Start free trial

How to prepare for the Manchester Islamic Grammar School for Girls 11+

A practical parent guide to the Manchester Islamic Grammar School for Girls 11+ for 2028 entry: exam format, dates, preparation and what happens next.

GL Assessment Computer-based Last reviewed 4 October 2026

The exam at a glance

For September 2028 entry, Manchester Islamic Grammar School for Girls uses a GL Assessment entrance test. ElevenReady’s verified information confirms that the test covers Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, and that it is sat on a computer under timed conditions.

That matters for preparation. Your daughter will need more than subject knowledge alone: she also needs to be comfortable reading carefully on screen, moving between question types calmly and working at a steady pace. A sensible preparation plan should therefore balance all four areas rather than over-focusing on just English and Maths.

The school’s own admissions information explains that entry is not based on the test alone. All students sit an entrance examination and then have an interview with the Head Teacher. The school also says that its main intake is in September, although students may be able to join during the academic year if places are available.

On the day itself, parents should expect a formal admissions process rather than a single casual assessment session. The school’s published timeline for the current cycle shows that the entrance exam was scheduled across two dates in December, which suggests families should be prepared for a fixed session allocated by the school rather than assuming there is just one sitting.

In practical terms, the preparation priority for Year 5 and early Year 6 is:

  • secure core Maths and English skills;
  • steady weekly work on GL-style Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning;
  • regular timed practice;
  • some screen-based practice, not only paper-based work;
  • confidence speaking politely and thoughtfully at interview stage.

If you would like the overall school-specific summary in one place, see The Manchester Islamic Grammar School for Girls 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

Registration and key dates

Manchester Islamic Grammar School for Girls appears to run its own admissions process through the school rather than through a local authority grammar-school testing system. The most useful official page currently published is the school’s admissions timeline for September 2027 entry. Because parents reading this are preparing for September 2028 entry, treat these as the latest published pattern rather than confirmed 2027–28 dates unless the school updates the page.

From the school’s published timeline for 2027 entry, the process was:

  • Open evening: 21 October 2026
  • Registration deadline: 30 November 2026
  • Year 7 entrance exam: 10 December 2026 and 11 December 2026
  • Interview week commencing: 18 January 2027
  • Offers emailed: 22 February 2027
  • Deadline to accept a place: 15 March 2027
  • Taster day: 25 June 2027

For families aiming at 2028 entry, the safest way to use this is as a guide to typical timing: registration appears to run through the autumn term, with a deadline at the end of November, the exam usually in early to mid December, interviews in January and offers in February. ElevenReady’s verified directory also records a registration deadline of 30 November 2026 and a typical exam date of 10 December 2026 for the currently published cycle.

The school also publishes a registration fee of £60.00 including VAT.

Because the school’s current timeline page is for the preceding entry year, parents should check the school website directly for the 2028-entry application form or portal once it is published. Based on the school’s own wording, registration is handled by the school itself rather than by Manchester City Council.

Practical advice for parents:

  1. Check the admissions timeline page from the start of the 2027 autumn term for the 2028-entry update.
  2. Register early rather than waiting for the deadline, in case the school asks for supporting information.
  3. Budget for the registration fee when planning applications.
  4. Keep a note of possible interview dates in January as well as the exam dates in December.
  5. Sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates so you do not have to rely on memory.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Manchester Islamic Grammar School for Girls is an independent girls’ school, so its admissions process is different from the coordinated local-authority process used by state grammar schools. The school says that its main intake is in September and that students may also be able to join during the academic year if places are available.

The clearest official rule currently published is that all students must sit an entrance examination followed by an interview with the Head Teacher. That tells parents two important things. First, the exam is a required part of entry rather than an optional scholarship-style paper. Second, preparation should include not only academic work but also readiness for a short, courteous school interview.

At the time of writing, we did not find an official published catchment area, priority distance, oversubscription ranking, number of Year 7 places or a published pass mark/cut-off score on the school page provided. For an independent school, there may not be a state-style catchment rule at all, but parents should not assume this without seeing the school’s own current admissions policy.

So the sensible approach is:

  • use the school’s admissions page as the first source for current eligibility details;
  • do not rely on forum comments about pass marks or likely scores;
  • if you need clarity on availability, ask the school directly because it also considers in-year admissions where spaces exist.

If the school publishes an updated admissions policy for 2028 entry, check it carefully for any year-group capacity information, interview expectations or faith-related admissions information before applying.

A month-by-month preparation plan

For most children, the healthiest plan is steady work over time rather than an intense late rush. Because the exam is typically in December of Year 6, it helps to start lightly in Year 5 and build up gradually. The hours below are realistic for most families and can be adjusted around school, clubs and energy levels.

