Sample Sixth Form entry papers

For candidates who are sitting the 16+ examination, these sample questions provide an indication of the academic level required, the style of questions and an opportunity to practice the timings.

We do not provide mark schemes. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions Team via the details below or email admissions@latymer-upper.org

Latymer Upper School 16+ Maths paper

(60 minutes)

Questions will be set on topics that most candidates are likely to have studied by the end of Year 10, but will not necessarily be routine; rather they will be designed to test understanding of the topics and flexibility of approach to problem solving. A scientific calculator will be required. 

The list of topics on which questions might be set is as below:

Number

• arithmetic with integers, decimals and fractions
• converting between fractions, decimals and percentages
• percentages and problems with percentage change
• index notation and standard form
• ratio, proportion and inverse proportion problems
• surds

 Algebra

• solving equations
• solving simultaneous equations
• forming and manipulating expressions including multiplying out and factorising
• Generalising
• laws of indices

Geometry

• similar shapes including areas and volumes
• trigonometry of right-angled triangles
• angle properties on parallel lines
• angles in polygons
• areas and perimeters of triangles, rectangles, parallelograms, trapezia,
  kites, circles
• volume and surface area of cuboids, prisms

Probability and Statistics

• mean, median, mode, including from grouped data
• probability, including tree diagrams

SAMPLE MATHS PAPER

Latymer Upper School 16+ Writing paper

The writing paper will be in two parts (50 minutes in total)

Part 1 (20 minutes) will be an exercise in personal reflection.

Part 2 (30 minutes) is designed to test candidates’ written ability, quality of ideas and arguments. Candidates will be asked to write around one side of A4 or 350 words typed.

Examples of possible questions are:

1. Is all art useless?
2. When is the use of military force justified?

Latymer Upper School 16+ General Problem Solving and Critical Thinking paper

(60 minutes) This paper will consist of 25 multiple-choice questions designed to assess thinking and reasoning skills, which are applicable to a range of academic disciplines.

 Example questions:

1. Western consumers, when they find out about production methods, often boycott products that have been made by child workers in poorer countries abroad. They do this out of concern for the children involved. However, critics of these actions say that using child labour is a necessary step for developing countries to go through, one that Western countries went through, and these children bring much-needed income into their households. Therefore, such boycotts may actually make these children worse off in both the short and long run.

Which of the following statements most resembles the conclusion to this argument?

1. Child labour is necessary for a country to develop
2. Children of school age should not be exploited by Western consumers
3. Boycotting the products of child labour could cause more harm than good
4. Children should be allowed to work with their parents

2. There are shortages of almost all types of organs for transplant. Whether a donor can survive the donation, such as with a kidney, or organs have to come from those recently deceased, the donors or their families should be financially compensated to encourage more people to donate.

Which of the statements below would be a counterargument to the argument above?

1. some people who might donate are so wealthy that the compensation won’t be enough to encourage them to donate
2. People living longer through donated organs will ultimately cost the NHS more in the long run
3. If somebody died who was in jail, but an organ donor, you would be compensating a criminal
4. If you pay people for organs you might encourage the killing of healthy people to sell their organs either by criminals or by their poor families