Dear parents,
Please see the SEAG website for more information and key dates.
Which schools are taking part as Assessment Centres?
All Assessment Centres (schools) operate on a first come first serve basis. Please register early so that your child can sit the test in your first choice of Centre.
See the SEAG website for more information on your local Assessment Centre.
What is the cost of applying for the SEAG tests?
There is an administration fee of £20 to register a child to sit the Entrance Assessment. Parents of pupils with a Free School Meals Entitlement (FSME) are exempt from the £20 fee.
What is the SEAG?
The SEAG Entrance Assessment consists of two test papers of English and Mathematics. These tests are taken on 2 Saturday mornings in November by pupils who wish to be considered for a place at a Grammar School. Post primary secondary schools cannot use the SEAG tests results for entry into their schools.
What will be in the tests?
Both papers assess English and Mathematics and both have an identical format consisting of three Sections:
- The first Section, the Practice Test Section, has 5 English followed by 5 Maths questions. These questions are designed to help pupils settle before the Main Test begins. The Practice Test is not assessed.
- The second Section is the English Main Test. It has 28 questions(Q1-Q28).
- There is a "Punctuation Exercise" containing 5 multiple choice questions, a "Grammar Exercise" also with 5 multiple choice questions and a "Spelling Exercise" with 5 multiple choice questions (Q1-Q15).
- This is followed by an "English Comprehension". Pupils carefully read a passage and are then asked 13 questions; 7 of these are multiple choice (Q16-Q22). The final 6 questions (Q23-Q28) are described as "free response"; the pupil writes the answer to each in the space provided in the Answer Sheet.
- The third Section is the Maths Main Test. It also has 28 questions (Q29-Q56).
- The first 22 Maths questions (Q29-Q50) are multiple choice questions. The final 6 Maths questions (Q51-Q56) are described as "free response". For each of these questions the pupil works out the correct answer and writes the answer in the space provided in the Answer Sheet.
- Pupils will have 60 minutes to answer the 56 questions.
- Each of the multiple choice questions has 5 possible answers
What happens if a test is missed?
SEAG is very clear that its Entrance Assessment consists of two papers. A pupil who only takes one paper (i.e., either Paper 1 or Paper 2 but not both) will not have completed the full Entrance Assessment. Such pupils will, however, have their "single paper" marked by GL Assessment and will receive a Statement of Outcomes. Outcomes for pupils who only sit one paper will have the designation "e" (for estimate) immediately after the Outcome, e.g., Total Standardised Age Score TSAS 196e; Band 4e.
What do I do with the results?
Although SEAG provides the Entrance Assessment and Statements of Outcomes for each pupil it has no role or involvement in decisions as to how each SEAG school uses those Outcomes. Decisions relating to the Year 8 Admissions Criteria such as whether to use Total Standardised Age Score, Band, a combination of both or by some other method are entirely a matter for the Board of Governors of each SEAG school.
Each Board of Governors has a responsibility to publish its Admissions Criteria for Year 8 September Entry. These Criteria are published in the school year before parents / guardians begin the Post Primary Transfer Application Process.
What results will I get?
The Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) is the overall outcome from the Entrance Assessment, based on the 56 English Questions in Papers 1 and 2 and the 56 Maths questions in
Papers 1 and 2. The Total SAS is the sum of the English SAS and the Maths SAS. The Total SAS range will be 138-282 with a mean (or average) of 200.
A Standardised Age Score (SAS) takes account of a child's age when he/she took the assessment, the number of correct answers and the degree of difficulty of the assessment.
Outcomes are also given as one of six Bands. The Bands are designated as Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5 and Band 6 and Cohort* Percentiles are used to determine the borderline for each Band. * *Cohort means all those who take the SEAG Entrance Assessment in a given year.
SEAG Band & Cohort Percentile
1 - 60%+
2 - 50-59%
3 - 40-49%
4 - 30-39%
5 - 20-29%
6 - 20% and below
60%+ (Band 1) means pupils who are in the top 40% of those who sat the Assessment; 50-59% (Band 2) means pupils who are in the top 50% but not the top 40% of those who sat the Assessment etc.
As well as receiving the Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) and Band you will be given your child's English SAS, their Maths SAS and further information about the Cohort Percentile Ranking (CPR).
The English SAS is the Standardised Age Score based on answers to the 56 English questions. The English SAS range will be 69-141 with a mean (or average) of 100 and it is provided to inform parents and primary school teachers as to how their children have performed in this aspect of the Entrance Assessment.
The Maths SAS is the Standardised Age Score based on answers to the 56 Maths questions. The Maths SAS range will be 69-141 with a mean (or average) of 100 and it is provided to inform parents and primary school teachers as to how their children have performed in this aspect of the Entrance Assessment.
You may be familiar with the scores from standardised tests used in your child's primary school, e.g., Progress Test in English and/or Progress Test in Maths, which also use this scale.
Further Information about the Cohort* Percentile Ranking (CPR): Pupils in Band 1 will be in the top 40% of those who sat the Assessment. Bands 2-5 will each contain 10% of the total cohort. Actual CPRs will be provided for pupils in Bands 2-4 to help inform parents who may be considering a re-mark in the hope that their children could achieve a higher band.
School Open nights
Post primary schools will hold their Open Nights, usually in January, so that you and your child may have a look at the school before choosing.
If you have any specific questions regarding SEAG, please use the contacts on the SEAG website for more information.
