Wycombe Abbey was founded in 1896 by Dame Frances Dove to create a girls’ education that was every ounce as good as boys’, through pursuit of excellence, development of talents, and an understanding of the needs of others. It has become one of the leading girls’ schools in the UK, renowned for its long-standing academic excellence and outstanding results. A formidable full-boarding school at the forefront of educating young women, it appeals to the brightest, liveliest go-getters with a passion and drive for brilliance. Wycombe Abbey educates 660 girls and has three entrance points, in Year 7, Year 9, and Year 12.
Entering in Year 7 (11 Plus):
Wycombe Abbey accepts 75-80 girls each year into Year 7.
11 Plus Entrance Process for Wycombe Abbey:
Wycombe Abbey is a selective school that uses entrance tests to choose their pupils. They employ a two-stage process: applicants have to get through stage one in order to be able to move forward to the next stage.
Stage 1 is the ISEB Common Pre-Test, which pupils sit online. Candidates will sit this at their current school, or a relevant test centre in the UK, or at British Council Office if applying form abroad. Tests take place across a ten-day period in November of Year 6.
Read the Keystone Guide to the ISEB Common Pre-Test
Stage 2 is an Assessment Day. This is a holistic event which gives your daughter a taster of student life at Wycombe Abbey; it also allows the school to further assess her academic ability – and whether they think she would adapt well to life at the school. The Assessment Day takes place in school, also in the November of Year 6. You daughter will interview with a senior member of staff, and enjoy a small group activity session. She will also sit exams in English (1 hour) and Maths (1 hour). Your daughter’s current school will be required to provide a written reference at this stage.
If successful, offers of a place will be made the following month. ‘Firm offers’ are made on the basis of candidates performance across the range of Assessment Day procedures. If successful, places should be accepted and a deposit paid by the following March.
13 Plus Entrance Process for Wycombe Abbey:
To be considered for a place at the school, applicants must register by 1 June the year before entry – for 13 Plus this means Year 7. There are only 20 places available for entry at this point. Very similarly to the 11 Plus, there are two stages to the entrance process.
Stage 1 is the ISEB Common Pre-Test, which pupils sit online. Candidates will sit this at their current school, or a relevant test centre in the UK, or at British Council Office if applying form abroad. Tests take place across a ten-day period in November of Year 7. A reference from candidate’s current schools will be requested prior to sitting the CAT4 test. Only applicants at stage one will be selected to move forward to the next stage.
Read the Keystone Guide to the ISEB Common Pre-Test
Stage 2 is an Assessment Day. This is a holistic review day which gives your daughter a taster of student life at Wycombe Abbey; it also of course allows the school to assess her academic ability – and whether they think she would adapt well to life at the school. This takes place at Wycombe Abbey, in January, when your daughter is in Year 8. She will attend individual interview with a senior member of staff; all candidates will sit Entrance Examinations too.
Candidates through to this stage will sit Wycombe Abbey papers or Wycombe Abbey Scholarship papers. Candidates will be tested across English, Mathematics, Science (a practical assessment), Humanities, and a Modern Foreign Language (French, German, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese). There are additional papers possible in Latin and Greek. Past exam papers can be requested from the school: admissions@wycombeabbey.com.
If successful, firm offers (plus places on the waiting list) will be made that same month; scholarships will also be awarded here. Places should be confirmed and accepted, and a deposit paid, by March.
16 Plus Entrance Process for Wycombe Abbey:
This entrance point is competitive: 250 girls apply for only 20 Sixth Form places. Candidates must register by 1 June in Year 10 (or equivalent) so prospective students must get organised well in advance . There is no fee for registration.
Girls are expected to achieve at least six GCSE/IGCSE/GCE (or their equivalent) passes at grade A*/A/9/8/7 8 in each of her chosen subjects, but most candidates will achieve well in excess of this.
Stage 1 - Once registered, all candidates should arrange to sit a UKiset assessment. The UK Independent Schools’ Entry Test is taken online and designed to test underlying academic ability through Verbal, Non-Verbal and Numerical Tests. There will also be a creative writing exercise and an English Placement Test. In total. these tests take two and a half hours to complete. Test results must be submitted to the school between January and July in Year 10, with the deadline for receipt a strict 31 July.
Read the Keystone Guide to the UKiset
Stage 2- A candidate’s Summer Term report - and brief summary of extra-curricular interests – must also be sent to Wycombe Abbey by 31 July. All applicants will find out by September as to whether they proceed to Stage 3, and at this point will be charged a registration fee.
