13 plus scholarship maths preparation

ISEB's page for schools puts it simply: "We offer a series of Common Academic Scholarship (CASE) assessments in English, mathematics, science, history, geography, theology, philosophy and religion, French and Latin." It goes on: "Pupils sitting CASE assessments are entered by the senior schools they have applied to, who choose which papers pupils will sit and also mark the papers. Pupils will usually sit the exam at the senior school." That division of roles matters. ISEB writes the paper, but there is no national scholarship pass mark: each senior school reads its own candidates' scripts and decides on its own awards.

Sources: ISEB, CASE at 13+ information for schools; ISEB, CE at 13+ information for schools; Cambridge Insight, entrance assessments; all read 31 October 2026. Modern Age Coders is not connected with ISEB, Cambridge or any school.

1. Find out how the senior school chooses scholars: CASE, Common Entrance with the Additional paper, its own paper, or a computer test. Note the session, February or May for CASE.
2. Check Core level is secure with ISEB's specification as a checklist, because scholarship questions assume it without warning.
3. Teach each Additional topic from the ISEB list, starting with algebra (rearranging, simultaneous equations, brackets), since it feeds proof and graphs.
4. Add proof early. Short "show that" and "prove that" questions, closed with a box or Q.E.D. as the specification asks, build the habit of justifying.
5. Work unscaffolded problems weekly: a question with the final demand only, no parts (a), (b), (c) to guide the route.
6. In the final term, sit full 90-minute papers under time, then review the working line by line rather than just the score.

For pupils sitting Common Entrance rather than a scholarship paper, our Common Entrance maths page covers the Core papers and mental arithmetic test. For pupils who will meet GCSE maths soon after, our GCSE maths page shows where the Additional topics lead.