Does my child need IELTS for a UK boarding school?

No. UK boarding schools test English themselves, through their own papers, the ISEB Pre-Tests or UKiset, and the Child Student visa has no English requirement. IELTS is also not recommended under 16. A few schools quote an IELTS-equivalent level as a guide, around 5 to 5.5 according to secondary sources.

Is UKiset compulsory?

It depends on the school and the entry point. Wellington requires it at 16+ for non-native speakers and makes it optional at 13+; Oundle asks for a UKiset report or equivalent early in the process; Sevenoaks reportedly does not require it. Your agency or the school's admissions office will say. Where it is needed, sit it within twelve months of entry, because results are valid for one year.

Can you prepare the whole UKiset?

We prepare the English section, which is Cambridge Linguaskill (reading and listening) plus a creative-writing task, and the vocabulary that feeds it. For the maths section IB Doctor's maths tutors can help. Non-verbal reasoning we do not teach. Gabbitas issues no sample papers, so preparation means raising real reading, writing and vocabulary, not drilling a past paper.

When should we start?

For 16+ entry the assessments run in November a year ahead, with registration deadlines in October, so start the English in the spring or summer before. For 11+ and 13+ the ISEB window opens in September. UKiset can be retaken after three months, which leaves room for one more attempt if the first result is short.

What about US boarding schools?

They want an English test score, usually TOEFL iBT, IELTS or Duolingo, plus SSAT or ISEE. Andover's admitted international students mostly score TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.5 or Duolingo 135 or above. The English test preparation is on our IELTS and TOEFL page; the SSAT's verbal and reading sections overlap with that work, the maths section does not.

Do you work with placement agencies?

Yes. Several agencies that place German-speaking pupils in UK and Swiss schools refer families to us. The agency chooses schools and manages the application; we prepare the English and report progress to the family and, if you wish, to the agency.

Boarding school entry

English for boarding school entry in the UK, US and Switzerland

In short: We prepare students aged 11 to 16 from Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the English side of boarding school admission: the English in UKiset and the ISEB Pre-Tests, schools' own English papers, the interview, and the TOEFL or Duolingo scores US schools ask for, 1-to-1 online from £52.50 an hour. UKiset also tests maths and reasoning; we cover the English and say so plainly.

British boarding schools do not ask for IELTS. They test English themselves, and what they test depends on the entry point. At 11+ and 13+ most use their own papers or the ISEB Common Pre-Tests, which include English comprehension and grammar. At 16+ many ask international applicants for UKiset: Wellington makes it mandatory for non-native speakers at 16+ and optional at 13+, Oundle asks for a UKiset report or equivalent at the earliest stage, and Concord College wants intermediate English on arrival and will not teach beginners. The UK Child Student visa itself has no English requirement.

US boarding schools work differently: Andover says most admitted international students score at or above TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.5 or Duolingo 135, and everyone also sits SSAT or ISEE; Hotchkiss requires one of the English tests plus SSAT or ISEE. Swiss English-medium schools test on entry: Le Rosey expects students from 15 to master English or French, and Leysin American School uses a placement test or accepts IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo.

Placement agencies choose the schools and run the applications. What nobody in the DACH market offers is the English preparation in between, so that is what this course does: the reading, listening and writing that UKiset's Linguaskill section and the entrance papers test, the interview in English, and for US schools the TOEFL or Duolingo score. We do not teach maths or non-verbal reasoning here, and there are no official UKiset sample papers for anyone to sell.

11 to 16
Ages: 1:1
1-to-1 online, 60-minute lessons: from £52.50
per hour: 17 October 2026
Facts checked

Who this is for

Pupils applying for 11+, 13+ or 16+ entry to a UK boarding school from a German, Austrian or Swiss school.
16+ applicants who have been asked for a UKiset report and need the English section at sixth-form level.
Applicants to US boarding schools who need TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo alongside SSAT or ISEE.
Applicants to Swiss English-medium boarding schools with an English placement test or interview.
Families working with a placement agency who want the English ready before the test dates.
Students a school has told to arrive with intermediate English.

What the course covers

The plan follows the schools on the list and the tests each one sets.

UKiset English readiness

Reading and listening at the level Linguaskill reports as CEFR B1 to C1, a timed creative-writing task, and the vocabulary, grammar and spelling the test samples. General academic English rather than tricks, because Gabbitas issues no sample papers.

School entrance English papers

Comprehension of unseen fiction and non-fiction, composition under time, and the question styles of the ISEB Pre-Tests and the schools' own 11+, 13+ and 16+ papers.

The interview

The 30-minute online interview with a Head or admissions tutor, and the recorded Vericant-style interview with a writing sample that US schools use: talking about school, interests and why this school, naturally and in full sentences.

16+ academic English

Reading non-fiction at sixth-form level, essay structure, and the subject vocabulary of the A-level or IB subjects the student will take.

US tests

TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Junior and Duolingo targets for the schools on the list, with the test preparation itself on our IELTS and TOEFL page. SSAT and ISEE maths are not covered here.

Timeline and registration

16+ assessments run in the November a year before entry, with registration deadlines in October; UKiset results are valid for one year and can be retaken after three months; the ISEB window runs from September to May. We plan backwards from those dates.