January to March in Year 5

Aim for 1 to 1.5 hours a week in short sessions. Focus on reading quality fiction and non-fiction, fluent times tables, arithmetic accuracy and a first gentle introduction to GL-style Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. At this stage, avoid heavy timed work. You are building familiarity, not pressure.

April to June in Year 5

Increase to 1.5 to 2 hours a week. Begin rotating all four subjects every fortnight so none is neglected. In English, work on comprehension, vocabulary and spelling patterns. In Maths, secure fractions, decimals, percentages and multi-step word problems. For reasoning, learn the common pattern families and keep an error notebook.

July to August before Year 6

Keep it light but regular at 2 to 3 hours a week. This is a good time to introduce some longer mixed practice and a little screen-based work, because the school’s test is computer-based. Do not fill the holiday with endless papers. A balanced routine of reading, mental maths, vocabulary work and one short reasoning task most days is usually enough.

September in Year 6

Move to 3 hours a week. Now the work should become more exam-specific. Start using timed sections rather than full papers if your daughter is still building stamina. Review weak areas every week. If registration for the school opens around this point, complete it promptly so you can focus fully on preparation.

October in Year 6

Work for around 3 to 4 hours a week. Begin full mixed practice under time limits, including some sessions completed on a computer. Mark carefully and spend as much time reviewing mistakes as completing questions. This is often the month when parents notice uneven performance across the four subjects; respond by rebalancing the plan rather than dropping the weakest area.

November in Year 6

Keep to 4 hours a week, split across several sessions. By now, timed practice should be normal. Use one full or near-full mixed assessment each week, then lighter corrective work afterwards. Practise calm pacing: answer what you can, flag difficult items mentally, and keep moving. If the school keeps the same pattern as the latest published timeline, registration closes at the end of this month.

December in Year 6

In the final run-up, reduce volume slightly and protect confidence. Focus on short, sharp revision, familiar question types and good sleep. Do not introduce difficult new material in the last few days. If the school again holds the exam across two dates, make sure your daughter knows which date she is attending and what the travel plan is.

Throughout the year, a simple weekly split works well:

  • one English session;
  • one Maths session;
  • one Verbal Reasoning session;
  • one Non-Verbal Reasoning session;
  • a short review session to correct errors and revisit tricky topics.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

For a GL-style independent-school entrance test, Maths preparation should centre on quick, accurate Key Stage 2 arithmetic and problem solving. Practise the four operations, place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, measures, shape properties and interpreting short worded questions. Because the test is timed and computer-based, your daughter should get used to working efficiently without writing out more than she needs. Short daily mental maths is more effective than occasional long sessions.

Useful habits include estimating before calculating, underlining key information in a question stem, and checking whether an answer is sensible. If speed is weak, revisit number bonds, times tables and common fraction-decimal-percentage conversions until they are automatic.

English

In GL-style English preparation, the main areas are usually reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar. Build strong reading habits first. Children who read broadly often cope better with precise comprehension questions and unfamiliar vocabulary. Practise retrieving information, inferring meaning, spotting tone and understanding why a writer chose a particular word or phrase.

Also spend time on sentence structure, parts of speech, punctuation rules and common spelling patterns. Because this is a computer-based assessment, it is worth doing some comprehension work on screen so your daughter becomes comfortable scrolling, rereading carefully and maintaining concentration without relying only on a paper booklet.

Verbal Reasoning

GL Verbal Reasoning typically rewards familiarity with recurring question types. Practise code and letter patterns, word relationships, vocabulary-based tasks, sequences, selecting meanings, and instructions that must be followed very precisely. The biggest gains usually come from two things: learning the method for each question family, and expanding vocabulary steadily over time.

Keep sessions short and focused. When your daughter gets a reasoning question wrong, classify the mistake: was it vocabulary, method, rushing or misreading? That makes future practice much more targeted. Timed mini-sets are especially useful once she understands the underlying methods.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning practice should cover shape sequences, rotations, reflections, symmetry, codes, nets, hidden shapes and similarities or differences between figures. Children often improve quickly once they learn to look systematically: count sides, compare shading, track movement, and check whether a shape is rotating, flipping or both.

Because NVR can feel abstract at first, start untimed and teach the visual rules clearly. Later, move to timed sets and encourage efficient elimination of wrong options. On a computer-based test, also make sure your daughter is used to studying diagrams carefully on screen rather than only in printed books.

Practice papers and mock exams

Practice papers are most useful when they are used as a diagnostic tool, not simply as a score-chasing exercise. Start with untimed or lightly timed practice to learn methods, then move gradually to stricter time limits. Always review errors in detail: what went wrong, what the correct method was, and whether the mistake came from knowledge, speed or concentration.

