Independent Secondary Schools Admissions Guide – Wycombe Abbey

December 6, 2021

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Wycombe Abbey is an independent boarding school for girls age 11-18. Founded in 1896, Wycombe Abbey is based in Buckinghamshire across a 170-acre campus. There are currently 650 students spread across 11 boarding houses. Wycombe accepts students into Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+) and Year 12 (16+).

Day pupils are accepted at Wycombe Abbey and make up a small but significant proportion of pupil numbers. They are assigned a boarding house and can stay late into the evenings to feel part of the boarding culture.

Visit Wycombe Abbey:

Wycombe Abbey hosts a variety of Open Mornings and Coffee Mornings throughout the year and welcomes families to look around. Families will have the opportunities to meet the Headmistress, gain an insight into academic and pastoral care, and tour the campus. It is also possible to book an individual tour.

Admissions:

Year 7 (11+) Entry:

The registration deadline for 11+ is the beginning of June the year prior to entry (Year 5). After registration there are 2 stages to admission:

Stage 1 is the CAT4 Test which stands for Cognitive Abilities Test. Candidates can make arrangements with their prep school to sit the test either on sight or at a recognised test centre during a 10-day window in November. The CAT4 test is an assessment of abilities that are known to impact learning, namely verbal, non-verbal, quantitative, and spatial reasoning. It is a measure of baseline intelligence, so it does not require excessive preparations. However, skills such as Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning can be practiced, and improvement is possible. Tutors can help identify areas which students are weaker and devise a strategy to help them fill the gaps.

Stage 2 is the Assessment Day which takes place in November of Year 6. Candidates will have an individual interview with a senior member of staff and take part in group activities. They will also sit a one-hour exam in both Maths and English. A reference from candidates’ current school is also required at this stage. There are no specimen papers available for these exams, making them difficult to prepare for.

Year 9 (13+) Entry:

The registration deadline for 13+ is the beginning of June the year prior to entry (Year 7). There are two administration stages:

Stage 1 is the CAT4 Cognitive Abilities Test (similar to 11+ entry) and a reference from the candidate’s current school. The CAT4 scores and the reference will then be reviewed by the headmistress and selected candidates will be invited to move forward to the second stage.

Stage 2 is the Assessment Day at Wycombe Abbey. This takes place in January of the proposed year of entry (Year 8). The assessment day consists of an interview with a senior member of staff and entrance exams, either the Wycombe Abbey papers or the Wycombe Abbey Scholarship exam. Candidates will sit papers in English, Maths, Science, Humanities, and a Modern Foreign Language (French, German, Spanish, or Mandarin) and there are optional papers in Latin and Greek.  Specimen papers are available on request from the admissions team once a candidate has been invited to the Assessment Day.

Following the exams offers and waiting list offers will be made in the January of the year of entry. Scholarships are also awarded at this point.

Year 12 (16+) Entry:

There are only a limited number of places to join Wycombe Abbey in the Sixth Form. Girls wishing to do so must register by the start of June of the calendar year. Entry is very competitive with candidates expected at minimum to achieve at least 6 A*/A (9/8/7) equivalent at GCSE and A*’s (9/8) in their chosen A Level subjects.

Stage 1 is the UKiset assessment at Wycombe Abbey. The UKiset is the UK Independent Schools’ Entry Test which is an adaptive cognitive online test which assesses the pupils Verbal, Non-Verbal and Numerical ability. It also has a creative writing and English element to it. The test takes two and a half hours and must be say between January and July of their Year 10 year.

In stage 2 the candidates Summer Term report and summary of co-curricular interests must be submitted to the Headmistress. The Headmistress will then, along with the Deputy Head and Director of admissions review these along with the results of the UKiset. Applicants will be notified in September if they may progress to stage 3.

Stage 3 is the assessment day at Wycombe Abbey in November the year prior to entry (Year 11) when girls will sit the Sixth Form Entrance Examinations. Girls will sit papers in the four subjects that they are proposing to study at A-Level and those who are studying subjects they have not studied at GCSE will still have to sit a relevant paper. The papers are designed to test aptitude for, as opposed to knowledge of, the subject. Specimen papers are not available. Candidates will also have a 20 minute interview with a senior member of staff.

Conditional offers are then made in early December on the basis of performance in the interview and examinations. The conditional offers are dependent on performance in the GCSE’s which occur in the summer of Year 11. Acceptance forms are a week after the offers are made in the second week of December.

Find out more: https://www.wycombeabbey.com/admissions/#beginning-your-journey