What the schools test, at a glance

UKiset	Run by Gabbitas, ages 9.5 to 18. Vocabulary, maths and non-verbal reasoning, plus English (reading, listening, creative writing, grammar and spelling) through Cambridge Linguaskill, reported as a CEFR level. £295, 10 % more at weekends; valid one year; retake after three months; sat online under invigilation; the report goes to up to five schools. Gabbitas says over 250 schools use it and issues no sample papers.
ISEB Common Pre-Tests, 11+ and 13+	Online and adaptive: maths, English (reading comprehension and grammar), verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Usually taken in Year 6 or 7; overseas pupils sit them at international schools or approved centres such as the British Council. The 2026-27 window runs from 1 September 2026 to late May 2027.
What schools say	Wellington: UKiset mandatory at 16+ for non-native speakers, optional at 13+. Oundle: a UKiset report or equivalent at the earliest stage; 11+ tests in January; 16+ assessment weekend in November, register by 1 October. Concord: intermediate English on arrival, no beginners. Where schools publish a number, secondary sources put it around IELTS 5 to 5.5.
UK visa	The Child Student visa has no English language requirement.
US schools	Andover: most admitted international students score at or above TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.5 or Duolingo 135, and all sit SSAT, ISEE or similar. Hotchkiss: TOEFL, Duolingo or IELTS plus SSAT or ISEE. Midland: TOEFL 90 or Duolingo 125. SSAT: Middle Level for grades 5 to 7, Upper Level for 8 to 11, US$339 internationally.
Swiss English-medium schools	Le Rosey: from age 15 students must master English or French; entrance tests in maths, English or French and the mother tongue. Leysin American School: an English placement test, or IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo scores.
Interviews	Many UK schools hold a 30-minute online interview with the Head or an admissions tutor. US schools often use a recorded Vericant interview with a proctored 30-minute writing sample.

School requirements from each school's own admissions pages or policies, checked on the date below. Requirements change by year group and year; confirm with the school or your agency.

UKiset is not an English test, and it has no past papers

UKiset tests maths and non-verbal reasoning as well as English. This course prepares the English section, which is Cambridge Linguaskill plus a writing task; for the maths section IB Doctor's maths tutors can help, and reasoning we do not teach. Gabbitas states that sample papers are not issued, so anyone selling UKiset past papers is not selling the real thing.

We work with your placement agency, not instead of it

The agency chooses schools, manages the applications and knows each school's process. We prepare the English. Send us the school list, the entry point and the test dates, and if the school has shared a test format, that too.

How it works

1
Schools, entry point, dates
Tell us the schools on the list, the year of entry and the test and interview dates the agency has given you.
2
Diagnostic at the school's level
Reading, writing and a short interview in the first lesson, judged against what that entry point expects, so you know the gap before the tests.
3
Papers, writing, interview
Weekly lessons on the test formats, timed writing between lessons, and interview practice that gets recorded and reviewed.
4
Mock test and mock interview
Two weeks before the real dates: a timed mock paper and a mock interview with a different tutor, then a short plan for the final days.

How many hours?

Entry at 11+ or 13+ with solid school English needs about 10 hours on the papers and the interview. 16+ entry with UKiset needs a term, about 20 hours, because reading and writing at sixth-form level take time. A student told to arrive with intermediate English needs a 20-hour block before the test, longer if the diagnostic shows a level gap.

10 hours

£650

£65 per hour

Entry at 11+ or 13+ with solid school English: the entrance papers and the interview.

20 hours

£1,250

£62.50 per hour

16+ entry with UKiset, or a school that asks for intermediate English on arrival: a term of reading, writing and interview work.

50 hours

£2,900

£58 per hour

A school year of preparation for a student starting from a lower level, including the summer before entry.

Not sure yet? Start with the 3-hour Taster for £210: the level check plus two full lessons.

Test fees (UKiset £295, SSAT US$339) are paid to the test provider, not to us.

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Frequently asked questions

Does my child need IELTS for a UK boarding school?: No. UK boarding schools test English themselves, through their own papers, the ISEB Pre-Tests or UKiset, and the Child Student visa has no English requirement. IELTS is also not recommended under 16. A few schools quote an IELTS-equivalent level as a guide, around 5 to 5.5 according to secondary sources.
Is UKiset compulsory?: It depends on the school and the entry point. Wellington requires it at 16+ for non-native speakers and makes it optional at 13+; Oundle asks for a UKiset report or equivalent early in the process; Sevenoaks reportedly does not require it. Your agency or the school's admissions office will say. Where it is needed, sit it within twelve months of entry, because results are valid for one year.
Can you prepare the whole UKiset?: We prepare the English section, which is Cambridge Linguaskill (reading and listening) plus a creative-writing task, and the vocabulary that feeds it. For the maths section IB Doctor's maths tutors can help. Non-verbal reasoning we do not teach. Gabbitas issues no sample papers, so preparation means raising real reading, writing and vocabulary, not drilling a past paper.
When should we start?: For 16+ entry the assessments run in November a year ahead, with registration deadlines in October, so start the English in the spring or summer before. For 11+ and 13+ the ISEB window opens in September. UKiset can be retaken after three months, which leaves room for one more attempt if the first result is short.
What about US boarding schools?: They want an English test score, usually TOEFL iBT, IELTS or Duolingo, plus SSAT or ISEE. Andover's admitted international students mostly score TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.5 or Duolingo 135 or above. The English test preparation is on our IELTS and TOEFL page; the SSAT's verbal and reading sections overlap with that work, the maths section does not.
Do you work with placement agencies?: Yes. Several agencies that place German-speaking pupils in UK and Swiss schools refer families to us. The agency chooses schools and manages the application; we prepare the English and report progress to the family and, if you wish, to the agency.

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