The Independent Schools Examinations Board

What The Independent Schools Examinations Board does

The Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB), operating as ISEB Limited, is a UK private limited company founded in 1904 that designs and administers standardised assessments for pupils transitioning from prep and junior schools to UK senior independent schools. The company is headquartered in London (Fitzrovia) and operates with 11-50 employees across approximately 620+ customer schools in more than 50 countries. Its core product portfolio includes Common Entrance (CE) written examinations at 11+ and 13+, the online adaptive Common Pre-Tests (CPT) covering English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, the Common Academic Scholarship (CASE) at 13+, and the ISEB Project Qualification (iPQ) for project-based learning at Years 5-8.

ISEB's technology stack is built around an online adaptive psychometric testing platform that adjusts question difficulty based on pupil responses, supported by a three-portal ecosystem delivered via Eva Tech: the Guardian Portal (parent/guardian registration), the Senior School Portal (school admissions management), and the Invigilation Centre Portal (test venue administration). The platform supports SEND and EAL accommodations, multi-school result sharing from a single registration, and is integrated with Stripe and BACS for payment processing. Supporting consumer products include a free Test Walkthrough, a free Pre-Tests Admissions Toolkit, and a paid Prep Pack with 65+ preparation resources sold through the ISEB online shop.

The business model is primarily transaction-based: senior schools are charged per Applicant ID once test results are visible, with monthly invoicing, while parents register children for free. Parents and 620+ schools are the primary customer segments, with revenue supplemented by the online shop and endorsed third-party practice platforms (e.g., Bond Online Premium Plus). GTM is a hybrid of direct sales to schools, self-serve portal registration for parents, and a channel network of approved invigilation centres. ISEB celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2023-24 and has invested in organisational professionalisation, including the appointment of its first Commercial Director in 2022 and a new Chair effective September 2026.

Name

The Independent Schools Examinations Board

Legal name

ISEB Limited

Website

https://iseb.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ISEB is a UK exam board founded in 1904 that designs and administers standardised assessments for pupils transitioning from prep and junior schools to senior independent schools, serving 620+ schools across 50+ countries with its Common Entrance, Common Pre-Tests, CASE, and iPQ qualifications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Assessment Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Diagnostic & Adaptive Assessment Content (Skills/Readiness) (EDAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Standardized Assessments & Benchmark Exams Prep (State tests, MAP, ISEE/SSAT) (EDANABAD), Assessment Item Banks, Question Authoring & Test Development Content (EDAGADAG)

Keywords

• School admissions assessments
• Adaptive online testing
• Primary school examinations
• Educational psychometric testing
• Independent school qualifications

Headquarters

HQ city

Ringwood

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Senior School Test Fees: Senior schools are charged for each uploaded Applicant ID once test results are visible. Schools are invoiced monthly. This is the primary revenue stream for test administration.
2. Online Shop Products: ISEB operates an online shop selling preparation resources including the ISEB Pre-Tests (11+) Prep Pack containing over 65 premium resources, and endorses Bond Online Premium Plus for practice materials.
3. Professional Services: Support services including exam registration administration, SEND processing, and customer support portals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISEB designs, sets, and administers standardised assessments used by UK independent senior schools to evaluate pupils transitioning from prep and junior schools. Its core offerings include the written Common Entrance (CE) examinations at 11+ and 13+, the online adaptive Common Pre-Tests (CPT) covering English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, the Common Academic Scholarship (CASE) at 13+, and the ISEB Project Qualification (iPQ) for skills-based learning. Tests are accessed and administered through a multi-portal ecosystem serving senior schools, parents, and approved invigilation centres, supplemented by an online shop of preparation resources.

Product overview

ISEB operates a multi-product assessment portfolio for the UK independent education sector. The core offerings include Common Entrance (CE) written examinations at 11+ and 13+, Common Pre-Tests (CPT) as online adaptive assessments, Common Academic Scholarship (CASE) at 13+, and the ISEB Project Qualification (iPQ) for project-based learning. Access is managed through three interconnected web portals: the Guardian Portal for parent/guardian registration and applicant management, the Senior School Portal for school admissions oversight, and the Invigilation Centre Portal for test administration. Supporting resources include free tools like the Test Walkthrough and Admissions Toolkit, plus paid preparation materials through the Online Shop and the comprehensive Prep Pack.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Common Entrance (CE)
• Common Pre-Tests (CPT)
• Common Academic Scholarship (CASE)
• ISEB Project Qualification (iPQ)
• ISEB Pre-Tests (11+) Prep Pack
• ISEB Online Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• 520,000+ examination papers taken in the last 5 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Atom Learning: Atom Learning is an EdTech platform offering adaptive online learning, mock tests, and 11+/13+ preparation content used by UK prep-school families. It is an emerging player attacking the preparation side of the same admissions journey that ISEB assesses, and is a credible threat to ISEB's Prep Pack and online shop revenue.

Broad incumbents

• Cambridge Assessment International Education: Cambridge International is a global exam board offering IGCSE, A Level, and pre-16 assessments used by international schools. While not focused on the UK prep-to-senior transition niche, it overlaps with ISEB on the international-school side and represents a much broader incumbent assessment platform.
• Pearson Edexcel: Pearson Edexcel is one of the largest UK and international awarding bodies, offering GCSE, IGCSE, A Level, and a portfolio of school-facing assessments. It competes for the same senior-school wallet and assessment-administrative attention as ISEB, though at a far broader scale and curriculum range.
• AQA: AQA is a major UK exam board offering GCSE, A Level, and a range of school assessments. While its primary focus is secondary-level public exams, its school-facing assessment infrastructure and credibility make it an indirect incumbent peer for ISEB in the UK school-assessment ecosystem.
• OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations): OCR is another UK awarding body offering GCSE, A Level, and vocational qualifications used by senior schools. It is a broader incumbent peer that overlaps with ISEB on the school-administration channel and credential-recognition front.

Direct peers

• GL Assessment: Part of the Granada Learning group, GL Assessment is the leading UK provider of standardised, formative, and diagnostic assessments (including the CAT4, Progress Test Series, and NGRT) sold to prep, junior, and senior independent schools. It is the most direct competitor to ISEB's Common Pre-Tests within the UK independent-school admissions and benchmarking market.
• CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring): CEM, part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, provides computer-adaptive baseline, midYIS, YIS, and ALIS assessments widely used by UK senior schools and international schools. It competes with ISEB Pre-Tests on adaptive psychometric measurement for school-admissions and progress-monitoring use cases.
• UKiset: UKiset is an adaptive online assessment used by UK independent schools to evaluate international applicants' English, mathematics, and reasoning skills. It directly competes with ISEB's Pre-Tests in the international-pupil admissions funnel and shares the same target schools and parent channel.

Others

• ISC Research: ISC Research is the leading data, intelligence, and benchmarking provider for the UK and international independent-school sector. It is adjacent to ISEB because it serves the same customer base (UK independent schools) with complementary market-intelligence rather than assessment services.
• CGP (Coordination Group Publications): CGP is the UK's largest educational publisher of revision guides and practice papers for KS2, 11+, and 13+ exams. It competes indirectly via preparation materials and is an ecosystem partner adjacent to ISEB's Pre-Tests Prep Pack retail proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ISEBawards
• Facebookfacebook.com/ISEBawards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isebawards

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Independent Schools Examinations Board