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Westminster school sixth form

Hi guys, I've applied for Westminster School Sixth form and as my options I have chosen French, Spanish, Maths and Physics. The entrance exams are next week and I would really appreciate any advice from anyone who has been through the exams, particularly the ones I'll be taking. I would also like to know whether I should sort of plan my personal statement in advance seeing as it seems we'll only have 15 minutes to write it. Regarding the Spanish exam, the prospectus said something about the last section being a writing section about 'something the student can relate to' (something like that...), so will we have a selection of questions or can we write about anything? Also if anyone took both French and Spanish, are the layouts similar? I also haven't studied Physics for a year (I did it last in year 9), will this be a huge problem? Maths is my biggest weakness I'm actually not doing great in that and I imagine everyone else will be amazing, but has anyone managed to get through by doing well in three and kind of meh on the forth? My chances of getting in a pretty slim since I'm coming from a state school and I only found out about the school a few days before the deadline (I literally applied 3 hours before the deadline...). I'm just going to give it my best shot, I'm really not sure how much predicted grades matter because I feel like I've just been gliding through GCSEs without really working hard, it's like GCSEs are just memorizing and they wont really prepare me for Westminster exams, but anyway:

Already achieved:
Biology A*

Predicted:
Maths: 8 (A*)
English Lit:8 (A*)
English Language:8 (A*)
Art: A*
RE: A*
French: A*
Spanish: A*
Drama: A*
Physics: A*
Chemistry: A*
Latin: A*

I would really appreciate any help (I'm kinda desperate.. >.<) xxx

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Original post by happymomo
Hi guys, I've applied for Westminster School Sixth form and as my options I have chosen French, Spanish, Maths and Physics. The entrance exams are next week and I would really appreciate any advice from anyone who has been through the exams, particularly the ones I'll be taking. I would also like to know whether I should sort of plan my personal statement in advance seeing as it seems we'll only have 15 minutes to write it. Regarding the Spanish exam, the prospectus said something about the last section being a writing section about 'something the student can relate to' (something like that...), so will we have a selection of questions or can we write about anything? Also if anyone took both French and Spanish, are the layouts similar? I also haven't studied Physics for a year (I did it last in year 9), will this be a huge problem? Maths is my biggest weakness I'm actually not doing great in that and I imagine everyone else will be amazing, but has anyone managed to get through by doing well in three and kind of meh on the forth? My chances of getting in a pretty slim since I'm coming from a state school and I only found out about the school a few days before the deadline (I literally applied 3 hours before the deadline...). I'm just going to give it my best shot, I'm really not sure how much predicted grades matter because I feel like I've just been gliding through GCSEs without really working hard, it's like GCSEs are just memorizing and they wont really prepare me for Westminster exams, but anyway:

Already achieved:
Biology A*

Predicted:
Maths: 8 (A*)
English Lit:8 (A*)
English Language:8 (A*)
Art: A*
RE: A*
French: A*
Spanish: A*
Drama: A*
Physics: A*
Chemistry: A*
Latin: A*

I would really appreciate any help (I'm kinda desperate.. >.<:wink: xxx


Hi! I'm a student at Westminster School, currently in the Upper Shell (Year 11). Thus while I'm not in the Sixth Form yet, I can tell you that from what I've heard, the entrance exams for pupils who join at 16 are generally GCSE questions with a slight twist to see if you can think beyond the syllabus, and so there's really no specific preparation that might give you an advantage. If maths is a weakness then this may be a problem, as the maths department does the hardest and most rigorous exam board for A-Level: OCR MEI, and so you most likely will be expected to be pretty good at it, especially as it's one of the most popular subjects that people choose (I believe it's about two thirds of the current Sixth Form and Remove who do either Maths or Maths+Further Maths).
Reply 2
Original post by HapaxOromenon3
Hi! I'm a student at Westminster School, currently in the Upper Shell (Year 11). Thus while I'm not in the Sixth Form yet, I can tell you that from what I've heard, the entrance exams for pupils who join at 16 are generally GCSE questions with a slight twist to see if you can think beyond the syllabus, and so there's really no specific preparation that might give you an advantage. If maths is a weakness then this may be a problem, as the maths department does the hardest and most rigorous exam board for A-Level: OCR MEI, and so you most likely will be expected to be pretty good at it, especially as it's one of the most popular subjects that people choose (I believe it's about two thirds of the current Sixth Form and Remove who do either Maths or Maths+Further Maths).


Thanks! I might try some practice questions from OCR :h:
Reply 3
Original post by HapaxOromenon3
Hi! I'm a student at Westminster School, currently in the Upper Shell (Year 11). Thus while I'm not in the Sixth Form yet, I can tell you that from what I've heard, the entrance exams for pupils who join at 16 are generally GCSE questions with a slight twist to see if you can think beyond the syllabus, and so there's really no specific preparation that might give you an advantage. If maths is a weakness then this may be a problem, as the maths department does the hardest and most rigorous exam board for A-Level: OCR MEI, and so you most likely will be expected to be pretty good at it, especially as it's one of the most popular subjects that people choose (I believe it's about two thirds of the current Sixth Form and Remove who do either Maths or Maths+Further Maths).

Oh I also heard something about the Westminster boys doing AS level French already, is this true?
Original post by happymomo
Oh I also heard something about the Westminster boys doing AS level French already, is this true?

