The Student Room Group

Westminster School

Hi guys, I am a student outside of the UK. Trying to join the sixth form in 2024. I am also taking my IGCSE in May 2024. My dream school is to enter Westminster School... Is there anyone who is currently studying/ studied in Westminster School? Please let me have some advice on joining and the admission process. I also want to know whether I am eligible to register for 2024 admission if I haven't gotten my IGCSE certificate.

Scroll to see replies

hey I'm not a student at westminster but sat for 2023 entry, although unfortunately I didn't make it in. The process is relatively simple, you apply online in June 2023 in your case and after you pay the registration fee, you can sit your entrance exams outside of the UK in early November 2023. The exam content in the entrance exams are hard to prepare for, and focus on application rather than regurgitation. Just know the basics of your subject and you will be fine. Then, you sit your interview in late November 2023, which you will have to fly to westminster for (as you are overseas). It's 15 min each and you will also have a TSA to do. I suggest you practice doing iq tests online as they look nothing like oxbridge's TSA tests. There are around 1300-1500 sitting the entrance exams (Inc overseas), and around 180 make it to the interviews, from there they take around 85. If you're applying for a boarding place it will be even harder to get in - the London day schools easily get a lot of girls in. For boarding they take around 20 girls and 3-4 boys. Good luck!
Reply 2
tysm for ur suggestion! First of all, I am so sorry to hear that you didn't make it... btw, did you have a chance to do the interview or are u a student from the UK or overseas? I would like to know which sixth form you are trying to go for now.
(edited 1 year ago)
I'm from the UK and yeh I did the interview. I'm not going to sixth form now as I've been offered a place at a US university for the coming September anyway, although I might defer my place and go after lower sixth (year 12) because of concerns that I'm too young to fit in with the uni crowd but haven't made the decision yet:smile:
Original post by angel13
tysm for ur suggestion! First of all, I am so sorry to hear that you didn't make it... btw, did you have a chance to do the interview or are u a student from the UK or overseas? I would like to know which sixth form you are trying to go for now.
(edited 1 year ago)
I got a place for entry 2023. I’m a girl and boarder.
Here r some advice
My subjs r maths, French, biology and chemistry
1, I think anyone is eligible for a ks, tho I didn’t even apply for one.
2, I don’t think igcse results are required, no one would’ve sat their exams by the time the entrance exams are sat, but Westminster does ask for school reports and probably ur predicted grades
3, my advice is try to extend ur knowledge of ur subjs outside of ur curriculum and syllabus, do check out competitions like the UKMT challenges or ukpho( is that how they call it?, personally I think ukcho is a bit too much in terms of the knowledge assessed but the style of qs r very similar
Tbh, I’m prolly not a representative of the average standard of a student and got in with a bit luck
Original post by HshshsHshsbsbshs
I'm from the UK and yeh I did the interview. I'm not going to sixth form now as I've been offered a place at a US university for the coming September anyway, although I might defer my place and go after lower sixth (year 12) because of concerns that I'm too young to fit in with the uni crowd but haven't made the decision yet:smile:

Which US uni?

And for pros of uni:
Much freer than 6th form (move out of parents, live by yourself, less rules and trappings)
New country, new city
Many more extracurricular activities (try a new hobby/sport)
Academic freedom (they're very flexible in the US, you can accelerate or go slow, depends on you)
Helps you with career earlier
Uni students more mature than 6th form

Pros of 6th form:
More structure
Same age as other students (although you may not fit in)

To me, 6th form is just a stepping stone to much better days ahead. There's a lot of freedom and stuff in uni, and I do believe uni is much more exciting than 6th form.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by justlearning1469
Which US uni?

And for pros of uni:
Much freer than 6th form (move out of parents, live by yourself, less rules and trappings)
New country, new city
Many more extracurricular activities (try a new hobby/sport)
Academic freedom (they're very flexible in the US, you can accelerate or go slow, depends on you)
Helps you with career earlier
Uni students more mature than 6th form

Pros of 6th form:
More structure
Same age as other students (although you may not fit in)

To me, 6th form is just a stepping stone to much better days ahead. There's a lot of freedom and stuff in uni, and I do believe uni is much more exciting than 6th form.

