Find a 13 Plus English Tutor for the Right Assessment

13 Plus English is not one national paper. It may refer to ISEB Common Entrance, a Common Pre-Test used earlier in a Year 9 admissions process, a school-set assessment or a scholarship assessment. The useful starting point is therefore the target school, entry year, assessment stage and date.

Latimer lets families compare current tutor profiles, rates, availability and teaching backgrounds, then enquire directly or ask for matching help. A tutor can support reading, writing, confidence and test technique, but no tutor can guarantee an offer, scholarship or particular mark.

Each tutor sets a profile-specific rate, so the current rate on the live tutor card is the clearest answer for a particular tutor. Latimer’s current platform guidance gives broad examples of £20–£30 an hour for students, graduates, teaching assistants and full-time tutors, and £25–£50 an hour for current or retired teachers, examiners and lecturers. These are platform-wide examples, not a fixed price for 13+ English tuition.

Price can reflect qualifications, experience, specialist admissions knowledge, SEND or EAL experience and availability. The most expensive profile is not automatically the best fit: the useful question is whether the tutor can address the child’s actual assessment, skills, schedule and confidence needs.

A qualified-teacher filter can be useful, but it is not a complete definition of the right 13+ English tutor. Assessment-specific admissions experience, English subject depth, diagnostic skill, feedback, SEND or EAL experience, availability and teaching style may be more important for a particular learner.

Read examiner claims precisely. GCSE or A-level examiner experience can be relevant marking experience, but it should not be presented as Common Entrance examining unless the profile specifically supports that claim. Current profile evidence and a direct conversation are more useful than a broad prestige label.

Before choosing materials or a preparation timetable, identify the assessment your child will actually take. ISEB Common Entrance, the ISEB Common Pre-Tests, school-set written papers and CASE scholarship English assess overlapping English foundations in different formats. Some Year 9 admissions processes begin in Year 5 or Year 6, well before the final entry year.

Published school processes also demonstrate the variation. St Paul’s, for example, uses an ISEB pre-test stage and, for selected candidates, its own written English assessment and interview. Treat named-school formats as dated examples: the target school’s current information should shape the tutor brief.

Under the current ISEB specification, a candidate takes either Foundation or Core Reading, plus the common Writing paper. ISEB advises prep schools to liaise with the receiving senior school about the appropriate Reading level. Foundation and Core are alternatives; a candidate does not sit both.

The dates below are the published ISEB CE 13+ written examination windows for 2026–27. They are not universal dates for school-set 13+ papers, pre-tests or interviews. This page was last reviewed on 11 August 2026.

ISEB Reading uses unseen material, so preparation should develop transferable comprehension and analysis rather than rely on memorising a set text. A tutor can separate basic retrieval from inference, vocabulary in context, evidence selection, language analysis, evaluation and structured argument.

The Writing paper is broader than creative writing. Preparation can cover narrative, descriptive, informative, discursive and persuasive purposes, with attention to planning, organisation, form, audience, voice, register, vocabulary, sentence control, spelling and punctuation. These reading, interpretation and communication skills also support the next stage of education.

ISEB recommends that candidates “read as widely as possible”. There is no prescribed CE English reading list: varied prose, poetry and drama can help a learner meet unfamiliar vocabulary, syntax, voice, structure and literary techniques in unseen material.

For Common Pre-Tests, ISEB provides an official walkthrough so candidates can become familiar with instructions, accessibility options and answer selection. For Common Entrance, specimen papers and legitimately released past papers can support diagnosis and timed practice. ISEB deliberately delays parent and tutor access to recent live papers, so ethical preparation must never imply access to confidential or leaked material.

A useful practice loop is: attempt a suitable task, review it against the criteria, classify the error, reteach the underlying skill, practise a fresh question and retest under realistic time. Homework should be manageable and agreed with the tutor and family, not simply more paper volume.

Latimer describes its service as online first. Microsoft Teams is the default lesson platform, although another agreed platform may be used. For English, online tuition can support shared reading, live annotation, screen-shared texts, typed writing, discussion and immediate feedback.

Families searching for a 13 Plus English tutor near them do not need to be limited to local profiles, but in-person availability should not be assumed. Some tutors may agree face-to-face lessons where geography and current availability allow. For overseas families applying to UK schools, online tutoring can be organised around the target school and time zone without turning this into an IGCSE or IB page.

Some Year 9 entry processes begin with registration or pre-tests in Year 5 or Year 6, while ISEB Common Entrance is normally taken later. Start from the target school’s published timetable rather than assuming preparation begins only in Year 8.

There is no universal lesson count. Frequency should reflect the baseline, assessment, time remaining, independent practice and family budget. Weekly work may suit steady development; fortnightly work may suit a confident learner who practises independently; a short intensive block may suit a defined paper or holiday period. A late start requires focused triage, not a guaranteed crash course.

A tutor can adapt explanations, pacing, routines and practice, but cannot approve formal assessment arrangements. For ISEB Common Entrance, possible approved arrangements include extra time, rest breaks, readers, scribes and adapted papers. The receiving senior school decides what applies, using evidence of need and the pupil’s “normal way of working”.

An arrangement approved for Common Entrance does not automatically carry over to a school-set test, GCSE or A level. Common Pre-Tests and individual schools may also use separate processes. Raise needs early with the relevant school or test provider and keep the evidence and established classroom practice available to the decision-maker.

Latimer’s safeguarding policy describes role-by-role vetting, including identity and work-history checks, references, safeguarding checks and—where the role is legally eligible—an Enhanced DBS including the Children’s Barred List. A DBS check is an important safeguard, but it is not a guarantee of future conduct.

For younger learners, a parent or guardian should know the lesson time and platform and remain nearby. Families should use the published reporting process for conduct or safeguarding concerns. Current rates, availability and credentials belong on live profiles, while assessment preparation should use authorised materials and realistic language. Admissions may also involve mathematics, reasoning, interviews, school reports and other stages, so no tutor can guarantee an offer or scholarship.

A useful enquiry gives the tutor enough detail to judge whether their experience fits. Start with the school, assessment and date, then ask how they will diagnose the child’s reading and writing, structure the first month and communicate progress. Prestige labels matter less than a clear, relevant answer.