Manchester Grammar School: Admissions & Entrance Exam Advice
How To Get Into Manchester Grammar School
T his article explains how to prepare for the Manchester Grammar School, or MGS 11+ entrance exams and assessment day. I’ll show you how to guide your child through the admissions process effectively, using past papers effectively and without wasted effort, if they are hoping to enter the Senior School in Year 7.
I’ll start by outlining the school’s admissions process, and then I’ll explain exactly how to prepare for each part of the entrance exam.
The admissions procedure has two stages: an Assessment Day in the autumn term, and an entrance exam in January.
The Assessment Day
This is designed to give the best possible opportunity to children who have not benefited from a prep school education or a private tutor, by seeing how they respond in a classroom situation: how well they learn and use new knowledge, and how they interact in a group. They will be taught a new maths concept which they’ll then have the chance to use; there will be a topic-based lesson; and there will be some group activities. There will also be a creative writing assessment, which in effect is part of the entrance exam.
The Assessment Day is designed to be fun, and the best preparation for this occasion is to encourage your child to be enthusiastic and positive, and to show kindness and consideration for the other children who are there.
It’s also a good idea for your child to practise their creative/story writing, because even if they are confident writers, most children don’t have a clear idea of what examiners are looking for (a wide range of 11+ creative writing resources is available here, including fully-explained example answers). I also write about creative writing in my school guides for City of London Boys’ and Dulwich College, and in this article.
Although the Assessment Day is different from an exam, a good level of Key Stage 2 (i.e. 11-plus) knowledge will definitely help.
The Entrance Exam
The entrance exam for MGS has four sections, apart from the creative writing which is tested during the Assessment Day. You can find past papers on the school’s website if you’d like to have a look at the style of each section.
In the rest of this article, I’m explain how to prepare for each part of the exam.
Arithmetic Section A
This section focuses on core Key Stage 2 (11+) maths knowledge, and tends to have 20 questions, which are similar to the questions in many 11-plus maths exams for independent schools.
When preparing for this paper, the first thing is to make sure that your child has a good knowledge of the core primary (KS2) syllabus. Above all else, they should be confident with:
Fractions, decimals and percentages, and converting numbers between these forms
Metric measures such as metres (and mm, cm and km), litres and mililitres, grams and kilograms, etc.
BIDMAS/BODMAS (the order of mathematical operations, and cause of so many 11+ mistakes)
Paper methods for multiplication and division (as well as addition and subtraction)
Mean and median averages, mode, range etc. (an 11+ favourite …)
Area and volume
Simple probability
This list is not exhaustive! Have a look at a syllabus like this one for a fuller outline.
The next stage is to use a range of 11+ practice papers in order to get your child used to all the likely question types. My advice is to use a variety of paper styles – not just Manchester Grammar School’s own – so that your child doesn’t get tunnel vision. They need to feel confident with whatever kind of question comes their way.
As often as possible, try to use practice papers with worked solutions. This way, your child will have models to compare to their own work, showing them how to improve: how to lay things out more clearly; how to get started with a tricky question; what other techniques they may not have thought of. 11 Plus Lifeline is the best resource for this style of practice.
Arithmetic Section B
This paper focuses on using maths for problem-solving. The level of maths knowledge required is not unusual in itself; but the exam requires a lot of logical thinking, and some of the questions (which are often quite long) are difficult.
Many of the questions in this section require the student to plunge in confidently with their working, without necessarily knowing exactly where they will end up. This is an important skill in any 11-plus maths exam, but especially here.
For this section, my advice about using practice papers is the same as for Arithmetic Section A. You might also like to look at the later sections of maths past papers for 11-plus schools such as St Paul’s Girls’ and Habs’ Boys, which are sometimes similar to questions in Manchester Grammar’s Section B.
English Section A
This is an excellent exam paper, and completely unique to Manchester Grammar School. It’s the hardest multiple-choice 11-plus exam in the UK, but this doesn’t mean that it’s something to be scared of.
The questions are usually very fair, and they are interesting. There are lots of past papers available on the MGS website, and multiple-choice skills are taught in detail here.
Some parts of the paper require comprehension answers based on prose texts and poems, while other sections are more abstract: for example, students are sometimes required to learn the grammar rules of an imaginary language and then apply them.
When using MGS’s past papers to practise, it is very important not to start using a time limit until your child is confident with what they are doing and is able to get a good mark (above 75%) while taking as long as they want. The real entrance exam’s timing is relentless and won’t give your child the opportunity to develop their skills. Speed is something to practise in the last few weeks before the exam.
My advice is also not to race from one past paper to the next, until you find that you have run out! Ask your child to complete a paper; go through the answers carefully and discuss the mistakes; then ask them to try it again. Meanwhile, save a few papers until your child is ready for proper timed testing, near to the exam date.
