St. Dominic’s Grammar School PPTC Transfer Test (11 Plus) Information
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Table of Contents
Introduction
St Dominic’s Grammar School was founded in 1870 and is an all-girls grammar school located in Belfast. Originally open with just four pupils, today almost 1000 girls aged 11-18 are educated at St Dominic’s.
The school is a specialist humanities school and performs extremely well in both GCSE and A-Level result tables. St Dominic’s has won ‘Northern Ireland Secondary School of the Year’ numerous times.
Alongside a varied academic curriculum, the school encourages pupils to participate in extracurricular activities in an effort to develop girls’ self-confidence and interpersonal skills.
Transfer Test Information for St. Dominic’s Grammar School
Address: St Dominic’s Grammar School, Falls Road, Belfast BT12 6AE
Admissions Info: info@stdominics.org.uk, 02890 320 081
School Type: Girls’ Grammar
Number of pupils: 966 (approx.)
Number of Places in Year 8: 141 (approx.)
Open Day Date: January
Exam Date: November/December
Exam Board Type: GL Assessment
St. Dominic’s Grammar School Admissions
Students hoping to gain a Year 8 place at St Dominic’s Grammar School are required to sit an entrance test set by GL Assessment. The school is one of 34 that form the Post Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC). The consortium was created in the absence of a new transfer system following the abolition of the old 11 Plus process.
In cases where there are more applicants than available places, the following oversubscription criteria is used, giving priority to:
- Applicants with a sibling who is currently or formerly was a pupil enrolled in the school
- Applicants who are the first girl in the family or the oldest girl in the family eligible to transfer to mainstream secondary school
- Applicants who are the daughters of past pupils
- Applicants who have a cousin(s) currently attending the school or who previously attended the school
- Applicants who have a sibling attending or who attended a Dominican post primary school or one of the school’s partner post primary schools
For a more information on the admissions process, please contact the school directly via email at info@stdominics.org.uk, or by telephone on 02890 320 081.
How to Apply for Year 8 Entry to St. Dominic’s Grammar School
St Dominic’s Grammar School encourages prospective students and their parents to attend its Open Day in January before registering for the Transfer Test. At the event, the school’s Principal will welcome visitors and there will be the opportunity to take a tour of the school’s facilities.
Children only need to be registered for the Transfer Test once as all schools within the PPTC use the same entrance assessment. Parents can apply for a place for their child via the PPTC website. Please refer to the PPTC’s guidance notes for further information on how to complete the registration form.
St. Dominic’s Grammar School Transfer Test Format
All children that take the St Dominic’s Grammar School Transfer Test must take two test papers in Maths and English.
Both papers contain multiple-choice questions and there is a practice assessment at the beginning of both, intended to provide children with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the style of questions in the main test.
Maths Paper
The maths assessment paper requires children to work through 45 questions in 45 minutes. The majority of the questions are based on the school’s curriculum, although there are some additional questions on elementary logic, mathematical facts, properties, or geometric names, aiming to test children’s intuition and understanding of mathematical concepts and processes.
English Paper
The English assessment paper requires children to 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 questions and punctuation questions.
The paper finishes with some general questions that focus on study skills. Overall, 60% of the marks are for the comprehension questions and 40% of the marks are for the spelling, punctuation and general questions.
Scores for both papers are age standardised and results are posted to parents in January.
How to Prepare for the St. Dominic’s Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Transfer Test?
With the help of our selection of practice test papers, students can increase their chances of securing a Year 8 place at St Dominic’s Grammar School. By implementing a revision plan early and introducing online practice papers, students and parents can identify any weaker areas that may require additional work before the exam.
Children at this age tend to learn more quickly if revision sessions are split into manageable chunks, as opposed to longer, more irregular sessions.
Our 11 Plus practice papers are designed to help students prepare for competitive entry tests like the St. Dominic’s Grammar School Transfer Test. We would specifically recommend the following resources:
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 St. Dominic’s Grammar School 11+ past papers. The information provided about St. Dominic’s 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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