Wycombe Abbey 13 Plus (13+) Entrance Exam Information – Key Details
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Wycombe Abbey is an independent boarding and day school for girls in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Founded in 1896, it occupies a beautiful 170-acre campus which comprises several Grade II* listed buildings, woods, gardens and a lake. The school’s list of alumni is long and impressive, including suffragettes, archaeologists, journalists and novelists. [1]
The curriculum offers a comprehensive introduction to a rich selection of disciplines, ranging from English, mathematics, science and languages to computing, humanities, drama and DT. PE is taught by specialist staff with the aim of improving girls’ physical and mental health and hence covers a remarkable number of sporting opportunities, such as lacrosse, hockey, netball, gymnastics, athletics, tennis and swimming.
The wealth of enrichment activities on offer allows girls to maximise their resilience by taking risks and exploring their capacity for learning beyond the classroom. Clubs and societies form an integral part of the school’s educational provision, ranging from chess club, African Society, law society and fencing to riding, Model United Nations, sustainability society and polo.
School trips are organised regularly, most of which include far-off destinations such as the USA and Iceland, as well as those closer to home, such as the Yorkshire Dales. Trips and expeditions are considered a powerful tool to facilitate learning, assisting girls in experiencing the world through a diversified exploration of the unknown. [2]
The Wycombe Abbey ethos is rooted in efforts to stimulate open mindedness and intellectual curiosity, equipping girls with a global worldview and an outstanding level of cultural awareness. As a result, they often pursue further education at esteemed universities outside of the UK, including Yale, Harvard and Stanford (in the US). [3]
Wycombe Abbey 13 Plus (13+) Exam Information
Address: High Wycombe HP13 1PE
County: Buckinghamshire
Admissions info: admissions@wycombeabbey.com or (+44) (0) 1494 897008
School type: Independent boarding school for girls
Number of students: 650 (approx.)
Open day: In the Spring and Autumn terms
Exam date: October (Stage 1) and January (Stage 2)
Open Events for Wycombe Abbey 13 Plus (13+) Entry
The school hosts Open Morning and Coffee Mornings, welcoming prospective families on campus for tours and informal meetings. Members of the Admissions Team will be on hand to discuss the entry procedure. Please click here to learn how to book your spot.
Wycombe Abbey 13 Plus (13+) Admissions
Registration for Year 9 places ends in early June of Year 7. The registration fee is £250.
For 13+ applicants, the admissions process includes two exams. The Stage 1 exam takes place in October of Year 7 and consists of an online test, examining Reasoning skills.
If your daughter performs well in the test, she will be invited for a second round of assessments, taking place in January of Year 8.
Places must be confirmed with a payment of a £2500 deposit, finalised by the deadline in early March.
Wycombe Abbey 13 Plus (13+) Scholarships and Bursaries
The school offers Academic Scholarships and Exhibitions, as well as Music Scholarships.
Academic Scholarships are typically valued at up to 5% of the annual fees, while Academic Exhibitions are valued at £600 (per annum).
The awards are subject to regular review, taking into account your daughter’s progress and conduct.
In order to be considered for the Academic Scholarship, your daughter will be asked to choose the 13+ Scholarship Examination papers instead of the Wycombe Abbey Standard papers, administered in the January exam.
Music Scholarships and Exhibitions have a limited financial value. They cover:
- free tuition on two instruments or one instrument and voice (Music Scholarships);
- free tuition on one instrument (Music Exhibitions);
- free voice tuition (Choral Awards).
Application forms for these awards are available upon request.
Means-tested bursaries are available to families in financial need. They can be valued at up to 100%. Typically, families with combined income of less than £30000 are considered eligible for a full bursary.
The evaluation process will take into account your daughter’s academic performance and request her previous school reports.
In order for her to be considered for a bursary, you will be expected to submit a bursary application form. An external company (BAL) will then conduct a home visit. Your daughter will also be invited for an interview. Please click here to learn more.
Wycombe Abbey 13 Plus (13+) Exam Format
The Wycombe Abbey 13+ Stage 1 exam consists of the following test:
- CAT4 (Cognitive Abilities Test)
The CAT4 test aims to assess developed abilities via modules testing Verbal, Non-Verbal, Spatial and Quantitative Reasoning.
The Wycombe Abbey 13+ Stage 2 exam consists of (or includes) the following tests:
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- Humanities
- Modern Foreign Language
The English paper examines comprehension and writing skills, including inference, spelling 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 science paper examines knowledge in the areas of physics, chemistry and biology.
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the Wycombe Abbey 13+ entrance examination.
How to Prepare for the Wycombe Abbey 13 Plus (13+) Exam
To prepare your daughter successfully for the Wycombe Abbey 13+ 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 practice tests are used successfully every year by tens of thousands of students targeting schools with a competitive entrance exam. They are age-appropriate, reflecting the demands of the actual exam.
Our recommendations to help your child prepare for the Wycombe Abbey 13 plus entrance examination can be found below.
Wycombe Abbey 13 Plus (13+) Exam Practice Papers
Stage 1 Exam
Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4)
The following Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) online practice tests are highly recommended for successful preparation for the Wycombe Abbey 13+ CAT test. They help familiarise students with the various modules and question types that will come up in the exam. Our understanding is that Wycombe Abbey use the slightly harder CAT4 Level F tests for their 13+ entrance exam. As such, we recommend the following practice tests:
CAT4 – Level F – Practice Test 1
CAT4 – Level F – Practice Test 2
CAT4 – Level F – Practice Test 3
CAT4 – Level F – Practice Test 4
CAT4 – Level F – Practice Test 5
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the Wycombe Abbey CAT4 exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
CAT4 Level F Practice Tests Bundle
The following Skill Practice Tests each focus on one module that will come up in the CAT4 Level F assessment, allowing you to target the specific modules that your child finds most challenging.
Non-Verbal Reasoning
CAT4 Level F – Figure Matrices
CAT4 Level F – Figure Classification
Verbal Reasoning
CAT4 Level F – Verbal Classification
CAT4 Level F – Verbal Analogies
Quantitative Reasoning
CAT4 Level F – Number Analogies
Spatial Reasoning
CAT4 Level F – Figure Analysis
CAT4 Level F – Figure Recognition
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the Wycombe Abbey CAT4 exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
CAT4 Level F Skill Practice Bundle
The following video courses cover everything your child needs to know to do well in the Wycombe Abbey CAT4 exam:
CAT4 Quantitative Reasoning Course
CAT4 Non-Verbal Reasoning Course
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended video courses for the Wycombe Abbey CAT4 exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
CAT4 Level F Video Courses Bundle
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Stage 2 Exam
English
We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the Wycombe Abbey 13+ English paper:
13+ English: Rewrite & Improve
Mathematics
We highly recommend the use of the following pack to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the Wycombe Abbey 13 Plus maths test:
Science
We highly recommend the following packs to help prepare your child for the Wycombe Abbey 13 Plus science exam:
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Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Wycombe Abbey 13+ past papers. The information provided about Wycombe Abbey 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 Wycombe Abbey:
Click here to learn about Year 7 entry via the 11 Plus (11+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 12 entry via the 16 Plus (16+) Exam
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