Entrance Exam
Every child who applies to join the First Year at age 11 takes the entrance exam.
The entrance exam for First Year admission in September 2025 is on Tuesday 14th January 2025. The application deadline is Friday 6th December 2024. If you miss this deadline, you can still apply online, but the exam will likely be on our supplementary day, Monday, January 20, 2025.
Please visit our Senior School admissions page to find out how to apply.
Our Admissions Officer Mrs Margaret Connor is happy to help with any questions about the entrance exam at admissions@stockportgrammar.co.uk or 0161 419 2409.
The Examination Day
Children spend the day with us in school and wear comfortable casual clothes – not school uniform. They should bring a pen, pencil and a ruler, and lunch will be provided. We want the children to enjoy their day with us and we have plenty of SGS pupils and experienced staff on hand to help them. During the lunch break they can choose to relax and explore, and to take part in a number of activities.
You will receive your child’s exam number, a reminder of items to bring with them, and car parking details a few days before the exam.
Papers
Applicants take three papers: English, Mathematics and Verbal Reasoning.
English
Our Entrance paper in English consists of two sections – comprehension and creative writing.
Comprehension
- Pupils are provided with an unseen passage
- Pupils then answer 40 multiple choice questions that test their ability to:
- Understand the events of the passage
- Make accurate inferences based on what they have read
- Define certain words from the passage based on their context within it
- Identify the grammatical function of certain words from the passage, based on how they are operating
- Appreciate the way that characters have been depicted within the passage.
- This should take 30 minutes
- Pupils should attempt every question.
Creative Writing
- Pupils are given a choice between two writing tasks:
- One task will provide them with an image and ask them to write a description or a story suggested by it
- The other will provide them with an opening line and ask them to write a story or a description that begins with it.
- This should take 30 minutes.
- Pupils should aim to write three developed paragraphs and spend the last five minutes, at least, proof reading their work as carefully as possible.
Mathematics
- 60 minutes
The mathematics exam tests present knowledge and potential for future mathematical development.
Syllabus
The syllabus is that of national curriculum mathematics key stage two. No knowledge beyond this is assumed.
Metric units will be used with their standard abbreviations:
- length (mm, cm, m, km)
- area (cm², m² etc)
- volume (m³ etc)
- capacity (cm³, ml, l)
- mass (mg, g, tonne)
- currency (£, pence)
Any use of imperial or foreign units will be fully explained.
Format
All questions are to be attempted, in any order. Space is given on the paper for working and answers. Credit is given for correct working even if the final answer is missing or wrong.
The first page of the exam tests arithmetic. The exam continues with other parts of the syllabus. Later questions require the candidate to understand and think beyond their normal mathematical experience (but without any knowledge beyond key stage two mathematics).
Verbal reasoning
- 30 minutes (The VR paper will be a scaled down version of the 60 minute sample papers)
Candidates are asked to attempt general knowledge questions and answer questions based on the information given.
Sample papers
A complete 11+ entrance exam paper is available to download in order to give your child some familiarity with the style of paper they will see.
Download the English entrance exam paper and answers (pdf)
Download the Maths entrance exam and answers (pdf)
Download the Verbal Reasoning Parent’s Guide (pdf)
Download the Verbal Reasoning 1 entrance exam and answers (pdf)
Download the Verbal Reasoning 2 entrance exam and answers (pdf)
Download the Verbal Reasoning 3 entrance exam and answers (pdf)