English paper, taken in Year 8:
13+ English: Rewrite & Improve
Mathematics
We highly recommend the use of the following papers to help develop your daughter’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the Oxford High School 13 Plus maths test, taken in Year 8:
Verbal Reasoning
The following practice papers will provide useful preparation for the Oxford High School 13+ Reasoning paper, taken in Year 8:
Get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250. Use the code eppdiscount at checkout.
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Oxford High School 13+ past papers. The information provided about Oxford High School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.
Other entry points for Oxford High School:
Click here to learn about Year 3 entry via the 7 Plus (7+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 4 entry via the 8 Plus (8+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 7 entry via the 11 Plus (11+) Exam
Bookmark this page? Pop your email into the box below to receive a link to this article so you can easily refer back to it later.
