12
English
1 hour and 15 minutes long.
3 sections – 1 reading and 2 writing.
Reading – there will be a short passage to read, normally about a page long, and short
comprehension questions about the passage to answer. We want to see how well the girls have
understood the passage.
Writing – there will be a writing task which may be based in some way on the passage in the
Reading section. The task will normally be a creative writing task. There will then be a short discursive
section, again based in some way on the passage.
We look for…
…girls who can read with
discernment
and
understanding
, with a firm grasp of both implicit and explicit
meaning. We look for
clear and accurate writing
which demonstrates the use of a
wide and varied
vocabulary
, and a good understanding of the
effects created by language
, both in others’ writing and
their own. In the creative writing task, we hope the girls will enjoy
expressing themselves
by writing original
answers with
fluency, range and imagination
.
There is no need to worry about your
entrance exam, and we hope you
enjoy your morning! You will not sit
your papers in frightening long rows of
desks in a hall – instead you will be in a
small group in a classroom.
You just need to bring a pen, pencil
and eraser with you. There will be
a break for snacks and drinks in
between your two papers for
much needed energy!
How to
prepare for your exam
How can I do well in my English exam?
Before the exam…
read lots of books! This is the best way to prepare. We hope you will enjoy reading different authors’
books, learning new words and understanding different styles of writing.
when you are reading, try to think about why authors choose certain words when they write. Why,
for example, has the author written ‘she whispered’ rather than ‘she said’? What does this suggest
practise spelling words which you may sometimes find hard to spell correctly.
During the exam…
spend 10 minutes reading the passage before you start writing. Highlight important words and try
to understand the passage as well as you can.
read all of the questions very carefully.
try to use your own words as much as possible.
look at how many marks the questions have. If a question has 6 marks, for example, you will need
to write slightly more than for a question which has 4 marks.
enjoy using your imagination!
