Slemish College PPTC Transfer Test (11 Plus) Information
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Table of Contents
Introduction
A co-educational secondary school, Slemish College was established in 1996 for pupils aged 11-18. One of the most oversubscribed schools in Northern Ireland, it was given specialist status in humanities in 2008. Located in Ballymena, Slemish College is fully integrated and welcomes children from all cultures.
The school works with pupils to find their own learning style, believing that it’s not just what you learn that matters, but how. The College encourages students to take ownership of their learning, allowing them to become more independent from the beginning of their time at the College.
Transfer Test Information for Slemish College
Address: Slemish College, Larne Road, Ballymena, County Antrim, BT42 3HA
Admissions Info: info@slemish.ballymena.ni.sch.uk, 028 2563 0156
School Type: Co-Educational Grammar
Number of pupils: 760 (approx.)
Number of Places in Year 8: 140 (approx.)
Open Day Date: January
Exam Date: November/December
Exam Board Type: GL Assessment
Slemish College Admissions
Slemish College is a member of the Post Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC), an unregulated system consisting of 34 schools that use the same standardised entrance assessment to determine admission.
Admission to Slemish College is via two routes:
- Route 1 – Academic Entry, 49 places. This route will be considered first with places allocated on the basis of assessment scores
- Route 2 – All Ability Entry, 91 places (non-academic entry)
In cases where there are more applicants than available places, the following oversubscription criteria is used, split into the two routes outlined above:
Route 1 – Academic Entry:
- Applicants who have a child currently enrolled at the College
- Applicants who are the eldest child currently in compulsory education, who have had a child of the family previously attend Slemish College
- Applicants who are the eldest child who are currently enrolled at a grant maintained integrated primary school
- Applicants who are the eldest child
Route 2- Non-Academic Entry:
- Applicants who have a child of the family currently enrolled at the College who have selected Slemish College as their First Preference Post Primary school
- Applicants who have a child of the family currently accepted through Stage 1 Academic Based entry who have selected Slemish College as their First Preference Post Primary school
- Applicants who are the eldest child currently in compulsory education, who have had a child of the family previously attend Slemish College, who have selected Slemish College as their First Preference Post Primary school
- Applicants who are the eldest child, who are currently enrolled at a grant maintained integrated primary school and who have selected Slemish College as their First Preference Post Primary school
- Applicants who are the eldest child
For more information on the admissions process or oversubscription criteria at Slemish College, parents can contact the school via email info@slemish.ballymena.ni.sch.uk or call 028 2563 0156
How to Apply for Year 8 Entry to Slemish College
Slemish College holds a couple of Open Evening events in January for parents and prospective Year 8 pupils to attend. At these events, parents can take a tour of the school, see the facilities and ask any questions they might have about the application process and/or Transfer Test.
Each school within the PPTC uses the same entrance test, so parents are only required to register their child once. Simply register your child via the PPTC website and refer to the site’s guidance notes for further information about how to complete the registration form.
Slemish College Transfer Test Format
Slemish College Transfer Test is set by GL Assessment. Children will sit two papers in maths and English. Both papers consist of multiple-choice questions and students will be given practice sections before each paper, with a view to familiarising them with the style of questions in the main test papers.
Maths Paper
The maths paper lasts for 45 minutes and has 45 questions. Most questions have been written either to assess the understanding of mathematical concepts and processes, or to assess the use of mathematics as a practical skill in a range of everyday situations. The remainder of the questions require recall of mathematical facts, properties or geometric names. Children will be tested on areas including numbers, money, measurement, geometry and statistics.
English Paper
The English paper lasts for 50 minutes and has 60 questions. The content of the English assessment paper is intended to reflect aspects of English language involving comprehension, vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and study skills. Emphasis is put on comprehension and so this is reflected in the structure of the assessment paper.
The tests are taken in November or December and parents should receive their child’s results in the post the following January. More information on the content of the test papers, visit the PPTC website.
How to Prepare for the Slemish College 11 plus (11+) Transfer Test?
The longer your child has to prepare for the Slemish College Transfer Test, the more time they’ll have to work on any weaker areas. At Exam Papers Plus, we advise that it’s best to start preparation early and ‘little but often’.
Practice 11+ exam papers are an efficient way of ensuring your child is in a strong position heading into the tests. Initially, the papers will give parents a good indication of their child’s current level, and as their studying progresses, the papers will help to chart their progress.
As the exam gets nearer, we’d advise that parents encourage their child to do timed papers under exam conditions, so that they get used to answering questions quickly. The more timed papers your child completes in the lead up to the test, the more their time management skills are likely to improve.
Students currently preparing for the Slemish College 11+ Transfer Test will find the following practice papers particularly 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 Slemish College 11+ past papers. The information provided about Slemish College 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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