Heya, I’ve got an offer from Harvard early decision. I’m already in a boarding school so to an extent I’m already living away from my parents so won’t be a decisive factor. Unfortunately being 16 at uni means I’ll be subjected to safeguarding rules and watched 24/7, rather than having the normal uni experience. But Thanks for the info!
(edited 1 year ago)
Good advice. Congrats on getting in! Also would like to add to anybody potentially applying, they limit the amount of people they take from the feeder schools, wycombe abbey, St. Paul’s etc, especially if you’re boarding. For my school they limit to 4 each year, even though 15 got through to the interviews, so you might want to consider if it’s worth applying to. Every year they take candidates from state and lesser known privates just to give it a bit of diversity even if they have worse results although obviously they’re still smart. But if you’d like to weigh your chances that’s my take on it.
But overall not a big deal if you don’t get in, and well done if you do. For example, I got into Harvard and rejected by Westminster so that speaks volumes about how random the selection process is.
Original post by bjecdfh auh
I got a place for entry 2023. I’m a girl and boarder.
Here r some advice
My subjs r maths, French, biology and chemistry
1, I think anyone is eligible for a ks, tho I didn’t even apply for one.
2, I don’t think igcse results are required, no one would’ve sat their exams by the time the entrance exams are sat, but Westminster does ask for school reports and probably ur predicted grades
3, my advice is try to extend ur knowledge of ur subjs outside of ur curriculum and syllabus, do check out competitions like the UKMT challenges or ukpho( is that how they call it?, personally I think ukcho is a bit too much in terms of the knowledge assessed but the style of qs r very similar
Tbh, I’m prolly not a representative of the average standard of a student and got in with a bit luck
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by HshshsHshsbsbshs
Heya, I’ve got an offer from Harvard early decision. I’m already in a boarding school so to an extent I’m already living away from my parents so won’t be a decisive factor. Unfortunately being 16 at uni means I’ll be subjected to safeguarding rules and watched 24/7, rather than having the normal uni experience. But Thanks for the info!

Damn, how did you get into Harvard, especially at 16?

Even with safeguarding, you won't be watched 24/7. And uni will still be much freer than 6th form.

I do think Harvard would be a great opportunity for you.
Original post by angel13
Hi guys, I am a student outside of the UK. Trying to join the sixth form in 2024. I am also taking my IGCSE in May 2024. My dream school is to enter Westminster School... Is there anyone who is currently studying/ studied in Westminster School? Please let me have some advice on joining and the admission process. I also want to know whether I am eligible to register for 2024 admission if I haven't gotten my IGCSE certificate.

hey, i got in for 2023 entry. i'm a girl and will (hopefully) be attending day school.
i got a scholarship interview, but didn't get the KS.

it really depends on what subjects you are doing, stem/ humanities wise for preparation. I did latin, greek, english and philosophy exams/interviews. at interviews I talked to the sixth formers and they were sure that I would get in since classics is such a niche subject LOL.

you don't need to have done your iGCSEs yet since the conditional offer is based upon your iGCSE grades but you receive the offer beforehand. they did ask for your most recent report in the application which may include end of year 10 predicted grades, but as long as you have good marks for the subjects you are planning to study and stay above a 7, it shouldn't matter. i didn't hear of anyone not getting invited to exams because of horrible predicted grades. when you get an interview they ask the school to actually write you a personal recommendation.

as the others said, entrance exams are the main focus. you need 3 good exams at least. the interview isn't that serious, you can still get in if you mess up 1 or 2 of them. personal statement and TSA also aren't that important.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by hopingpraying
Omg I’m applying for almost the same subjects for 2024 entry! The only difference is I’m doing French instead of philosophy. I’m so scared for the exams bc Westminster really is my dream school (I’ve been a few times and I know lots of ppl who go there and I’m not kidding I’ve wanted to go for forever). I have good extra- curriculars and I’m ok with grades @ schl but PLEASE any advice on what the exams are like would be sooo appreciated.
I haven’t been able to find a lot of info for what classics is like so I’d really appreciate
Thank you!