Stage 3 – Only candidates who meet the various required standards will be invited to sit Sixth Form Entrance examinations at Wycombe Abbey in the November before entry. (At this point, a confidential reference and predicted GCSE/IGCSE/GCE grades from girls’ current schools will be requested by Wycombe Abbey.) On the day girls sit their entrance exams at the school, they will also interview with a senior member of staff. The will sit papers in their four chosen A level subjects, in examinations based on GCSE syllabuses. (Past papers are not available.) Conditional offers are made on the basis of performance in these exams by early December that year. Formal acceptance and a deposit should be sent by the second week in December.
Entering Wycombe Abbey via Academic Scholarship
Academic scholarships are available at both 11 plus and 13 plus entry.
Scholarship Examinations 11 plus
No application is required for a Scholarship or Exhibition Award. Following the 11 plus Assessment Day, a small selection of candidates will be invited to take the Wycombe Abbey Scholarship papers. They will sit examination papers in English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities, as well as a Language Aptitude test. The Scholarship examinations are sat at Wycombe Abbey in late January/early February prior to entry, while your child is in Year 6. Specimen papers are not available.
Scholarship Examinations 13 plus
If you would like your daughter to be considered for an Academic Scholarship, she will need to choose the 13 plus Scholarship Examination papers instead of Wycombe Abbey Standard papers during the 13 plus entry assessments in January. Candidates will sit papers in English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Religious Studies and a Modern Foreign Language (French, German, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese (simplified or traditional)). There are also optional papers in Latin and Greek.
Specimen papers are available on request from the Admissions team. Please email admissions@wycombeabbey.com.
Is there a 16 plus scholarship?
Music scholarships and exhibitions are available for 16 plus candidates.
Does Wycombe Abbey offer any other scholarships?
Music scholarships are available at 11 plus, 13 plus and 16 plus.
More information is available on the Wycombe Abbey website.
What questions does Wycombe Abbey ask at interview?
Like many school interviews the Wycombe Abbey interview seeks to explore the following about each student:
- Family (e.g. What do you like to do on the weekend as a family?)
- School (e.g. What do you most enjoy about your current school?)
- Academic Learning (e.g. What is your favourite subject and why?)
- Reading (e.g. Do you enjoy reading?)
- Extracurricular (e.g. What activities do you get involved in at school outside of the classroom?)
- Hobbies (e.g. What do you do in your spare time at outside of school?)
- Wycombe Abbey (e.g. Why would you like to come to Wycombe Abbey?)
What is the Wycombe Abbey acceptance rate?
Around 300 apply for 80 places at 11 plus (27%), about 160 for 20 places at 13 plus (12.5%) and 190 for 20 places at 16 plus (11%).
Why is Wycombe Abbey so popular?
Wycombe Abbey is highly regarded for their academic results and achievements. GCSE and A Level results 2022/23 were outstanding with 90% of examinations awarded 8 or 9 (A*) and 97.5% of results at 7 - 9 (A - A*) in GCSE. At A level, 92% of results were grades A* - B. One third secure Oxbridge offers with majority heading to Russell group universities. An increasing number attend premier US universities including University of Chicago, Columbia, Georgetown and Stanford. Consequently, it attracts parents and students with high academic expectations. In our experience, prospective applicants with the following qualities have been competitive candidates in the school’s admissions process:
- an excellent academic record to date
- an enquiring mind and genuine passion for learning
- an ability to think critically about their learning
- an academic confidence and ability to work independently.
Is Wycombe Abbey hard to get into?
Owing to its academic reputation and success Wycombe Abbey attracts a lot of applications and a such the entrance process at 11 plus, 13 plus and 16 plus are very competitive. Consequently, the school can afford to be highly selective, and we have known of instances where strong applicants do not win places. It is important to go into the entrance process with an open and realistic frame of mind.
Famous Alumni
- Psychoanalyst Joan Riviere
- Former judge Baroness Butler-Sloss
- Lawyer Elsie Bowerman.
Tutors for Wycombe Abbey School Entrance
Keystone has over a decade of experience providing tuition to families who wish to send their children to some of the leading UK independent schools including Wycombe Abbey.
The tutors we work with are experienced in the intricacies of the 13 plus common entrance, the ISEB Pre-Test and 16 plus entrance to Wycombe Abbey.
For more details on how Keystone can help with preparation for entry to Wycombe Abbey, please call the office for a chat with one of our client managers, or contact us via our request a tutor form.