Your shared admissions guide

Northern Ireland SEAG

SEAG provides a shared entrance assessment for participating Northern Ireland post-primary schools. Pupils in their final primary year sit two papers covering English or Gaeilge and mathematics.

Prepare with confidence.

Prepare for Northern Ireland SEAG with confidence. Use Plusling to strengthen core skills, learn from each explanation and see where to focus next, alongside the official assessment guidance.

Try five free questions. See the feedback for yourself.

By Plusling Editorial
A child choosing an answer to an original Plusling maths question on a phone.

Plan your approach

Year 8 entry

For September 2027 entry

Two papers with the same format and level of difficulty, assessing Language and Literacy and Mathematics and Numeracy in the Northern Ireland Key Stage 2 curriculum.

Assessment provider: GL Assessment

What the assessment covers

  • English or gaeilge
  • Mathematics

Both papers use the same format and difficulty level, based on the Northern Ireland Key Stage 2 curriculum.

SEAG offers official practice materials and answers.

SEAG includes fully and partially selective member schools; this page links only to schools present in the Plusling Index.

Two Dickson Plan senior high schools in the index take pupils at 14+ and are not SEAG Year 8 members.

SEAG membership does not mean every applicant must take the assessment. Check the school’s selective and all-ability routes before choosing preparation or applying.

Go to the source

Official information and familiarisation

From subjects to skills

Turn the assessment subjects into a practice plan.

Start with these core skills from the published subject list. Pair the official assessment material with regular Plusling practice.

English

A useful place to start

Read a short passage together. Ask your child to find evidence for an answer and explain unfamiliar words in context.

Build on it with Plusling

Build on that reading with Plusling’s English questions and explanations, then choose a topic to practise again.

Start the 5-question English quiz
Read the subject guide →

Maths

A useful place to start

Ask your child to explain their method, estimate the answer and check the final calculation. Notice which step needs more practice.

Build on it with Plusling

Use Plusling’s original maths questions and worked explanations to make those next practice sessions count.

Start the 5-question maths quiz
Read the subject guide →

Print, practise, build confidence

Printable practice for this test

Original Plusling papers with space to work and separate answers and explanations.

These are Plusling skills practice, not official school or test papers.

Keep the practical steps clear

Your application starting points

Use the official links on this page to answer these questions for your child’s entry year.

  1. Check the entry point and eligibility

    Confirm the year group, age requirements and any conditions that apply to your child.

  2. Put the right dates in your diary

    Note any published registration, assessment, application and offer-response dates that apply to your child’s route. They may be separate steps.

  3. Check the assessment guidance

    If an assessment applies, look for official examples, question formats, timings and answer instructions to help plan your child’s preparation.

  4. Check each school’s application steps

    A shared assessment may still involve separate school applications, preferences, interviews or supplementary forms.

Open the official admissions links →

Know where to focus

Give their preparation a clear direction.

See the topics your child has practised, revisit questions that need another look and choose a focus for the next session. Plusling helps you put your time where it can be useful.

  • Topic summaries and practice history
  • Choose topics in Focus Practice
  • Progress to discuss with the adults helping them
Plusling practice history, questions to revisit and suggested topics on a laptop.

Explore your options

Schools in this route

These are the participating schools currently included in the Plusling Index. Read each school’s entry arrangements alongside the shared assessment information.

Explore the remaining 57 schools
Banbridge AcademyBanbridge Bangor Grammar SchoolBangor Belfast High SchoolNewtownabbey Belfast Royal AcademyBelfast Bloomfield Collegiate (Belfast)Belfast Cambridge House Grammar School (Ballymena)Ballymena Campbell College (Belfast)Belfast Carrickfergus Grammar SchoolCarrickfergus Christian Brothers’ Grammar School (Omagh)Omagh Coleraine Grammar SchoolColeraine Dalriada School (Ballymoney)Ballymoney Dominican College (Belfast)Belfast Down High School (Downpatrick)Downpatrick Enniskillen Royal Grammar SchoolEnniskillen Foyle College (Londonderry)Londonderry Friends’ School LisburnLisburn Glenlola Collegiate (Bangor)Bangor Grosvenor Grammar School (Belfast)Belfast Hunterhouse College (Belfast)Belfast Lagan College (Belfast)Belfast Larne Grammar SchoolLarne Lecale Trinity Grammar School (Downpatrick)Downpatrick Limavady Grammar SchoolLimavady Loreto Grammar School OmaghOmagh Lumen Christi College (Derry)Derry Methodist College BelfastBelfast Mount Lourdes Grammar School (Enniskillen)Enniskillen Omagh Academy Grammar SchoolOmagh Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock (Belfast)Belfast Our Lady’s Grammar School (Newry)Newry Rainey Endowed School (Magherafelt)Magherafelt Rathmore Grammar School (Belfast)Belfast Regent House School (Newtownards)Newtownards Royal Belfast Academical InstitutionBelfast Royal School ArmaghArmagh Royal School DungannonDungannon Sacred Heart Grammar School (Newry)Newry Slemish College (Ballymena)Ballymena St Colman’s College (Newry)Newry St Columb’s College (Derry)Derry St Dominic’s High School (Belfast)Belfast St Joseph’s Grammar School DonaghmoreDungannon St Louis Grammar School BallymenaBallymena St Louis Grammar School KilkeelKilkeel St Malachy’s College (Belfast)Belfast St Mary’s Christian Brothers’ Grammar School (Belfast)Belfast St Mary’s Grammar School MagherafeltMagherafelt St Michael’s College (Enniskillen)Enniskillen St Patrick’s Academy DungannonDungannon Strabane AcademyStrabane Strangford Integrated CollegeCarrowdore Strathearn School (Belfast)Belfast Sullivan Upper School (Holywood)Holywood Thornhill College (Derry)Derry Victoria College BelfastBelfast Wallace High School (Lisburn)Lisburn Wellington College (Belfast)Belfast

Their next step starts here

Give their 11+ preparation a confident start.

Try Plusling together. Five free questions, useful feedback and a first look at a friendlier way to practise.

This is an independent Plusling guide. The admissions authority and participating schools publish the official arrangements.

Primary sources

  1. SEAG | Member Schools Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group
  2. SEAG | Assessment Guide Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group
  3. SEAG official practice papers and answers Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group
  4. SEAG 2026 assessment FAQs Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group
  5. SEAG 2026/27 assessment key dates Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group