Ps - WHAT is a tsa?!


Hi I will be doing French. I personally find it the least terrifying exam.To give you an idea, I did delf b1 and got 86.5/100.The comprehension and gap filling section were quite short, and no where harder than gcse higher french. As per the spec, you can choose one from the three questions provided for your writing. They said 180 words in the spec but it was acc 150 in the exam.

For the interview, we chatted in French for a bit, general interview questions were asked. And the teacher gave me some sentences to find out their grammar mistakes. I’ve heard from other candidates that they were give an article to read for the interview.

Hope it helps
Original post by hopingpraying
Omg I’m applying for almost the same subjects for 2024 entry! The only difference is I’m doing French instead of philosophy. I’m so scared for the exams bc Westminster really is my dream school (I’ve been a few times and I know lots of ppl who go there and I’m not kidding I’ve wanted to go for forever). I have good extra- curriculars and I’m ok with grades @ schl but PLEASE any advice on what the exams are like would be sooo appreciated.
I haven’t been able to find a lot of info for what classics is like so I’d really appreciate
Thank you!

Ps - WHAT is a tsa?!

I agree with @bjecdfh auh, the French used in the entrance exam wasn't any harder than B1. Latin was a bit harder in my opinion - the translation and literature questions were basic GCSE level , but the part where we had to identify and correct errors in sentences was difficult for me personally. The Latin interview was just questions about what you thought of the set text you're studying, and translating a passage, which was a bit above GCSE I think.
As one of the top 3 scorers for the TSA exam, my advice is as follows.

Caveat: I don't know how useful prep is because I didn't do any, but I did wind up feeling awful after the TSA because I felt like I did badly and regretted not preparing - it can affect your mood for the interview day ig. Also remember that this year was the first year they tried this, so it might change.

There are three sections: non-verbal reasoning, verbal reasoning and reading comprehension.

For reading comprehension, it's like a watered down LNAT, so perhaps do some of those papers to get a feel for the type of questions. Don't be too discouraged if you get them wrong though, because the actual Westminster exam is easier and the LNAT is really difficult anyway lmao.

For reasoning, like users have said, just do IQ tests or something like that. I don't know how well you can prep for them (like one of the verbal reasoning questions involved reflecting the alphabet to find a pattern).

The whole exam takes less than an hour, and doesn't matter that much though so I wouldn't put too much thought into it.
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 13
Well tysm so much for your advice tho! Can you tell me what's TSA means?
Original post by tarqin-thesuperb
As one of the top 3 scorers for the TSA exam, my advice is as follows.

Caveat: I don't know how useful prep is because I didn't do any, but I did wind up feeling awful after the TSA because I felt like I did badly and regretted not preparing - it can affect your mood for the interview day ig. Also remember that this year was the first year they tried this, so it might change.

There are three sections: non-verbal reasoning, verbal reasoning and reading comprehension.

For reading comprehension, it's like a watered down LNAT, so perhaps do some of those papers to get a feel for the type of questions. Don't be too discouraged if you get them wrong though, because the actual Westminster exam is easier and the LNAT is really difficult anyway lmao.

For reasoning, like users have said, just do IQ tests or something like that. I don't know how well you can prep for them (like one of the verbal reasoning questions involved reflecting the alphabet to find a pattern).

The whole exam takes less than an hour, and doesn't matter that much though so I wouldn't put too much thought into it.
Original post by angel13
Well tysm so much for your advice tho! Can you tell me what's TSA means?

It stands for Thinking Skills Assessment - like a grown up version of the 11 plus. It didnt really resemble the Oxford TSA very much (at least not this year)
Original post by angel13
Hi guys, I am a student outside of the UK. Trying to join the sixth form in 2024. I am also taking my IGCSE in May 2024. My dream school is to enter Westminster School... Is there anyone who is currently studying/ studied in Westminster School? Please let me have some advice on joining and the admission process. I also want to know whether I am eligible to register for 2024 admission if I haven't gotten my IGCSE certificate.

