Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School PPTC Transfer Test (11 Plus) Information
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Established in 1993, Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School is a co-educational Catholic grammar school located in Belfast. The school teaches approximately 770 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and prides itself on being inclusive.
The school delivers strong exam results and in 2018 it was ranked joint first in Northern Ireland for its GCSE performance, with 100% of its entrants receiving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C.
Transfer Test Information for Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School
Address: Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School, Ravenhill Road, Belfast BT6 0BY
Admissions Info: info@aquinas.belfast.ni.sch.uk, 0289 064 3939
School Type: Co-Educational Grammar
Number of pupils: 770 (approx.)
Number of Places in Year 8: 100 (approx.)
Open Day Date: January
Exam Date: November/December
Exam Board Type: GL Assessment
Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School Admissions
In the absence of new legislation being passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly to replace the previous 11+ transfer system, many primary schools in Northern Ireland have decided to continue with academic selection. Thirty-four schools currently make up the Post Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC), an unregulated system that uses the same standardised entrance assessment to determine admission.
As a member school of the PPTC, entry to Aquinas Diocesan is determined by student performance in the PPTC Transfer Test. In cases where there are more applicants than available places, the school uses the following oversubscription criteria, giving priority to:
- Children who have a sibling (past or present) in the school
- Children who are the eldest child in the family or the eldest child at the date of application, eligible to transfer to a mainstream post-primary school, or the only child.
- Children who are a son or daughter of a current permanent member of staff of Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School
- Children who attend a relevant feeder primary school
- Children who are entitled to Free School Meals
For more information on the admissions process or oversubscription criteria at Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School, contact the school directly at via email info@aquinas.belfast.ni.sch.uk, or call 0289 064 3939.
How to Apply for Year 8 Entry to Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School
The school encourages prospective students and their parents to attend its Open Day before submitting an application. At the event, parents can learn more about the admissions process and have an opportunity to tour the school and speak to staff.
Children only need to be registered once for the Transfer Test as all schools within the PPTC use the same entrance assessment. Parents can apply for a place at the school for their child via the PPTC’s website. Please refer to the corresponding guidance notes for further information on how to complete the registration form.
Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School Transfer Test Format
The Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School Transfer Test is set by GL Assessment. To be in with a chance of gaining a place at the school, children must sit two test papers in Maths and English.
All questions are multiple-choice and each assessment paper is split into two parts: a practice assessment and a main assessment. The practice assessment is intended to provide children with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the style of questions in the main assessment.
Maths Paper
The maths paper begins with a practice assessment comprising of three familiarisation questions and six practice questions. The three familiarisation questions are worked through with the children. They are then provided with a further 10 minutes to complete the remaining six practice questions. The main assessment then begins and requires students to work through 45 questions in 45 minutes.
English Paper
The English paper begins with a practice sssessment comprising of a short reading passage with three familiarisation questions (comprehension) and seven practice questions (four spelling and three punctuation) which take about 20 minutes to complete in total.
The main assessment then begins and students work through 60 questions in 50 minutes. The paper has three reading passages, each of which is followed by a number of comprehension questions. There are also a number of spelling and punctuation questions. The paper finishes with some general questions.
Overall, 60% of the marks awarded are for the comprehension questions and 40% of the marks are awarded for the spelling, punctuation and general questions.
Scores for both papers are age standardised and results are posted to parents in January.
More information on the content of the test papers can be found on the PPTC website.
How to Prepare for the Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School 11 plus (11+) Transfer Test?
At Exam Papers Plus, we can help students prepare for both papers in the PPTC Transfer Test.
We recommend that students begin their exam preparation early with 11 plus practice exam papers. Not only do these papers give students a general overview of their current abilities, they also enable parents to identify their child’s current strengths and weaknesses.
As students progress, they can continue to use these practice tests to check on their progress. As the exam date gets closer, we would encourage pupils to complete the practice tests under timed conditions to get them used to answering questions under pressure. Our practice papers come complete with answers, enabling parents to accurately measure their child’s performance and track their improvements.
Students currently preparing for the Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School 11+ Transfer Test will find the following practice papers especially useful:
English
Full Practice Tests
Skill specific practice
Masterclasses
Mathematics
Full Practice Tests
Skill specific practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
Masterclasses
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Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School 11+ past papers. The information provided about Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School was 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 post.
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