English Section B
This is a traditional written 11+ comprehension exam of medium difficulty – a type set by many independent schools. The emphasis is on finding information in a prose passage, interpreting and explaining it.
All the usual written comprehension skills apply: learning to read a passage quickly and intelligently; analysing questions to understand exactly what is required; providing clear evidence in the form of short quotations; explaining ideas clearly and accurately in your own words. There’s lots more about these things elsewhere on my blog – and in the 11-plus papers and solutions available here.
This video shows how to use my 11+ resources most effectively, and features paper styles relevant to various parts of the MGS exam.
I recommend watching it with the sound on. You can also choose to view it in fullscreen mode.
If you found this post useful or have a question, please leave a comment below! I’d love to have your feedback. (Tick the “Receive email updates” box to receive an email when I reply.)
For the most comprehensive range of resources to help with preparation for the Manchester Grammar School 11+ exam, you might like to try 11 Plus Lifeline (with a money-back guarantee in the first month). Every practice paper has full example solutions, with a detailed discussion and explanation for every question – like being taught by an excellent private tutor.
According to Tutorful, it’s “the gold standard for independent and grammar school 11-plus preparation”.
If you have any questions about Manchester Grammar admissions – or any other vaguely relevant topic – please ask them here! I’ll do my best to help you out.
Hi I need give my son name for 11+ exam I have no idea witch day I come and do admission I’m worried pluhelp me find out this thanks
Don’t panic! You’ve got several months left.
Fill in the following form, and send it to the school before the 19th of November:
https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/manchester/uploads/document/MGS-Application-Form.docx-3.pdf?ts=1531083122.
Of course, I recommend sending it in as soon as possible, and following up by phoning the school to confirm all the necessary dates.
Hi my child would like to take the test
I wish them the very best of luck! I don’t have any involvement with the school, but you’ll find the links for applying on their website. I hope the information in this article is useful as your child prepares.
My child wants to admitted of your school
I’m not from the school, I’m afraid! The very best of luck, though.
Hello
Thanks for the post.
We are intending to put our son in for the year 3 entrance exam. Do you have any advice?
We are not sure what comes up? As on the website it says you can’t prepare for it.
Thanks
Tariq
Hi Tariq. I’m not sure what the school sets for year 3 primary entrance. In general, I would suggest focusing on core maths knowledge, basic grammar (e.g. punctuation) and reading skills, and on encouraging him to enjoy writing descriptively. I certainly wouldn’t engage in intense preparation: there’s no point at that age. Ultimately, young children perform very unpredictably in exams. What they produce on a good day or a bad day can be wildly different, and there’s a limit to how much you can influence this!
Hi is there an entrance exam for A levels at MGS ? May I. Know what board of examinations they follow in their A levels and what their syllabus is ? Thanks
Hi Mina. These are probably things best checked with the school. By and large, schools tend to use different A level exam boards for different subjects.
Hi I want to know how can I register my son for 11+Enter exam for September 2021 please
You’ll need to register with the school. You can download the forms at https://www.mgs.org/5768/how-to-apply.
What is the Entrance criteria for the percentage you need to get a place in the entrance exam? Thank you.
It isn’t about the percentage per se – it’s about how a child performs compared to the other applicants. From your point of view, just focus on helping your child to do as well as they can.
Hi I am after some advice for preparation for Year 5 entry into MGS, is there any advice you can offer? Thank you
Year 5 entry is focused around an assessment day, of the sort discussed at the beginning of this article. There are also some short tests, but these are based on topics covered during the day: NOT on the ordinary primary syllabus.
Therefore, there isn’t much preparing to do, apart from encouraging your son to be enthusiastic and to have fun, and to be kind and helpful to the other children at the assessment.
The one thing that it might be worth practising in advance is some creative writing. My advice for St Paul’s, for Dulwich and for City will be relevant here.
Hi, I am looking for advice on how to prepare my 6 year old son, ( starting year 2 this September)for the entrance exam for MGS.
Many Thanks
My main advice would be to wait! Focus on his core academic skills (times tables, paper maths, grammar and vocabulary, enjoyment of creative writing), and leave serious thought about the 11+ until Year 5 – or mid/late Year 4, at the very earliest. You have lots of time and can relax a little.
How can we get admission?
You need to apply to the school via the form available on their website. See https://www.mgs.org/5768/how-to-apply.
Hello, can u advice on the best books to purchase for Mgs 11 +,Also do they add the assessment and exam result together?
I’m afraid I don’t know how/if they combine scores. I wouldn’t worry about it!
I would recommend my 11 Plus Lifeline resources, because they cover the multiple-choice and written-answer aspects for MGS. My books offer further written-answer practice.
