Manchester High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2026

Introduction

 

Located in the Fallowfield area of Manchester, close to Manchester Grammar School and the University of Manchester, Manchester High School for Girls (MHSG) is an independent day school for girls aged 4–18. It opened its doors in 1874 and was one of the first academic schools for girls in the north of England.

 

The school’s alumni include the famous suffragettes, the Pankhurst sisters, and in 2010 the school launched the Pankhurst Bursary Appeal in their name to raise money to cover the costs of bursaries for 100 girls.

 

Manchester High School consistently produces results that are well above the national average (based on GCSE results for maths and English).  Alongside its academic curriculum, the school focuses on developing artistic and sporting talents with superb modern facilities to support this, including a sports complex, fitness studio, dance studio and purpose-built music house.

 

Manchester High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2026

 

Address: Grangethorpe Road, Manchester, M14 6HS

County: Greater Manchester

Admissions info: registrar@mhsg.manchester.sch.uk or 0161 224 0447

School type: Girls’ independent day school

Open Day date: Throughout the Autumn Term

Exam date: January of Year 6

Exam type / Board: School’s own

Pass mark: Aim for 80%+ in our practice tests. See below for more details.

 

Manchester High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Open Days

 

Manchester High School for Girls holds several open events for prospective students during the autumn term, including Open Mornings, Open Evenings and Working Day Tours. These offer families the rare opportunity to explore the campus and learn more about the school’s educational philosophy, as well as meet key members of staff. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:

 

 

Manchester High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Admissions

 

An application form can be downloaded from the school’s website, to be returned with a copy of your daughter’s passport and a non-refundable registration fee of £60. The closing date for applications is in December of the year prior to entry.

 

Besides girls’ results in a formal 11+ exam, the admissions process heavily relies on their performance in an interview. Please note that only candidates who do well in the papers will be invited to attend one.

 

A reference from your daughter’s current Head will also be taken into consideration. Offers of places are posted in February, to be accepted by the deadline in March.

 

Manchester High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Scholarships and Bursaries

 

Academic Scholarships are awarded based on results in the 11+ entrance exam. Only pupils who performed exceptionally well will be considered for this award.

 

Music Scholarships are also available and are awarded following further assessments and auditions. Potential music scholars will be expected to perform at Grade 4 standard on their choice of two instruments (or one instrument plus voice).

 

Dance and Sports Scholarships are offered on the basis of performance in practical assessments and a written recommendation from a dance teacher and sports coach, respectively. Please follow this link to learn more.

 

A limited number of means-tested bursaries are also available. Besides looking into your financial circumstances, the school will also consider your child’s academic ability prior to awarding a bursary.

 

Full places are typically offered to families whose total gross income is £14,500 or less. Please note that, if a bursary is coupled with a scholarship, the value of the provided financial support will not exceed the value of a full fee.

 

Manchester High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format

 

The Manchester High School for Girls 11+ entrance exam comprises papers in:

 

• English
• Mathematics
• Reasoning

 

The English papers examine comprehension and writing skills, including inference, spelling, vocabulary and punctuation. Marks will be awarded for good use of imagination, creativity, form, purpose, organisation, cohesion and sentence structure.

 

The maths exam assesses your child’s problem-solving abilities and arithmetic skills. The paper will include questions on number, measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics.

 

The Verbal Reasoning paper is primarily designed to test and assess logical thinking, use of English language and vocabulary.

 

The Non-Verbal Reasoning paper measures the ability to understand, interpret and problem-solve, testing logic and intelligence rather than knowledge.

 

Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the Manchester High School for Girls 11+ entrance examination.

 

How to Prepare for the Manchester High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam

 

One of the best ways of preparing for competitive entrance exams is to use practice papers. These help students to familiarise themselves with the format and question types they will encounter in the actual test in an efficient and effective manner. They also provide an excellent opportunity for students to practise working under time pressure.

 

Our practice papers, which are available for immediate download, print and use after purchase, offer excellent practice and preparation for the Manchester High School for Girls 11+ entrance exam. They cover all the key skills and can be used to identify any weaker areas that require additional work ahead of the exam and to help build confidence.

 

Our 11+ practice papers are thoroughly researched and up to date. They are designed to be age appropriate but challenging, to reflect the demands of a competitive entrance exam. Every year, they are used successfully by tens of thousands of students targeting independent schools with a competitive entrance examination process.

 

Manchester High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam Pass Marks and Target Scores

 

Pupils who are able to score 80%+ consistently in our 11+ practice tests should be on track to pass the Manchester High School for Girls 11+ test.

 

Whilst there are no guarantees, this has historically been a fairly strong indicator that your child should do well in the Manchester High School for Girls 11+ exam.

