St Mary’s School, Cambridge: 9 Plus (9+)/Year 5 Entry Assessment Information

Introduction

 

St Mary’s School, Cambridge is an independent day and boarding school that caters for girls aged 3-18. The school welcomes girls from a wide range of backgrounds and different religious beliefs, enabling pupils to practise their own faiths; however, the school has strong Catholic roots, and parents need to embrace the fact that Holy Days in the Catholic calendar will be celebrated at St Mary’s.

 

Pupils at St Mary’s develop a lifelong love of learning. Committed specialist teachers inspire girls to work hard and be curious and creative, rather than passively taking in information. Teaching is adapted to suit the learning styles of pupils, and girls are appropriately challenged, leading to excellent academic outcomes.

 

There is something for everyone in the extra-curricular programme at St Mary’s. Girls can, for example, join the orchestra, gain LAMDA qualifications and take advantage of the many sporting opportunities. Participation enables girls to have fun while developing teamwork and communication skills.

 

Staff at St Mary’s School rightly believe that pupils need to be happy to succeed. All pupils are valued, listened to and flourish in the school’s warm, safe community. 

 

St Mary’s School, Cambridge: Contact Details and 9 Plus (9+)/Year 5 Entry Admissions Process

 

Address of Junior School: 6 Chaucer Road, CB2 7EB

County: Cambridgeshire

Admissions info: admissions@stmaryscambridge.co.uk or +44 (0) 1223 224 177

School type: Catholic independent school for girls

Assessment dates: Throughout the year

Entrance assessments: Creative writing paper, online assessment and interview

 

It is always a good idea to visit before applying for a place for your daughter. Visiting will enable you to gain a greater understanding of the ethos of the school and see if you feel it is the right place for your child. You can attend an open event or arrange a visit at another time.   

 

If you are interested in your daughter starting St Mary’s School in Year 5, you should contact the admissions team to ask about availability. (There is no specific deadline for entry to Year 5.) You should then fill out the registration form and pay the £100 registration fee for a day place and £150 for a boarding place. 

 

Typically, your daughter will then be invited to the school for a Taster Day. She will get to attend lessons and spend break times with her peers. Additionally, she will sit an entrance assessment. This will consist of the following:

 

• A creative writing paper
• An online test 

 

Your daughter will also be interviewed and a reference from her current school will be reviewed as part of the admissions process. The process is designed to make sure that St Mary’s offers places to girls who will be able to access their curriculum and make the most of everything on offer.

 

If your daughter is offered a place, which you should find out about the week after the entrance assessment, you will need to accept it by the deadline given in the offer letter. You will also need to pay a deposit, which is £500 for a day place and a term’s fees for a boarding place. The deposit will be refunded when your daughter finishes her time at St Mary’s or it will be deducted from her final term’s fees.

 

A candidate may be given preference if any of the following apply:

 

• She has a sibling already at St Mary’s
• There are reasons why she needs to attend a school with exemplary pastoral care
• Her mother went to St Mary’s or any other CJ (Congregation of Jesus) school

 

St Mary’s School, Cambridge: Scholarships and Bursaries

 

There are no scholarships or bursaries available for Year 5 entry.

 

St Mary’s School, Cambridge: 9 Plus (9+)/Year 5 Entrance Assessment

 

The creative writing paper is a chance for your daughter to showcase her ability to use language effectively. She should demonstrate that her spelling is good, her punctuation is accurate and her grammar is sound. In addition to this, she should show that she can use her imagination well and engage the reader.

 

The online assessment will test your daughter’s non-verbal reasoning skills, specifically her ability to analyse visual information, such as identifying patterns or relationships between shapes. It will also evaluate her mathematical knowledge based on the topics covered by the relevant national curriculum stage. The maturity of her vocabulary will also be assessed.

 

St Mary’s School, Cambridge: Preparing for the 9 Plus (9+)/Year 5 Creative Writing Paper and Online Assessment

 

At Exam Papers Plus, we recommend that your daughter spends time preparing for the entrance assessment to St Mary’s. The best approach is to study little and often so it never feels like a chore. It is also a good idea to start a study schedule well in advance of the assessment so there is time to work on any weak areas.

 

Using our targeted resources for creative writing will help in the following ways:

 

• Your daughter’s writing skills will improve, meaning she will be more likely to perform well in the entrance assessment.
• Your daughter will gain valuable insights into what St Mary’s School will be looking for in the creative writing paper.
• Your daughter’s confidence will grow because she will know what to expect on the day. Believing in her ability to succeed will increase her likelihood of performing well.

 

Using online Practice Tests produced by our sister company, Pretest Plus, will also be beneficial for these reasons:

 

• Your daughter can identify any weak areas she has and work on them before the big day.
• Your daughter will become accomplished at answering the sorts of questions that will come up in the online assessment, which will lead to a polished performance when it matters.
• Your daughter will not be fazed by the idea of sitting an online test, helping her to stay calm and navigate the test competently and confidently.

 

St Mary’s School, Cambridge: 9 Plus (9+)/Year 5 Entrance Assessment Resources

English

 

English practice papers, ideal for St Mary’s School, Cambridge, nine plus (9+) exam preparation:

 

 9+ Writing Prompts

9+ Rewrite & Improve

9+ Spelling

9+ Punctuation

 

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.

 

Online Assessment

 

The following online practice tests are highly recommended for successful preparation for the St Mary’s School, Cambridge, 9+ online assessment. 

 

Primary Insight (INCAS) – Year 4 – Practice Test 1

Primary Insight (INCAS) – Year 4 – Practice Test 2

Primary Insight (INCAS) – Year 4 – Practice Test 3

Primary Insight (INCAS) – Year 4 – Practice Test 4

Primary Insight (INCAS) – Year 4 – Practice Test 5

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the St Mary’s School, Cambridge, 9+ online assessment at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:

 

Primary Insight (INCAS) Practice Tests Bundle - Save 25%

 

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

 

 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about any of our resources.

 

 

Our resources aim to prepare your child for the St Mary’s School 9+ creative writing paper and online assessment. The information provided about St Mary’s School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of possible future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.

 

Please note that Exam Papers Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and not affiliated with or endorsed by the publishers of the St Mary’s School creative writing paper, the online assessment or any other test publisher.