Otherwise, you could use a combination of independent and grammar school preparation resources from elsewhere, but you’ll find that most multiple-choice English practice from other publishers is too easy for MGS, while few require the right sort of depth in written answers. These are the things I have developed my resources for.
hello My 10 yo is preparing for year 5 assessment.I need some guidance about curriculum as I am teaching him 11 plus books as I dont know what they are expecting from him.
Hi Sana. Do you mean the MGS assessment day (although that is in year 6)? If so, all my advice is in the article. I don’t have any secret knowledge about the assessment day that I haven’t included there!
Hi, Robert.
I was looking at the MGS English section A papers as you recommend that they are excellent multiple choice papers. But I found their comprehension parts in recent years are all poems. Shall I use earlier years papers( before 2014 )so my child has exposure to a variety of texts? Many thanks.
Yes, I would use everything. Besides, they might change again!
If you need more multiple-choice papers, you might like to look at 11 Plus Lifeline.
Hello Robert,
We are looking to get our 5yr tutored for the Year 3 MGS assessment which will take place January 2021.
He is presently in Year 1 at Oldham Hulme Grammar School.
Can you help us, or offer any advice please?
I’m afraid I don’t have any special knowledge about that assessment. However, I would be very cautious about tutoring a 5 year old. It isn’t something I would usually encourage, except in very special circumstances.
Hi, I wanted to ask how many admission places there are for Year 7? Thank You.
I’m afraid I don’t know, beyond what’s on the website.
We are from india and will be there in Manchester in the month of October from India. I have two kids. My daughter who is 15 years and 8 months old and son who is 10 years and 3 months. Is there any advice that you can give what grades that I try for my daughter and son. And would it be good if they come to Manchester in October
I’m afraid I don’t know! If you’re wondering whether they should visit the school in October, that’s something to ask the school admissions office about.
Hi
I am planning to move from Newcastle to Manchester .
My daughter is in year 8 we are aiming for in year admission for yr 8 in any of the grammar schools.
Could you advice regarding the assessment for in year admission .
thanks
Suneetha Ganta
Hi Suneetha,
I don’t know exactly how they will assess for year 8. However, the usual approach is very similar to year 7 admissions (for which see the advice across this blog, in my 11 Plus Lifeline materials and in my videos).
The main difference is that whereas grammar school 11 Plus tests for year 7 entry expect students to know the primary school curriculum up to the end of year 5, a year 8 entrance exam will expect knowledge of the whole primary school/KS2 curriculum.
Hello, just looking through the Manchester GrammAr Eng Sec B comprehension questions. Are there answers available to these? I am stuck on a few questions for the 2017 paper.
I’m afraid not. 11 Plus Lifeline covers this style of question in a lot of detail, however, with example answers.
Please could you provide advice for the 7+ exams?
The main thing is to focus on core maths and English skills and practise short story writing (so that your child feels confident and enjoys it). And above all else, work on times tables!
Hi,myson is in year 5. Couldu plz tell me when to put his name down for grammer school test ?
Hi Sana! It depends on the school and the district. Get in touch with your local education authority or the grammar school you’re interested in, and they will be able to help you. Good luck!
Hello,
Could you please give me the date of registration for September 2020 and, while applying do we send the online application form or a printed application.
Thanks
See here: https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/manchester/uploads/document/ONLINEAPPLICATIONFORM2020.pdf?ts=1562578788.
The deadline is 18th November 2019.
You could email a copy and put one in the post, thereby reducing the chance of your application being mislaid.
Hi, my son got failed 11+ from MGS this year. They don’t tell us the score. I can’t believe it, because he said it is easy for him, we prepare it a lot, I gave him test at home, the score is not bad.This year just paper A test. Could I ask the refused reason and if my son in the waiting list from school? Do you know how many proportions does the assessment day take from exam? Thanks.
Hi Lucy. I’m afraid I don’t know the answers to your questions. My advice in such situations is always to ask the school. The worst that will happen is that they don’t give you the answers you need.
I’m very sorry to hear about your son’s experience. It’s worth bearing in mind that they always have more intelligent, well-prepared applicants than they have places, and there’s a lot of luck involved as well. He shouldn’t take it personally.
I hope he’s very happy, wherever he ends up.
Good luck to you both.
Hi, My son passed GL (Tiffin Boys) first level exam, could you please recommend some level two pass papers please?
thank you
Well done to your son! Have a look at:
RSL 11+ Comprehension Book 1 and Book 2
RSL Creative Writing
RSL 11+ Maths
Hello, my son have a assessment day at MGS in a few days for in year 7 admission. What shall I expect from the assessment day and any tips you can share please?
Beyond what I’ve mentioned in the article, I’m afraid I don’t have special insights into the mechanics of the assessment day!