Highgate School — 11+ English Sample Paper 2020
Highgate School published this 11+ English sample paper in 2020 to show the assessment style; it is official school material, not a past paper. Hearthprep makes it interactive — 5 questions worth 30 marks in a 45-minute timed mode, each marked on submission and backed by a step-by-step worked solution. It covers Creative Writing and Reading Comprehension.
Real 11+ English paper from Highgate School (2020). 5 questions, 30 marks. Answer interactively with worked solutions. Covers Creative Writing, Reading Comprehension.
Highgate School published this sample paper as preparation for its assessment. It is official school material, but not a paper candidates actually sat. Most 11+ entrance exams are sat between November and January of the year of entry, so a timed attempt at this paper is worth doing early enough to leave room for the topics it exposes. Work through it on screen with instant marking, or print the PDF and sit it under exam conditions.
- School
- Highgate School
- Entry level
- 11+
- Subject
- English
- Year
- 2020
- Questions
- 5
- Marks
- 30
- Time allowed
- 45 minutes
- Updated
- 3 Sept 2026
Topics in this paper
- Creative Writing
- Reading Comprehension
Questions in this paper (3 of 5)
- Question 1written answer · 2 marks
Passage (extract from Gerald Durrell, 'My Family and Other Animals'): 'The villa was small and square, standing in its tiny garden with an air of pink-faced determination. Its shutters had been faded by the sun to a delicate creamy-green, cracked and bubbled in places. The garden, surrounded by tall fuchsia hedges, had the flower-beds worked in complicated geometrical patterns, marked with smoo…
- Question 2written answer · 1 mark
Re-read the opening paragraph (lines 1 to 17). Give a quotation that suggests the villa has not been well looked after.
- Question 3written answer · 5 marks
Re-read the opening paragraph (lines 1 to 17). (a) Give a quotation that makes one of the types of flowers seem vivid to you. (b) Explain how your quotation does this. Consider the meaning of the words and their associations.
2 further questions in this paper open with any paid plan, along with marking and the worked solutions. See plans.
Frequently asked questions
What is in the Highgate School — 11+ English Sample Paper 2020?
5 questions with 30 marks in total; Highgate School allowed 45 minutes for it. It covers Creative Writing, Reading Comprehension. Highgate School published this sample paper as preparation for its assessment. It is official school material, but not a paper candidates actually sat.
How long is the Highgate School 11+ English paper?
Highgate School printed an allowance of 45 minutes on this paper. The paper carries 30 marks, roughly 90 seconds a mark.
Can my child answer this paper online?
Yes. Every question on this page can be answered in the browser and is marked the moment the paper is submitted — multiple choice, short answers and written responses alike. Answers are matched leniently, so a correct value written a different way (units, fractions, word numbers) still scores.
Are worked solutions included?
Every question has a step-by-step worked solution and an AI tutor that will talk through it after the paper is submitted. The first 3 questions of this paper are free to try; the remaining 2 and the marking come with a paid plan.
Is this a real past paper?
Highgate School published this sample paper as preparation for its assessment. It is official school material, but not a paper candidates actually sat. Use it to time a full mock attempt, then drill whichever topics your child drops marks on.
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