SATs

Please read the government publication regarding KS1 and KS2 SATs.

Information for parents: National Curriculum tests at the end of key stages 1 and 2

In the summer term, children in Year 2 and Year 6 will take SATs papers.

At the end of Year 2 and Year 6, children will sit tests in:

  • Reading

  • Maths

  • Grammar, punctuation and spelling

Year 2 tests are marked by the class teacher after all the tests have been administered and the mark scheme is released.

The Y6 tests are set and marked externally. The results will be used to measure your child's progress and the school's performance. Your child’s marks will be used in conjunction with teacher assessment to give a broader picture of their attainment.


Key Stage 2 Reading Test

The reading test will provisionally be a single paper. Your child will have one hour, including reading time, to complete the test.

There will be a selection of question types, including:

  • Ranking/ordering, e.g. ‘Number the events below to show the order in which they happen in the story’

  • Labelling, e.g. ‘Label the text to show the title of the story’

  • Find and copy, e.g. ‘Find and copy one word that suggests the character was feeling unhappy.'

  • Short constructed response, e.g. ‘Where did the baby hide the toy’

  • Open-ended response, e.g. ‘Look at the sentence that begins, ‘A long time ago...’ How does the writer increase the tension throughout this paragraph? Explain fully, referring to the text in your answer.’


Key Stage 2 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Test

The grammar, punctuation and spelling test will consist of two parts: a grammar and punctuation paper requiring short answers, lasting 45 minutes, and an aural spelling test of 20 words, lasting around 15 minutes.

The grammar and punctuation test will include two sub-types of question:

  • Selected response, e.g. ‘Identify the adjectives in the sentence below’

  • Constructed response, e.g. ‘Correct/complete/rewrite the sentence below,’ or, ‘The sentence below has an apostrophe missing. Explain why it needs an apostrophe.’


Key Stage 2 Maths Test

Children will sit three papers in maths:

Paper 1: arithmetic, 30 minutes (written)

Papers 2 and 3: mathematical fluency, solving problems and reasoning, 40 minutes per paper 

Paper 1 will consist of fixed response questions, where children have to give the correct answer to calculations, including long multiplication and division. 

Papers 2 and 3 will involve a number of question types, including:

  • Multiple choice

  • True or false

  • Constrained questions, e.g. giving the answer to a calculation, drawing a shape or completing a table or chart

  • Less constrained questions, where children will have to explain their approach for solving a problem.


Key Stage 2 Science

Science SATs - not all children in Year 6 will sit the papers.

A number of schools will be required to take part in science sampling: a test administered to a selected sample of children. For those who are selected, there will be three papers:              

  • Biology: 25 minutes, 22 marks

  • Chemistry: 25 minutes, 22 marks

  • Physics: 25 minutes, 22 marks


Marking and Levelling

How will Key Stage 2 SATs be marked?

The old system of national curriculum levels is now no longer used, after the department of education abolished it in Summer 2015. Instead, children will be given standardised scores. You will be given your child’s score, alongside the average for their school, the local area and nationally. There will also be a ‘performance descriptor’ of the expected standard for Key Stage 2 pupils. The Department for Education is aiming for 85 per cent of children to reach or exceed that standard.