There are 6 sets in French, based on ability, with 1 for those best at it (such as me) and 6 for those worst at it (though at Westminster, that really means you might scrape an A* at IGCSE rather than being well above the grade boundary). Those in sets 1-4 do IGCSE French in Lower Shell (Year 10), wheresa those in sets 5-6 do it in Upper Shell (Year 11). If you do IGCSE French in Lower Shell, you can then go on to do the Pre-U Short Course in Upper Shell, which is similar to an AS-Level. However, even when in the Fifth Form and Lower Shell (Years 9-10), we generally go well beyond the syllabus anyway, and thus look at some Pre-U level content such as French literature etc.
Reply 5
Original post by HapaxOromenon3
There are 6 sets in French, based on ability, with 1 for those best at it (such as me) and 6 for those worst at it (though at Westminster, that really means you might scrape an A* at IGCSE rather than being well above the grade boundary). Those in sets 1-4 do IGCSE French in Lower Shell (Year 10), wheresa those in sets 5-6 do it in Upper Shell (Year 11). If you do IGCSE French in Lower Shell, you can then go on to do the Pre-U Short Course in Upper Shell, which is similar to an AS-Level. However, even when in the Fifth Form and Lower Shell (Years 9-10), we generally go well beyond the syllabus anyway, and thus look at some Pre-U level content such as French literature etc.

Ok cool, I was also wondering whether Westminster boys have to take the entrance exams too, or just outside applicants? (Ps, thank you for being so helpful :h:)
Reply 6
Original post by HapaxOromenon3
There are 6 sets in French, based on ability, with 1 for those best at it (such as me) and 6 for those worst at it (though at Westminster, that really means you might scrape an A* at IGCSE rather than being well above the grade boundary). Those in sets 1-4 do IGCSE French in Lower Shell (Year 10), wheresa those in sets 5-6 do it in Upper Shell (Year 11). If you do IGCSE French in Lower Shell, you can then go on to do the Pre-U Short Course in Upper Shell, which is similar to an AS-Level. However, even when in the Fifth Form and Lower Shell (Years 9-10), we generally go well beyond the syllabus anyway, and thus look at some Pre-U level content such as French literature etc.

Also does Westminster put as much emphasis on Spanish as they do on French?
Original post by happymomo
Ok cool, I was also wondering whether Westminster boys have to take the entrance exams too, or just outside applicants? (Ps, thank you for being so helpful :h:)


Only pupils trying to join the school at 16 have to take the entrance exams. Those of us who already took the entrance exams at the age of 13 go automatically from the Upper Shell into the Sixth Form. However, the school does have the option of not letting someone go into the sixth form if their GCSE/IGCSE grades weren't good enough, but this is extremely rare, as in it might happen once every five or ten years.
Original post by happymomo
Also does Westminster put as much emphasis on Spanish as they do on French?


I believe more people do French than Spanish, but the school doesn't really have a focus on some subjects over others, as all the departments hold themselves to very high academic standards.
Reply 9
Original post by HapaxOromenon3
I believe more people do French than Spanish, but the school doesn't really have a focus on some subjects over others, as all the departments hold themselves to very high academic standards.

What exam boards do you use for French Spanish and Physics? (sorry for asking so many questions :redface:)
Original post by happymomo
What exam boards do you use for French Spanish and Physics? (sorry for asking so many questions :redface:)


French and Spanish: Cambridge Pre-U, as it's harder and more rigorous than traditional A-Levels. It's also linear, i.e. you take all the exams at the end of the course, whereas A-Levels are generally modular, i.e. you take 2 or 3 smaller exams at the end of Sixth Form, and then another 2 or 3 exams at the end of Remove.

Physics: You follow Westminster's internal syllabus in Sixth Form, and then at the end of the year, you choose whether you will continue with either OCR A-Level Physics Syllabus B or Cambridge Pre-U Physics. As I've already said, the main difference is that the Pre-U is harder, but as a result it's better preparation for university.
Do you know what the History, English and Philosophy entrance exams are like? Also, what is a good way to prepare in general (and for the personal statement specifically). Thank you.
Idk about everyone else but I want to find out about maths, economics and french. I hear maths is ukmt papers but there are so many types. Should i do the intermediate ones or the kangaroo thing? And also is if anyone has done chemistry id appreciate your help as well cheers!

Also are the entrance papers harder than the 13+ challenge papers?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by 4Dasquaw
Idk about everyone else but I want to find out about maths, economics and french. I hear maths is ukmt papers but there are so many types. Should i do the intermediate ones or the kangaroo thing? And also is if anyone has done chemistry id appreciate your help as well cheers!

Also are the entrance papers harder than the 13+ challenge papers?


The maths and chemistry sixth form entry tests are just hard GCSE questions, basically (although the maths might have a fair bit more algebra in it). The economics test though has NOTHING to do with economics- instead, it's basically an IQ test (or at least it was a couple of years ago).
What would the biology exam be like? Both difficulty wise and with the style of question.
Does anyone know anything about the history, philosophy, english lit and economics exam?
Did you get in?
history economics physics and maths entrance exam????
its on the 4th november i
Original post by timelesstime
What would the biology exam be like? Both difficulty wise and with the style of question.


The biology entrance exam required some thinking but you only need GCSE level knowledge

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