Assessment Information
Standardised Tests
Primary school tests and assessments return in 2021/22 without any adaptations, but the results won’t be published in Key Stage 2 (KS2) performance tables in the 2021/22 academic year.
The DfE intends to publish primary assessment data in performance tables again in the 2022/23 academic year.
Key Stage 1 Assessment (Year 2 Pupils)
Key Stage 1 SATs are used to test children’s knowledge and understanding of English and Mathematics in Key Stage 1. They provide a snapshot of children’s attainment and help Year 2 teachers arrive at a secure judgement for their final ‘teacher assessment’ at the end of Key Stage 1.
Key Stage 1 Reading
The reading test for Year 2 pupils will involve two separate papers:
Paper 1 consists of a selection of texts totalling 400 to 700 words, with questions interspersed
Paper 2 comprises a reading booklet of a selection of passages totalling 800 to 1100 words. Children will write their answers in a separate booklet
Each paper is worth 50 percent of the marks and should take around 30 minutes, but children will not be strictly timed, as the tests are not intended to assess children’s ability to work at speed.
There will be a variety of question types:
Multiple choice
Ranking/ordering, e.g. ‘Number the events below to show in which order they happened in the story’
Matching, e.g. ‘Match the character to the job that they do in the story’
Labelling, e.g. ‘Label the text to show the title’
Find and copy, e.g. ‘Find and copy one word that shows what the weather was like in the story’
Short answer, e.g. ‘What does the bear eat?’
Open-ended answer, e.g. ‘Why did Lucy write the letter to her grandmother? Give two reasons’
Key Stage 1 Maths
The Key Stage 1 maths test will comprise two papers:
Paper 1: arithmetic, worth 25 marks and taking around 15 minutes.
Paper 2: mathematical fluency, problem-solving and reasoning, worth 35 marks and taking 35 minutes, with a break if necessary. There will be a variety of question types: multiple choice, matching, true/false, constrained (e.g. completing a chart or table; drawing a shape) and less constrained (e.g. where children have to show or explain their method).
Children will not be able to use any tools such as calculators or number lines.
Key Stage 1 Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation (Optional)
The KS1 Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation test remained optional, so schools can choose whether to administer it to their pupils.
Paper 1: a grammar and punctuation written task, taking approximately 20 minutes, and worth 15 marks. Children will be provided with a prompt and stimulus for a short piece of writing, with a clear text type, audience and purpose. Handwriting will be worth four per cent of the marks.
Paper 2: a grammar, punctuation and vocabulary test, in two sections of around 10 minutes each (with a break between, if necessary), worth 20 marks. This will involve a mixture of selecting the right answers e.g. through multiple choice, and writing short answers.
Paper 3: a 20-word spelling test taking approximately 15 minutes and worth 10 marks.
When will the KS1 SATs take place?
KS1 SATs are administered during May. Unlike KS2 SATS, KS1 SATS don’t have to be administered according to a nationally-set timetable in a specific week. Schools are free to manage the timetable and will aim to administer the tests in the classroom in a low-stress, low-key way.
How are KS1 tests marked?
Although the tests are set externally, they are marked by teachers within the school.
Key Stage 2 Assessment (Year 6 Pupils)
Year 6, before children leave us to move to Secondary school they undertake tests in Reading Comprehension, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation (GPS) and Numeracy. These tests are set by the Department for Education and must be taken in a particular week in May. All maintained schools in the country take the same test on the same day.
The end of Key Stage 2 national curriculum tests will be held in the week beginning Monday 9th May 2022.
Monday 9th: English grammar, punctuation and spelling papers 1 and 2
Tuesday 10th: English reading
Wednesday 11th: Mathematics papers 1 and 2
Thursday 12th: Mathematics paper 3
Key Stage 2 Reading
The reading test will provisionally be a single paper with questions based on one 800-word text and two passages of 300 words. 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.’
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 questions:
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
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.
How will Key Stage 2 SATs be marked?
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.
Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check
Schools will administer the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check within a 3 week period from Monday 6th June 2022.
The multiplication tables check is an online test for pupils in Year 4. Pupils are asked to answer 25 questions on times tables from two to 12. They are given six seconds per question, with three seconds rest between each question, so the test should last less than five minutes. It is very similar to the set-up of Times Tables Rock stars.
Questions about the six, seven, eight, nine, and 12 times tables are likely to come up most often, as these are the hardest for most children to learn. It’s a good idea to focus on these tricky times tables with your child.
First and foremost, the check is about finding out which children are struggling with their times tables so that they can get extra support. It is not a judgement on what your child can do, but a way for the school to know how their teaching is going and to adjust their focus if needed.
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check (Year 1 Pupils)
We are required to administer a phonics screening check to children in Year 1. The 2022 check will take place during the month of June.
This test is a series of words – proper and nonsense words which children are asked to read using their phonic knowledge. If a child in Year 1 does not get the required number of words right to pass the test they are able to revisit it in Year 2.