UK's leading 8+ tutors in London & online
8 Plus English Tutors
Keystone Tutors has over a decade of experience providing tuition to families who wish to send their children to some of the leading UK independent schools. With offices in London, Hong Kong and Singapore, we work with some of the UK's most experienced 8+ English tutors.
Here is a sample of the 8 Plus English tutors we represent
Why parents come to Keystone for
8 plus tutoring
At 8 plus we provide comprehensive tuition covering the core curriculum content for Maths, English, Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning, along with test practice, and honing of exam technique through the use of past papers and interview preparation.
All tutoring is tailored to the individual needs of each child based on their strengths, weaknesses, learning style, and the schools they are applying to.
Exceptional Tutors
A carefully selected team of experienced teachers, prep-school specialists and employed tutors who have a thorough knowledge of the primary curriculum.
School Specific Expertise
Our tutors combine a deep understanding of the primary curriculum with extensive experience of 8+ assessments at leading independent schools. We look beyond the syllabus to understand what each school is looking for, then create a tailored programme designed around your child's individual strengths, areas for development and target schools.
Experience with London's leading prep schools
Keystone has extensive experience preparing children for 8+ entry at some of London's most competitive independent schools
A highly personalised approach
Our Client Managers provide a high level of personal support throughout the tutoring. Parents receive regular feedback on progress, areas for further development and the focus of upcoming lessons, giving you a clear understanding of how preparation is progressing.
Developing exam skills
Exam skills are especially important at this age level, as more often than not this is the first time a child will have sat a proper examination. It is therefore not only very important that your child is familiar with the content required for each exam, but also that they develop exam skills.
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Preparation tailored to your
child's target schools
There is no single 8+ exam. Each school has its own approach, assessment format and expectations.
Our tutors are familiar with the differences between leading schools and tailor preparation accordingly. Tuition may include:
8+ Maths
8+ English
8+ Verbal & Non Verbal Reasoning
8+ Mock Interview & Assessment Day Preparation
Exam Technique & Working Under Time Pressure
School Specific Past Papers
Finding the right tutor
for each child
Step 1: Detailed Consultation
Before we can help a student, we often need to spend a significant amount of time learning about the student's requirements. Most consultations are carried out over the phone or on a video call.
Step 2: Academic Assessment (optional)
Students sit our custom-made academic assessments to indicate their level in relation to their peers, and in order to identify suggested areas to work on. Parents also seek academic assessments for their children to determine their general strengths and weaknesses, and decide upon a set of objectives for the course of tuition.
Step 3: Tutor Selection Process
The selection of the tutor is an integral part of our process. Priding ourselves on how well we know the varying strengths of each tutor, we ensure that each decision is informed by the expectation of a successful match between the tutor and student.
Step 4: Regular Progress Monitoring
After the first lesson, one of our dedicated client managers will contact you to find out how the lesson went. Our client managers are always available at the end of the phone and they are frequently praised for their efficiency, dedication and responsiveness.
Step 5: Monthly Reporting & Feedback
Tutors submit a monthly report detailing the work done in the month; the successes and areas to work on; and the work for the coming month. Our regular, rigorous reporting is frequently praised by parents.
Request a tutor
Want to know more about our tutors? Contact us today to discuss your requirements.
FAQs
The 8 plus exams are a competitive entrance exam used by top independent schools in the UK, for entry into Year 4. Typically, students sit two exams, one in English and the other in Maths, although some schools also include a reasoning component and the academic assessments is often combined with an interview and/or a group based activity. Most English exams include English comprehension, a short creative writing piece as well as some grammar tasks. The Maths exam tends to focus on basic number operations. The tasks will have their roots in Key Stage 1 of the UK national curriculum.
The exams are typically taken in January, while your child is in year 3. However, it is important to note that the timings of the exams does differ from school to school, so do check the admissions page on their website!
Read more in our 8+ exam guide.
Our tutors conduct monthly assessments to track your child's progress.
Tutors submit a monthly report detailing:
- the focus of that month’s tutoring
- the form of assessment used
- the student's achievements and areas for further work
- the focus for the coming month
The regular, rigorous reporting of the tutors we represent is frequently praised by parents.
The tutors we represent are able to deliver in-person tuition within central London. For those outside of central London we offer online tutoring.
The tutors we represent are well-versed in delivering online tuition, using videoconferencing and an interactive whiteboard. This gives students, wherever they are in the world, access to experienced, high-quality tutors who are familiar with the requirements of 8 plus exams.
Tuition for the 8 plus exams would normally start in the January of Year 2, 12 months before the examinations, though some families may wish to start earlier. Our tutors will start by reinforcing the primary literacy and numeracy curriculum being taught at school before looking to stretch students academically. They will then look to develop students’ abilities to sit examinations and the skills associated with being successful test takers during their lessons (e.g., time keeping, exam vocabulary and structuring their answers).
Yes, we offer a trial lesson. With Keystone, you are not required to sign up for any minimum number of lessons, and we offer one-off paid trial lessons so that your child can determine if the fit is right for them. This allows students and parents tutoring through Keystone before committing to regular sessions. The trial lesson is charged at the tutor’s full hourly rate and there is no obligation to continue if you feel it's not the right match.
Articles on 8 plus
exam tuition
8 Plus Vocabulary List
Vocabulary plays a crucial part in all aspects of communication; listening, speaking, reading and writing. Children taking the 8 Plus exam will need to have a good range of vocabulary to call on in interviews, and when completing the reading, writing and reasoning aspects of the entrance exams.
This age group will be developing their use of logic and understanding of cause and effect. Comprehension questions at this level can include direct questions about word meanings and locating the meaning of a word in a given context. Schools will also want to assess a child’s ability to make inferences; where one has to use clues in the text to give an answer that has not been directly listed in the text. Sound vocabulary knowledge can help with answering these kinds of questions.
Written by Keystone Tutors
8 Plus Reading List
Reading List for children in Year 3 and Year 4 (Age 7 and 8)
Children studying for the 8 plus exams are moving on from the initial chapter books and early reading series they may have looked at during seven plus preparation and are starting to choose more sophisticated titles. Books at this age are starting to get longer and tackle a broader range of subjects. Children themselves are starting to develop preferences for certain authors, writing styles and genres and should be encouraged to read widely across a diverse range of literature.
Written by Keystone Tutors
A Guide to the 8 Plus
The 8 Plus – like its cousins the 7 Plus, 11 Plus, and 13 Plus – is an important hurdle to overcome in gaining entry to some of the UK’s best independent schools.
In the article below, Keystone Tutors cover the basics of the exam, its format, and the best ways to prepare for and succeed at this competitive assessment.
Written by Keystone Tutors
7 Plus or 8 Plus Exam?
Historically boys would sit for the 8+ and girls for the 7+. This was based around the fact that it was traditionally accepted that boys mature a little later than girls at this age. Assessing them later meant that they had more time to develop and show their true potential. However, nowadays many schools offer both 7+ and 8+ entry and as such parents have the option to consider which might be most suitable.
Written by Keystone Tutors
Keystone supports students at every stage of their education, from early years to university entry. Areas of specialism include:
