Winchester College — 13+ English Entrance Exam 2023
Winchester College set this 13+ English paper in 2023. Hearthprep hosts it as an interactive past paper — 15 questions worth 120 marks in 120 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 Winchester College (2023). 15 questions, 120 marks. Answer interactively with worked solutions. Covers Creative Writing, Literary Analysis, Persuasive & Discursive Writing, Poetry, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary.
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
- Winchester College
- Entry level
- 13+
- Subject
- English
- Year
- 2023
- Questions
- 15
- Marks
- 120
- Time
- 120 minutes
- Exam board
- ISEB
Topics in this paper
- Creative Writing
- Literary Analysis
- Persuasive & Discursive Writing
- Poetry
- Reading Comprehension
- Vocabulary
Questions in this paper (3 of 15)
- Question 1written answer · 1 mark
SECTION A: PROSE (30 marks; spend about 45 minutes). Choose EITHER Section A (Prose) OR Section B (Poetry). This extract is from a short story 'The Entrance' by Gerald Durrell. Alone by candlelight in a renovated French chateau during a storm, the narrator reads, then notices something strange in the mirror. Read the extract carefully and answer the questions that follow in full sentences. It w…
- Question 2written answer · 1 mark
[Reading passage - Section A: an extract from Gerald Durrell's Gothic short story 'The Entrance'. Alone by candlelight in a French chateau during a storm, the narrator notices that the salon door's reflection in a mirror is opening, though the real door stays shut. A skeletal, yellow, claw-like hand gropes out from behind the mirror-door; testing whether he is hallucinating, he sends his dog Ag…
- Question 3written answer · 8 marks
[Reading passage - Section A: an extract from Gerald Durrell's Gothic short story 'The Entrance'. Alone by candlelight in a French chateau during a storm, the narrator notices that the salon door's reflection in a mirror is opening, though the real door stays shut. A skeletal, yellow, claw-like hand gropes out from behind the mirror-door; testing whether he is hallucinating, he sends his dog Ag…
12 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 Winchester College — 13+ English Entrance Exam 2023?
15 questions worth 120 marks in total, written for 120 minutes. It covers Creative Writing, Literary Analysis, Persuasive & Discursive Writing, Poetry, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary. Winchester College set it as a 13+ English paper.
How long is the Winchester College 13+ English paper?
This paper is timed at 120 minutes for 120 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 12 and the marking come with a paid plan.
Where does this Winchester 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…