SEAG Transfer Test 2026 (NI): Dates, Format, Scores and What Comes Next

Written for P7 families sitting the 2026 SEAG Entrance Assessment, for Year 8 entry in September 2027. Paper 1 is on Saturday 14 November 2026 and Paper 2 on Saturday 21 November, both in the morning. Results arrive online on Saturday 23 January 2027. Registration has closed - the late window ended on 24 September - so if your child is registered, the job now is four weeks of steady practice. After results, the score goes on your Education Authority (EA) post-primary application, which last year opened on 27 January and closed on 19 February.

The EA publishes its September 2027 admissions dates in mid-December 2026, so its rows below show last year's dates until then. Unlike England, where most 11+ results landed in October, Northern Ireland runs to a January results day and a May placement.

SEAG 2026 dates at a glance

What is in each paper

Both papers have the same format, and so do SEAG's four official practice papers, which are free on its website (Papers 3 and 4 were added on 24 September 2026). Each paper opens with a short practice section - five English and five maths questions, not timed or marked - so children settle and get used to the answer sheet.

Three details parents miss: your child can start with either section; spelling is only assessed in the spelling exercise, not the written answers; and a multiple-choice answer can be a horizontal line or a shaded box.

The content is based entirely on the Northern Ireland Key Stage 2 curriculum: comprehension, spelling and punctuation, grammar and vocabulary in English; number, measures, shape and space, money, probability and data in maths. There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning, so be careful with practice books written for English 11+ tests - our 11+ question-type guide shows how different those can be.

Scores explained: SAS, TSAS, bands and percentiles

The Statement of Outcomes gives five main results. The first two are the ones schools are most likely to use.

The bands are fixed slices of the cohort: Band 1 is the 60th percentile and above, Bands 2 to 5 are ten percentiles each (50-59 down to 20-29), and Band 6 is below the 20th. You also receive raw scores - how many questions your child got right in each subject and paper.

"Standardised" means the score accounts for your child's age on the day, correct answers and the papers' difficulty, so a June-born child is not compared on raw marks with a classmate born the previous July. And "average" means average among the children who sat SEAG - more than 11,000 had registered by 1 September 2026 - not every P7 child.

How grammar schools use the score

SEAG reports outcomes. It does not award places or set a pass mark. Each of the 63 schools that use academic selection writes its own admissions criteria through its Board of Governors, and SEAG says some rank by TSAS, some by band, and some use both.

A typical example: Wellington College Belfast's criteria for September 2025 entry allocate places in strict rank order of TSAS, up to its admissions number of 120, then list further criteria - a sibling at the school, eldest or only child, free school meals entitlement, a feeder primary - and finally a computer-generated random tie-breaker.

There is no official table of cut-off scores: with places in rank order, the lowest score admitted depends on who applies each year. If a school shares last year's lowest admitted TSAS at its open day, note the year; if not, ask.

Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs follow a separate EA admissions procedure that does not use SEAG outcomes.

The last four weeks before 14 November

Four weeks is enough to sharpen technique, not to learn new content:

• This weekend and next: one full official paper each, timed at 60 minutes, on the real answer sheet. Mark it with SEAG's answer key and sort every wrong answer by type: punctuation, grammar, spelling, comprehension, or the maths area.
• Weekdays: 20-30 minutes on the two weakest types only.
• Written answers: there are 12 per paper. Practise comprehension answers that point to the passage, and maths answers that show units.
• Timing: 56 questions in 60 minutes is just over a minute each. Decide in advance which section goes first, and aim to be roughly halfway at the 30-minute warning.
• Week of 9 November: one last paper early in the week, then stop. Print the pupil card and check the route to the assessment centre.
• Between the papers: no post-mortem of Paper 1. Same calm routine for 21 November.

After results on 23 January 2027

The steps run in a tight order:

• Download the Statement of Outcomes on Saturday 23 January 2027.
• Consider a re-mark only if the raw scores look badly out of line with practice papers. Requests are online from Monday 25 January to Wednesday 3 February 2027.
• Apply on EA Connect when it opens (last year 27 January to 19 February, noon). Enter the TSAS and SEAG Unique Pupil Number, and upload the Statement of Outcomes where a school's criteria ask for it.
• Order your preferences with care. The EA recommends at least four schools, including at least one non-grammar, and you can list up to 12 online. Your first preference considers the application first, then your second, and so on - and some schools prioritise first-preference applicants.
• Claim special circumstances if they apply. Tick yes on the application and upload independent medical or other evidence. Schools consider only what you supply at the time of application.
• Wait for May. Last year outcomes arrived on Saturday 9 May 2026, and the appeal window ran from 12 to 21 May. A tribunal only decides whether the school applied its published criteria correctly.

In P6? Planning for the 2027 assessment

The 2026 registration window opened on Monday 18 May 2026 and ran four months. SEAG has not announced 2027 dates, so check seagni.co.uk in spring. The 2026 assessment was for children born between 2 July 2015 and 1 July 2016; if the pattern holds, next year's is for today's P6.

Because the papers are built on the Key Stage 2 curriculum, the best P6 preparation is secure classroom basics: times tables and fractions, wide reading with talk about word meanings, and accurate punctuation. Save full practice papers for P7. All our lessons are online, so families in Belfast, Banbridge or anywhere else choose from the same tutors - and our guide to choosing an online 11+ tutor has the questions to ask at a first meeting.

Frequently asked questions

Is SEAG the same as the AQE or GL test?

It replaced both. For 14 years before SEAG, P7 children needed two different types of test - the AQE and the PPTC papers - sat over four consecutive Saturdays to cover all the selective schools. The single SEAG assessment was first sat in November 2023 and is set and marked by GL Assessment. For practice, SEAG's own papers are the ones built to the current format.

Can you appeal a SEAG result?

Not as such. You can request a re-mark between 25 January and 3 February 2027. Separately, if a school refuses a place, an admissions appeal tribunal can only consider whether that school applied its published criteria correctly. No tutor or extra evidence of ability changes either process.

What TSAS does my child need for a grammar school?

There is no single number: each school ranks its own applicants, so it varies by school and year. Band 1 - the top 40% of those who sat SEAG - is a strong position, not a certainty at an oversubscribed school.

Sources: SEAG (seagni.co.uk): key dates, latest news, FAQs, assessment guide, practice materials and What we do; SEAG 2026 Entrance Assessment presentation for parents (format, timing, outcomes, contingency day). Education Authority (eani.org.uk): admissions key dates for September 2026 entry, post-primary admissions guide, school preferences and admissions appeals. Wellington College Belfast admissions criteria, September 2025. Tes and the News Letter on SEAG replacing the AQE and PPTC tests.