Heya! Also an igcse student wanting to apply for 2024 - I know this reply is kind of late so hoping you're still checking TSR (because I'm here on and off every couple of months). Would be great to chat with you! What igcses are you taking? I'm doing english lang&lit, maths, coordinated science, global perspectives, history, art and foreign language French. Hoping to do add maths too but I can only do that next year because my maths teacher doesn't have enough time! Ideally I'd like to apply to Westminster for History, Maths and Further Maths and Theology/Philosophy but I'm not sure on that last one because I've never done it before. What about you?
Original post by nene0712
hey, i got in for 2023 entry. i'm a girl and will (hopefully) be attending day school.
i got a scholarship interview, but didn't get the KS.

it really depends on what subjects you are doing, stem/ humanities wise for preparation. I did latin, greek, english and philosophy exams/interviews. at interviews I talked to the sixth formers and they were sure that I would get in since classics is such a niche subject LOL.

you don't need to have done your iGCSEs yet since the conditional offer is based upon your iGCSE grades but you receive the offer beforehand. they did ask for your most recent report in the application which may include end of year 10 predicted grades, but as long as you have good marks for the subjects you are planning to study and stay above a 7, it shouldn't matter. i didn't hear of anyone not getting invited to exams because of horrible predicted grades. when you get an interview they ask the school to actually write you a personal recommendation.

as the others said, entrance exams are the main focus. you need 3 good exams at least. the interview isn't that serious, you can still get in if you mess up 1 or 2 of them. personal statement and TSA also aren't that important.

What is your experience like studying philosophy? I'd like to apply for that, maths, further maths and history but I've never taken philosophy before so I'm not sure if it's going to suit me. Thanks!
Original post by bjecdfh auh
I got a place for entry 2023. I’m a girl and boarder.
Here r some advice
My subjs r maths, French, biology and chemistry
1, I think anyone is eligible for a ks, tho I didn’t even apply for one.
2, I don’t think igcse results are required, no one would’ve sat their exams by the time the entrance exams are sat, but Westminster does ask for school reports and probably ur predicted grades
3, my advice is try to extend ur knowledge of ur subjs outside of ur curriculum and syllabus, do check out competitions like the UKMT challenges or ukpho( is that how they call it?, personally I think ukcho is a bit too much in terms of the knowledge assessed but the style of qs r very similar
Tbh, I’m prolly not a representative of the average standard of a student and got in with a bit luck


Hey! I’m applying for 2024 entry, and am extremely nervous as I do not come from a private school background, and have never done admissions tests. What kind of mark did you get, and what kind of questions did they ask in the interview?
Original post by hopingpraying
Omg I’m applying for almost the same subjects for 2024 entry! The only difference is I’m doing French instead of philosophy. I’m so scared for the exams bc Westminster really is my dream school (I’ve been a few times and I know lots of ppl who go there and I’m not kidding I’ve wanted to go for forever). I have good extra- curriculars and I’m ok with grades @ schl but PLEASE any advice on what the exams are like would be sooo appreciated.
I haven’t been able to find a lot of info for what classics is like so I’d really appreciate
Thank you!

Ps - WHAT is a tsa?!

omg i’m applying for 2024 entry with english, econ, history and bio, if you have any recent information, please lmk x
Reply 19
Original post by bjecdfh auh
I got a place for entry 2023. I’m a girl and boarder.
Here r some advice
My subjs r maths, French, biology and chemistry
1, I think anyone is eligible for a ks, tho I didn’t even apply for one.
2, I don’t think igcse results are required, no one would’ve sat their exams by the time the entrance exams are sat, but Westminster does ask for school reports and probably ur predicted grades
3, my advice is try to extend ur knowledge of ur subjs outside of ur curriculum and syllabus, do check out competitions like the UKMT challenges or ukpho( is that how they call it?, personally I think ukcho is a bit too much in terms of the knowledge assessed but the style of qs r very similar
Tbh, I’m prolly not a representative of the average standard of a student and got in with a bit luck

Hi I want to apply for 16+ for entry at 2025. My subjs r probs gonna be math, further math, econ, philosophy & theology. How did u find the math paper? What level of difficulty is it, roughly? Any papers/resources to help prepare for it?

Quick Reply