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About SATs and the test

At the end of Year 6 all children sit a KS2 maths SATs exam, which is made up of three papers:

  • Paper 1: arithmetic (30 minutes)

  • Paper 2: reasoning (40 minutes)

  • Paper 3: reasoning (40 minutes)


English grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 1: questions
English grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 2: spelling


English reading.

More About The Test

 From The School Run In UK

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

  • Reading

  • Maths

  • Spelling, punctuation and grammar

These tests are both set and marked externally, and the results are used to measure the school’s performance (for example, through reporting to Ofsted and published league tables). Your child’s marks will be used in conjunction with teacher assessment to give a broader picture of their attainment.

Key Stage 2 Reading

The reading test is a single paper with questions based on three passages of text. 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 what the weather is like in the story’

  • Short constructed response, e.g. ‘What does the bear eat?’

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

 The Department for Education has announced that the reading content of the KS2 SATs will be more closely linked to the curriculum to ensure children are drawing on their knowledge when answering reading comprehension questions.

Maths:

  • Paper 1: arithmetic, 30 minutes

  • Papers 2 and 3: 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

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