ICAS preparation that builds the reasoning skills the papers ask for.

What ICAS preparation covers

ICAS is an optional competition-style assessment sat at school, with papers in subjects including English, Mathematics, Science and Writing. The questions are pitched harder than standard classroom work and often ask a student to apply a skill in an unfamiliar way, which is why practice with the question style matters as much as the underlying content.

Sessions work through past-style ICAS questions in the subject your child is sitting, going through the reasoning step by step rather than just checking whether the final answer is correct. This builds the problem solving approach the papers reward, not only the content knowledge behind each question.

How ICAS sessions run

ICAS sessions run for 60 minutes, one to one or in a small group, in the weeks leading up to the sitting. A typical session works through a set of practice questions at ICAS difficulty, then reviews the reasoning behind each one with your child.

A written note goes home after every session covering what was practised and how your child went. Group sessions at our centre are capped at six students preparing for the same subject.

Who ICAS preparation suits

This suits a student who is doing well at school and wants a harder set of questions than the regular classroom provides, as well as a family who is not sure whether to enter and wants a session or two to see how their child finds the question style first. It also suits a student who has sat ICAS before and wants focused practice on a subject where the result was lower than expected.

It suits a family preparing across more than one subject as much as a family focused on just one, since sessions can be booked around whichever ICAS papers your child is sitting that year.

What parents can expect

You get a note after each session and an honest read on how your child is finding the question style, since ICAS is a competition against other students rather than a pass or fail test, and no tutor can guarantee a particular result band. What sessions can do is give your child real practice with the format before the day.