Benenden School 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information 2024
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Benenden School is an independent boarding school located in Hemsted Park, Benenden in the Kentish countryside, between Cranbrook and Tenterden. It educates girls between the ages 11 to 18.
In April of 1923, Christine Sheldon CBE, Anne Hindle MBE and Kathleen Bird, three teachers from Wycombe Abbey, came together to establish the school, registering a total of 24 girls within its first year. By 1924, 126 girls were already on the school roll.
The founders’ idea of a Complete Education for girls, complemented by a rigorous academic programme and a wide variety of enriching activities, remains in place to this day.
Through an inspiring, challenging and relevant curriculum, the school delivers strong academic outcomes and a sense of personal wellbeing. It allows girls to cover a number of different types of learning, including mathematical and technological, languages, the arts, PE, humanities and the sciences.
The extensive co-curricular programme fully corresponds with the stimulating academic curriculum, with a wide range of enjoyable cultural, spiritual, social, sporting and creative activities on offer. Girls get to choose from sports including Lacrosse, Netball, Tennis, Hockey, Athletics, Rounders, Rugby and Squash.
The school provides activities, such as the Model United Nations (MUN) Programme, which ensure that the girls develop confidence and public speaking skills. Benenden was selected as one of the top five MUN schools in the world at The Hague International Conference. The school also took part in the North American Invitational in Washington DC, gained Security Council seats and was appointed to Chair positions at UNESCO in Paris.
Within the programme, Benenden students achieved numerous awards, including Best Delegate and Best Delegation.
The strong pastoral care resides on a framework of support which contributes to the personal, moral and emotional development of the girls, guiding them towards achieving balance within their busy lives.
Benenden’s four guiding values: confidence, compassion, courage and courtesy, are instilled in each girl, along with a set of requisite skills that will guide her on the path to achieving her personal goals at school and beyond.
Benenden School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2024
Address: Cranbrook TN17 4AA
County: Kent
Admissions info: registry@benenden.kent.sch.uk or 01580 240592
School type: Independent boarding school for girls
Number of students: 550 (approx.)
11+ Open day: January, February, March
11+ Exam date (Stage 1): October of Year 6
11+ Exam date (Stage 2): November of Year 6
11+ Exam type / Board: School’s own & ISEB Pretest
Open Events for Benenden School 11 Plus (11+) Entry
The school hosts Open Mornings that include a pupil-guided tour, a talk by the Headmistress and a meeting with the school staff, who will answer any questions of interest to you or your daughter. Book your place here.
Following the initial Open Morning, individual family visits can also be scheduled. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:
Benenden School 11 Plus (11+) Admissions
Registering your daughter will place her on the school’s provisional list. It is suggested by the school that you register her at least three years in advance.
Preview Weekends provide your daughter with the opportunity to demonstrate her abilities and interests in both academic and other areas. It also gives her a chance to get a taste of boarding, meet peers and enjoy a fun weekend.
During these events, your daughter will sit a paper-based exam. An informal interview with a Benenden staff member will take place following the assessments. A confidential report from her current school will be requested.
An offer of an unconditional place will be made following the interview and examinations.
In the next stage of the admissions process, the school will assess pupils through an online test. This test can be sat at the applicant’s current school or a recognised test centre in the UK.
Firm offers of places will be made in December of the year preceding entry. To accept a place, you will be asked to pay a deposit by the deadline in March.
Benenden School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format
The 11+ exam at Benenden School consists of two stages. The Stage 1 exam includes assessments for:
- English
- Mathematics
The English paper examines your daughter’s comprehension and writing skills, including inference and punctuation.
The mathematics paper aims to measure her problem solving and arithmetic skills. The paper will include questions on number, measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics.
The Benenden School Stage 2 exam consists of:
- ISEB Common Pretest
The ISEB Pretest assesses your child’s ability in skills such as numeracy, problem solving and vocabulary, with emphasis on how she thinks and how she responds to the curriculum. The test includes modules testing maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the Benenden School 11+ entrance examinations.
How to Prepare for the Benenden School 11 Plus (11+) Exam
To successfully prepare your daughter for the Benenden School 11+ entrance exam, we suggest that you make use of our targeted resources. Our practice tests enable familiarisation with the types of questions and the format of the actual exam, which will help your daughter gain confidence in the lead up to the big day.
With the use of our practice tests, you will be able to precisely identify your daughter’s strengths and weaknesses, which will guide you in devising a carefully thought-out revision plan that focuses on studying ‘little and often’.
Moreover, our practice tests will help your daughter get used to answering questions quickly and under time pressure.
Our thoroughly researched and up to date resources enable a structured approach towards exam preparation that results in a significant advantage over other candidates. Due to their practicality and effectiveness, our practice tests are used successfully by hundreds of thousands of students every year.
Please see below our recommended packs to help you prepare your child for the Benenden School 11 plus entrance examinations.
Benenden School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers
Stage 1 Exam: Preview Weekends
NOTE: The following English and Mathematics practice tests are in standard format, which means that students need to write in their own answers rather than choose from a list of multiple-choice options. This matches the 11+ Exam format used by the school.
English
To successfully prepare your daughter for the Benenden School 11+ English paper, we suggest that you use the following highly recommended packs. They help improve comprehension and writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and inference:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Benenden School English exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ English Bundle - Save 30%
If you’d like to have your child’s writing assessed and marked, you may be interested in our Writing Marking Service. Please click here to learn more.
Mathematics
To prepare your daughter for the Benenden School 11+ maths test, we strongly suggest the use of the following packs:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Benenden School mathematics exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ Mathematics Bundle - Save 30%
Don’t forget to use the code eppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a bundle.
Stage 2 Exam
ISEB Pretest
To successfully prepare your daughter for the Benenden School ISEB Pretest, we recommend the following online resources, which are specifically designed to help students familiarise themselves with the online test format in all four key subjects:
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 1
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 2
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 3
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 4
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 5
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 6
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 7
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 8
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 9
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 10
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 11
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 12
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 13
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 14
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 15
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice tests for the Benenden School ISEB Pretest exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 1-15 Bundle - Save 35%
✅ Alternatively, you can choose a bundle of five of our recommended full practice tests for the Benenden School ISEB Pretest exam and still save 25%. Select the relevant bundle below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 1-5 Bundle - Save 25%
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 6-10 Bundle - Save 25%
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 11-15 Bundle - Save 25%
The following video courses cover everything your child needs to know to do well in the ISEB Pretest:
ISEB Pretest Non-Verbal Reasoning Course
ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning Course
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended video courses for the Benenden School ISEB Pretest exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Video Courses Bundle - Save 25%
Our Skill Practice products consist of focused tests that allow your child to improve targeted skills ahead of the ISEB Pretest:
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Reading Comprehension
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Cloze Sentences
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Shuffled Sentences
NEW ISEB Pretest English – SPAG
NEW ISEB Pretest 2D Non-Verbal Reasoning
NEW ISEB Pretest Spatial Reasoning
NEW ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice tests for the Benenden School ISEB Pretest exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Skill Practice Bundle - Save 30%
Don’t forget to use the code ppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £80 and 20% off orders over £200 if you don’t buy a bundle.
Interviews
This guide covers all the key concepts your child needs to be aware of for the 11+ Interview:
11+ Interviews – The Complete Guide
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Benenden School 11+ exam past papers. The information provided about Benenden 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.
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