CE AT 13+ | INFORMATION FOR SCHOOLS

ISEB keeps examination fees as low as possible – fees cover the costs of the setting, printing and despatch of papers, and associated administration.

CE at 13+  fee for candidates taking the examination in the UK: £140

CE at 13+ fee for candidates taking a single subject only: £30

Late entries 

ISEB does its best to accommodate late entries for its examinations and assessments. However, the costs involved in processing late registrations are high. Therefore, all late entries are subject to a fee of £50 per school if received after the published closing date (1 October for the autumn examination, 1 December for the spring examination, 24 March for the summer examination).

Changes to individual candidate details (e.g. change of school, subject or level) are likely to incur an administrative fee of £5 per candidate if received after the published closing date. For summer CE examinations, in the unlikely event that a change of candidate’s subject or level is required after 30 April, the change will be processed and charged as a single subject CE registration.

If changes to individual candidate details result in additional papers being despatched to schools or other sitting centres, courier and packing charges will be added to the standard administration fee.

Certificate reprints 

An administrative fee of £10 per certificate will be charged if a reprint is required.

Pupils are usually entered for CE at 13+ examinations by their prep school – this section provides important information and documentation relating to the administration of these examinations. Schools should read the Regulations and Instructions to Invigilators document carefully and ensure that they are followed.

Registration for CE at 13+ has changed – find out more about the new registration process.

For information about registration timelines and processes, visit the Common Entrance (CE) Registration Area in the Schools Hub.

For information and guidance on the registration process, please read our support article.

Schools with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) candidates should contact the relevant senior school to discuss each candidate’s needs. 

ISEB has reviewed all access arrangements.  Please refer to the document Access Arrangements for CE for full guidance.

Prep schools are asked to send senior schools the ISEB SEND report. Computers may be used by candidates who have specific learning difficulties. In particular cases, schools may provide a reader or an amanuensis. For visually-impaired candidates ISEB can arrange for copies of the examination papers to be enlarged to A3. If other print amendments are required, please contact ISEB at least one year in advance of the examination session to obtain a quotation.

Candidates whose first language is not English are allowed to use English to first language dictionaries. They are also allowed up to 10% extra time if they have studied in the medium of English for fewer than three years. This must be agreed in advance with the candidate’s first-choice senior school.

SEND report
Notification of access arrangements

Access Arrangements for CE

A Head’s report is required for each candidate. It should be sent to the senior school at least two weeks before the first day of the relevant examination session. The ISEB Head’s Report Form is below. Some schools may prefer to use the ICAS Common Transfer Form.

ISEB Head’s report form
ICAS common transfer form

Geography

Submission dates for fieldwork are 15 October (autumn); 15 January (spring); 15 March (summer)

Fieldwork enquiry assessment
Fieldwork enquiry template

Examination centres are reminded that all scripts should be sent to senior schools for marking on the day of the examination. They should be dispatched by a secure method to ensure that they arrive the following morning, by special delivery if necessary. It is essential that senior schools start marking as soon as possible in order to meet the tight deadlines for the publication of results.

Heads are asked to complete a declaration form to confirm that all the examination procedures have been followed. A signed copy of this form is to be sent to the relevant senior school(s) at the end of the examination period.

Centre declaration form

Senior schools should assess examination scripts by grades. Where there is a choice of paper or level, a clear indication of which paper has been taken by each candidate should be given, e.g. Paper 1: A; Paper 2: B. Senior schools are asked to let prep schools know the percentage range represented by the grades in each subject.

Results of the CE at 13+ examinations should be available to prep schools by:

Autumn/spring: the Thursday of the week following the examinations and before parents are informed on the Friday. 

Summer: the Friday of the week following the examinations and before parents are informed on the Monday.

Heads of prep schools appreciate it if heads of senior schools contact them by telephone about any concerns by the Tuesday of the week following the examination.

Senior schools are asked to send to prep school heads an overall report on their candidates’ performance. Prep school heads appreciate general comments on each subject. Senior schools are also invited to send copies of their reports to the Chief Executive Officer at the ISEB offices, as the setters always appreciate feedback on how candidates tackled questions in the papers.

A set of important information and documentation relating to the administration of the CE 13+ examinations is provided on this page. Schools should read the Regulations and Instructions to Invigilators document carefully and ensure that they are followed.

If you require support with any area of CE at 13+ we recommend visiting our CE and CASE Support Portal where you will find a range of helpful information and FAQs.

You can also submit a support ticket which will come straight through to our customer service team. We endeavour to respond to all queries within 24 hours.

Visit our CE and CASE Support Portal or submit a support ticket.