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Introduction
Established in 1694, The Mary Erskine School (MES) is a private day and boarding school in Edinburgh. Approximately 758 students comprise its vigorous community, focused around an ethos of maintaining exceptional standards. [1]
The traditional curriculum at MES is supported by forward-looking teaching methods, allowing girls to obtain relevant education across a broad range of disciplines. Many students choose STEM subjects and proceed on to further education at esteemed institutions, including Cambridge and Harvard Universities.
The school also organises sports, trips and community involvement opportunities. Over 90 clubs, such as choir, robotics and chess, are on offer, ensuring that each girl’s education is well-rounded and comprehensive. [2]
Boasting a long and varied list of alumni, Mary Erskine’s is widely recognised for its culture of high achievement. The cohort is culturally diverse, yet the school consistently delivers outstanding outcomes, which is a testament to its successful educational model that effectively caters to the needs and aspirations of all.
The Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh, S1 Entry Exam Information 2025
Address: Ravelston, Edinburgh EH4 3NT
Admissions info: admissions@esms.org.uk or +44 (0)131 311 1111
School type: Independent day and boarding school for girls
Open Day: September
S1 Exam date: January 2025
Open Events at The Mary Erskine School for S1 Entry
Mary Erskine’s hosts Open Day annually, welcoming prospective families on campus for an event packed with activities. Typically held in September, Open Day includes guided tours of facilities and meetings with key staff members. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:
The Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh, S1 Admissions
The admissions process at MES officially commences with the submission of the application form, accompanied by a £70 non-refundable fee. The deadline for this is in late December of the year preceding entry.
Upon completion of the application, your daughter will be invited to sit an entrance exam that assesses her skills in three key areas. MES offers places to successful applicants in mid-February. If your daughter receives an offer, a deposit payment will be required to secure her place.
The Mary Erskine School S1 Entry Scholarships and Bursaries
The school offers Academic and Music scholarships to S1 entrants. These non-means tested awards have a monetary value, rewarding excellence in the relevant areas. Academic scholarships are also known as:
- Merchant Company Scholarships, valued at £300 a year
The Mackay Scholarships, valued at £1,250 a year.
Music scholarships amount to £300 a year. They also include free music tuition on a chosen instrument.
Means-tested bursaries are available to low-income families in a need of financial assistance with paying the fees. As part of the evaluation procedure, the school will take into consideration your daughter’s academic ability. Please click here to learn more.
The Mary Erskine School S1 Entry Exam Format
The entrance exam at The Mary Erskine School consists of the following assessments:
- English
- Mathematics
- Verbal Reasoning
The English papers examine comprehension and writing skills, including inference, spelling, vocabulary and punctuation. For the English writing paper, marks will be awarded for good use of imagination, creativity, form, purpose, organisation, cohesion and sentence structure.
The maths exam assesses your daughter’s problem-solving abilities and arithmetic skills. The paper will include questions on number, measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics.
The Verbal Reasoning paper primarily tests and assesses your daughter’s logical thinking, use of English language and vocabulary.
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for The Mary Erskine School S1 examination.
How to Prepare for The Mary Erskine School S1 Entry Exam
At Exam Papers Plus, we recommend that students follow a structured revision plan that includes practice tests. The more time students have to prepare, the more time they’ll have to improve any weak areas.
Additionally, practice tests serve as a great way to monitor a child’s progress and will help you assess your daughter’s natural aptitude and ability regardless of past learning.
We highly recommend a thorough revision timetable well ahead of exam day. The more prepared your daughter is ahead of the exam, the better chance she will have of achieving a good score.
Due to their practicality and effectiveness, our practice tests are used successfully by thousands of students every year. Our recommendations to help your child prepare for the Mary Erskine School entrance examination can be found below.
The Mary Erskine School S1 Entry Exam Practice Papers
NOTE: The 11+ resources provided below are specifically tailored to match the S1 entry exam difficulty level, making them highly relevant and suitable for exam preparation.
English
We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for The Mary Erskine School English papers. They will help improve your child’s comprehension skills, such as inference, and writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and punctuation:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
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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
We highly recommend the use of the following packs to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of The Mary Erskine School maths test:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
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Verbal Reasoning
To further develop your child’s Verbal Reasoning abilities ahead of The Mary Erskine School entrance examination, we suggest that you make use of the following packs that cover all the key question types:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
Masterclasses
11+ Verbal Reasoning Masterclass
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Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions have been included in The Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh 11+ past papers. The information provided about The Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh 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 The Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh.
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Author(s)
Louise Lang
Director of Learning
