Westminster Cathedral Choir School — 8+ English Specimen Paper 2025 (Comprehension & Composition 1)
Westminster Cathedral Choir School published this 8+ English specimen paper in 2025 to show the assessment style; it is official school material, not a past paper. Hearthprep makes it interactive — 9 questions worth 50 marks in a 70-minute timed mode, each marked on submission and backed by a step-by-step worked solution. It covers Creative Writing and Reading Comprehension.
Real 8+ English paper from Westminster Cathedral Choir School (2025). 9 questions, 50 marks. Answer interactively with worked solutions. Covers Creative Writing, Reading Comprehension.
Westminster Cathedral Choir School published this specimen paper as preparation for its assessment. It is official school material, but not a paper candidates actually sat. Most 8+ 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
- Westminster Cathedral Choir School
- Entry level
- 8+
- Subject
- English
- Year
- 2025
- Questions
- 9
- Marks
- 50
- Time allowed
- 70 minutes
- Updated
- 7 Sept 2026
Topics in this paper
- Creative Writing
- Reading Comprehension
Questions in this paper (3 of 9)
- Question 1written answer · 3 marks
SECTION A - COMPREHENSION (50 minutes, 35 marks) [Reading passage - 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' by C.S. Lewis] Note: this extract is still in copyright, so it is not reprinted here. The full text is in the official school paper, which is linked on this page. Below is a detailed summary of the extract, line by line, keeping the short phrases the questions ask you about. Read it carefully an…
- Question 2written answer · 3 marks
[Reading passage - 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' by C.S. Lewis: Edmund, Lucy and their cousin Eustace are in a bedroom when the picture of a ship on the wall comes alive. The painted sea heaves, wind and spray blow out of the frame into the room, an exercise book is swept across to the wall, and a cold salt splash soaks all three children. Lucy is convinced it is real by the wild, briny smel…
- Question 3written answer · 3 marks
[Reading passage - 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' by C.S. Lewis: Edmund, Lucy and their cousin Eustace are in a bedroom when the picture of a ship on the wall comes alive. The painted sea heaves, wind and spray blow out of the frame into the room, an exercise book is swept across to the wall, and a cold salt splash soaks all three children. Lucy is convinced it is real by the wild, briny smel…
6 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 Westminster Cathedral Choir School — 8+ English Specimen Paper 2025 (Comprehension & Composition 1)?
9 questions with 50 marks in total; Westminster Cathedral Choir School allowed 70 minutes for it. It covers Creative Writing, Reading Comprehension. Westminster Cathedral Choir School published this specimen paper as preparation for its assessment. It is official school material, but not a paper candidates actually sat.
How long is the Westminster Cathedral Choir School 8+ English paper?
Westminster Cathedral Choir School printed an allowance of 70 minutes on this paper. The paper carries 50 marks, roughly 84 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 6 and the marking come with a paid plan.
Is this a real past paper?
Westminster Cathedral Choir School published this specimen 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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