To be accepted for the International Section, a student must pass a written and oral test, designed to determine whether s/he is capable of following grade-level instruction in English.

As the International Section programme is demanding, and most pupils must travel some distance to school every day, teachers also review a child’s school reports to determine whether s/he is likely to be capable of managing the additional workload of the International Section. Not all of the students who apply to the programme have either the level of English or overall academic qualifications that the teachers look for when assessing which pupils they believe will be successful — and happy — in the programme.