For this school, balanced practice matters because the test covers all four subjects. A child who spends months on Maths and English but ignores Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning may find the real test unexpectedly uneven.

A good routine is:

  1. learn a question type in a short teaching session;
  2. complete a focused practice set;
  3. mark it carefully;
  4. redo the questions that were missed;
  5. return to the same skill a week later to check it has stuck.

In the final months, add mixed papers that combine subjects and timing. Because the real assessment is computer-based, include at least some practice on screen. That does not mean you must abandon books entirely; paper practice is still valuable for teaching and review. But it should be complemented by digital work so the test format itself does not feel unfamiliar.

Use these school-specific resources:

If you book mock exams elsewhere, choose ones that match the school’s format as closely as possible: GL-style questions, a broad four-subject balance and, ideally, some computer-based delivery. One or two well-timed mocks are usually enough for confidence and stamina. Too many can simply create fatigue.

On the day

Keep the day calm and ordinary. The aim is for your daughter to arrive feeling settled, not over-revved. The night before, avoid late revision. A normal evening, a good meal and an early bedtime are usually far more helpful than one last burst of practice.

On the morning itself:

  • leave plenty of travel time so there is no rush;
  • bring any instructions the school has sent;
  • choose comfortable, neat clothing if the school has not specified otherwise;
  • have a straightforward breakfast and plenty to drink;
  • avoid discussing hard questions in the car or at the gate.

Because the school’s process includes an interview as well as a test, remind your daughter that good manners matter throughout the visit. She does not need rehearsed answers. What helps more is being ready to speak politely, listen carefully, answer clearly and show genuine interest in school life.

For the computer-based test itself, encourage these habits:

  • read each instruction slowly before starting;
  • watch the time, but do not panic over one difficult item;
  • keep moving if stuck;
  • check carefully before confirming an answer if time allows;
  • treat each section as a fresh start.

After the exam, try not to interrogate her question by question. A simple well done and a quiet rest are usually best.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

The school’s published admissions timeline for September 2027 entry shows the following sequence after the December exam: interviews in the week commencing 18 January 2027, offers emailed on 22 February 2027, and a deadline to accept a place of 15 March 2027. For families applying for 2028 entry, this gives a useful indication of the usual order even if exact dates change.

As an independent school, Manchester Islamic Grammar School for Girls handles its own offer process rather than the National Offer Day system used for state secondary admissions. In practice, that means parents should watch for direct communication from the school and respond by the acceptance deadline given in the offer email or letter.

The school’s own information also shows that entry includes an interview stage after the exam, so parents should expect that not all decisions are made immediately after the test sitting.

We did not find a published appeal timetable or formal independent-school appeal procedure on the pages reviewed. If your daughter is unsuccessful and you want feedback or to ask about waiting-list movement, the most sensible next step is to contact the school directly and ask what options are available. If you are interested in joining later, the school says pupils may also enter during the academic year if places are available.

What has changed recently

The main clearly published update we found is the school’s September 2027 admissions timeline, which sets out the current sequence of open evening, registration deadline, December entrance exam dates, January interviews, February offers and March acceptance deadline. That gives families a more detailed picture of the school’s process than a simple admissions summary page.

ElevenReady’s verified information for 2028 entry also confirms the format to prepare for: a GL Assessment paper covering Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, delivered on computer. Parents should base preparation on that verified format.

Beyond that, we did not find an official published announcement in the sources reviewed of a recent change to catchment, published place numbers or a newly stated pass mark. If the school publishes further admissions updates for 2028 entry, it is worth checking the admissions timeline page first.

Frequently asked questions

Does Manchester Islamic Grammar School for Girls use GL Assessment?

Yes. ElevenReady’s verified information for 2028 entry confirms that the school uses GL Assessment across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

Is the exam computer-based?

Yes. ElevenReady’s verified information confirms that the test is sat on a computer, so some screen-based timed practice is important.

When is the registration deadline?

The latest published school timeline shows a registration deadline of 30 November 2026 for September 2027 entry. For 2028 entry, check the school’s admissions page for the updated date when it is published.

Is there an interview as well as an exam?

Yes. The school says all students must sit an entrance examination followed by an interview with the Head Teacher.

Does the school publish a pass mark or cut-off score?

We did not find a published pass mark or cut-off score in the sources reviewed. Parents should check the school’s admissions page directly and avoid relying on unofficial claims online.

Can girls join outside the normal September intake?

The school says its main intake is in September, but students may also join during the academic year if places are available.

📄 Free Manchester Islamic Grammar School for Girls practice papers Start free and track readiness for Manchester Islamic Grammar School for Girls 🔔 Email me this school's key dates

Sources

Preparing for other schools in Manchester

Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.