Eton College — 13+ English Scholarship 2023
Eton College set this 13+ English paper in 2023. Hearthprep hosts it as an interactive past paper — 7 questions worth 75 marks in 75 minutes, each marked the moment the paper is submitted and backed by a step-by-step worked solution. Most 13+ entrance exams are sat between November and January of the year of entry.
Real 13+ English paper from Eton College (2023). 7 questions, 75 marks. Answer interactively with worked solutions. Covers Creative and persuasive writing, Literary Analysis, Persuasive & Discursive Writing, Poetry, Response to images.
This is the school's own past paper, reproduced here with worked solutions by Hearthprep. Most 13+ 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
- Eton College
- Entry level
- 13+
- Subject
- English
- Year
- 2023
- Questions
- 7
- Marks
- 75
- Time
- 75 minutes
- Exam board
- ISEB
Topics in this paper
- Creative and persuasive writing
- Literary Analysis
- Persuasive & Discursive Writing
- Poetry
- Response to images
Questions in this paper (3 of 7)
- Question 1written answer · 15 marks
PART ONE. Read the poem slowly and carefully and then answer ALL the questions that follow. Mirror I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions. Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike. I am not cruel, only truthful, The eye of a little god, four-cornered. Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall. It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it …
- Question 2written answer · 10 marks
[Recap: this question refers to the poem 'Mirror' printed in full in Part One, Question 1 — spoken by a mirror that later becomes a lake, watching a woman age. The poem's final two lines are: 'In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman / Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.'] Question 2: What is your understanding of the poem's two final lines? Explain their mea…
- Question 3written answer · 10 marks
[Recap: refers to the poem 'Mirror' printed in full in Part One, Question 1 — a mirror/lake that reflects a woman truthfully as she ages from a young girl into an old woman.] Question 3: In your view, is this an optimistic or a pessimistic poem? Make sure you quote and use evidence from the text to support your ideas. [10 marks]
4 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 Eton College — 13+ English Scholarship 2023?
7 questions worth 75 marks in total, written for 75 minutes. It covers Creative and persuasive writing, Literary Analysis, Persuasive & Discursive Writing, Poetry, Response to images. Eton College set it as a 13+ English paper.
How long is the Eton College 13+ English paper?
This paper is timed at 75 minutes for 75 marks — roughly 60 seconds a mark. Hearthprep runs the same clock on screen, so your child sees how far through the time they are as they answer.
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 4 and the marking come with a paid plan.
Where does this Eton College paper come from?
This is the school's own past paper, reproduced here with worked solutions by Hearthprep. Use it to time a full mock attempt, then drill whichever topics your child drops marks on.
Loading the interactive paper…