 

Don’t worry if your child is not scoring well in our practice papers from the outset. With targeted practice and focus, it’s possible to make big improvements in a short amount of time!

 

Manchester High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers

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NOTE: The following English and Mathematics practice tests are in standard format, which means that students need to write in their own answers rather than choose from a list of multiple-choice options. This matches the 11+ Exam format used by the school.

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English

 

To prepare for the Manchester High School for Girls English assessments, we would highly recommend using the following practice papers, which will help to improve comprehension and writing skills, including spelling and vocabulary:

 

Comprehension

11+ English Pack 1

11+ English Pack 2

11+ English Pack 3

11+ English Pack 4

11+ English Pack 5

11+ Inference Skills Pack 1

11+ Inference Skills Pack 2

11+ Poetry Comprehension

11+ Complete Comprehension Guide

11+ Reading Workbook

 

Writing

11+ Complete Writing Guide

11+ Writing Prompts

11+ Rewrite & Improve

11+ Spelling Pack 1

11+ Spelling Pack 2

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Manchester High School for Girls English exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

 

11+ English Bundle - Save 30%

 

If you’d like to have your child’s writing assessed and marked, you may be interested in our Writing Marking Service. Please click here to learn more.

 

Mathematics

 

To prepare for the Manchester High School for Girls mathematics paper, we would highly recommend using the following resources. They will improve your child’s problem-solving and arithmetic skills:

 

Full Practice Tests

11+ Mathematics Pack 1

11+ Mathematics Pack 2

11+ Mathematics Pack 3

11+ Mathematics Pack 4

 

Skill-Specific Practice

11+ Problem Solving Pack 1

11+ Problem Solving Pack 2

11+ Mental Arithmetic 

11+ Algebra

11+ Angles & Degrees

11+ BODMAS

11+ Estimation & Place Value

11+ Factors & Multiples

11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages

11+ Measurements

11+ Money

11+ Operations

11+ Perimeter, Area & Volume

11+ Position & Direction

11+ Probability

11+ Properties of Shapes

11+ Ratio & Proportion

11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry

11+ Sequences

11+ Special Numbers

11+ Speed, Distance & Time

11+ Statistics

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Manchester High School for Girls mathematics exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

 

11+ Mathematics Bundle - Save 30%

 

 

Don’t forget to use the code eppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a bundle.

 

 

Reasoning: CEM Select

 

The following full practice online tests are specifically designed to help your child become familiar with the demands of the Manchester High School for Girls CEM Select test:

 

Full Practice

CEM Select Practice Test 1

CEM Select Practice Test 2

CEM Select Practice Test 3

CEM Select Practice Test 4

CEM Select Practice Test 5

CEM Select Practice Test 6

CEM Select Practice Test 7

CEM Select Practice Test 8

CEM Select Practice Test 9

CEM Select Practice Test 10

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the MHSG CEM Select exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:

 

CEM Select Practice Tests 1-10 Bundle - Save 30%

 

✅ Alternatively, you can choose a bundle of five of our recommended full practice tests for the MHSG CEM Select exam and still save 25%. Select the relevant bundle below to learn more:

 

CEM Select Practice Tests 1-5 Bundle - Save 25%

 

CEM Select Practice Tests 6-10 Bundle - Save 25%

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The following resources consist of focused tests that allow students to target specific question formats that appear in CEM Select:

 

Skill Practice: Verbal Ability

CEM Select – Comprehension Pack 1

CEM Select – Comprehension Pack 2

CEM Select – Missing Words Pack 1

CEM Select – Missing Words Pack 2

CEM Select – Related Words

CEM Select – Anagrams

CEM Select – Shuffled Sentences

CEM Select – Letter Connections

CEM Select – Multiple Meanings

CEM Select – Selected Letters

 

Skill Practice: Non-Verbal Ability

CEM Select – Pictures

 

Skill Practice: Numerical Ability

CEM Select – Arithmetic

CEM Select – Data Problems

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the Manchester High School for Girls CEM Select exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:

 

CEM Select Skill Practice Bundle - Save 30%

 

 

Don’t forget to use the code ppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £80 and 20% off orders over £200 if you don’t buy a bundle.

 

 

Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions have been included in Manchester High School for Girls 11+ past papers. The information provided about Manchester High School for Girls is believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the article.

 

Please note that Exam Papers Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and resources, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Manchester High School for Girls.

 

Other entry points for Manchester High School for Girls:

 

Click here to learn about Year 3 entry via the 7 Plus (7+) Exam

Click here to learn about Year 4 entry via the 8 Plus (8+) Exam