Expert1:1PreparationforWinchester

No. The College states plainly that "Entry to Winchester College is not dependent on the results of these examinations." Those examinations are sat in the spring of year 8, and they act as an indicator of academic progress that helps teachers plan the Year 9 programme. The decision is made much earlier: assessment runs through Year 6 and outcomes are released in March of Year 6. A family preparing for the Year 8 papers as though they were the entrance exam is roughly two years past the moment that mattered.

March of Year 6, about two and a half years before a boy would start in Year 9. Registration closes 1 october of year 6, assessment runs through that year, and shortlisted candidates are interviewed before decisions are released. It is one of the earliest decision points of any school we prepare for, which is why the registration deadline matters more here than almost anywhere else.

Four things: school references, general ability testing, writing assessment, interview. There is no entrance paper in the sense most families expect. The interview is for shortlisted candidates and is held with a member of the Pastoral Care team, usually a Housemaster or a member of the Senior Management Team. The College says it is looking for "personal qualities as much as academic potential".

It is the name Winchester gives the test in its own admissions material, and the College publishes nothing further about it: no length, no format, no subjects, no sample questions. Several tutoring firms describe Winchester as using the ISEB Common Pre-Test and quote figures for it. Those may describe the same thing under two names, but Winchester has not said so, so we report that separately and attribute it rather than presenting it as fact.

Not into the College directly. Boys finishing Year 6 join The Pilgrims' School for Years 7 and 8, then move up to Winchester College in Year 9. The Pilgrims' School merged with Winchester College in September 2025, after a partnership of nearly a century. The assessment is the same four components used at 13+, registration is by October of Year 6, interviews follow in November and December with the Pilgrims' Headmaster and a Winchester Housemaster, and offers come in December. The College describes onward progression to Winchester without publishing whether it is automatic or conditional, so ask the Registrar if that matters to your decision.

In the sixth form, yes. Boys and girls, day and boarding. Purpose-built girls' boarding houses open in September 2026. Entry at 13+ is boys only. For 16+ entry, registration closes 1 october of year 11. and candidates are assessed on school references and reports, a personal statement, a CV and General Ability Testing, with two interviews in November of Year 11 and decisions in December.

Grade 7 or above in all subjects, grade 8 or above in the proposed A Level subjects, and grade 9 for extension subjects such as Further Mathematics. Shortlisted candidates also sit an extended piece of writing and a humanities and/or STEM paper, depending on the three A Level subjects chosen. The place is confirmed in August on GCSE results, after an induction day in June.

Some do and some do not, and the distinction catches people out. Election is Winchester's own 13+ scholarship examination, sat 27 to 29 April 2026, and its outcomes are a Scholarship or an Exhibition. Neither title automatically carries fee remission. Help with fees comes from the separate means-tested bursary programme. A Founder's Scholarship is different: it carries a 25% reduction in fees. is not means-tested, and can be combined with a bursary.

For 2026-27, boarding is £20,700 a term, about £62,100 a year, and day places are £15,318 a term, about £45,954 a year, inclusive of VAT where applicable. On financial support, the College distributes over £5 million a year in means-tested bursaries worth 5% to 100% of fees, with an average remission of 74% across recipients and 33 pupils paying no fees in 2024/25. Support extends beyond tuition to laptops, trips and co-curricular activities.

That is the College's own wording, and it is worth taking seriously: "Good assessment should be accessible, challenging and aligned with curriculum. It shouldn't be stressful or require additional tutoring." We agree there is nothing here to cram. There is no published paper to drill and no past papers to buy, so anyone selling Winchester practice papers is selling a guess. What preparation is genuinely for is the rest of it: getting the registration in before the October deadline of Year 6, building the underlying English and maths over time rather than in a panic, and making an unfamiliar interview feel ordinary. If you want cramming, we are not the right fit for this school.

Every one of our Winchester tutors is a Winchester College alumnus who went through this process. We teach in person in Winchester and online anywhere in the UK. Tutoring is charged per hour from £60, with no contracts and no packages to buy up front. The first lesson is no commitment and you can stop at any time, and a free 20-minute consultation comes first.