Highworth Grammar School for Boys

Highworth is a selective grammar school in the Ashford area of Kent, and the entrance exam is the Kent Test, which is set by GL Assessment and used across the Kent consortium. This means the exam format is consistent across multiple schools, but Highworth's score threshold is likely to be higher than average because of the school's selective status and competitive catchment. Your child will sit papers in English, Maths, and Verbal Reasoning, all under timed conditions.

The overall difficulty is broadly in line with standard GL papers, but with a slight upward lean — tutors describe it as "solidly GL standard with a few stretching questions at the top end". The main differentiators are vocabulary and depth of preparation rather than trick questions or extreme time pressure. Children who have read widely and built a strong vocabulary tend to do better, particularly in the Verbal Reasoning and English sections. Maths is considered fair and predictable, covering standard topics like fractions, percentages, and word problems, with only a few questions testing more complex reasoning like ratio and proportion.

Vocabulary is the area where preparation makes the biggest difference. Both the Verbal Reasoning and English sections include synonym and antonym questions that catch out children who haven't actively built their vocabulary beyond standard practice books. Tutors recommend reading widely and using dedicated vocabulary lists to prepare. Verbal Reasoning is also the section where covering all question types matters most — children who have only practised a narrow range sometimes encounter unfamiliar formats in the exam.

Time pressure is generally manageable compared to some other Kent schools, so most well-prepared children finish or nearly finish the papers. However, children who haven't automated their arithmetic may feel rushed in the Maths section. English comprehension passages require inference skills beyond simply finding information in the text, so encourage your child to read widely and think about what passages imply, not just what they state directly.