Further Information on KS2 SATs
The UK KS2 SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) are taken by Year 6 pupils (ages 10–11) in England. They assess children's attainment in English and Mathematics, with some schools also taking Science sampling tests. The tests are taken in May and are structured as follows:
English SATs
Divided into Reading and Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling (GPS).
a) Reading Paper (1 Hour)
- One paper with three texts of increasing difficulty.
- A mix of multiple-choice, short written answers, and longer responses.
- Assesses comprehension, inference, vocabulary understanding, and summary skills.
b) Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling (GPS)
- Grammar & Punctuation Paper (45 minutes)
- Covers word classes, sentence structure, punctuation, tenses, etc.
- A mix of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short written responses.
- Spelling Paper (~15 minutes)
- 20 spellings tested in a dictation-style format.
Maths SATs
Divided into three papers.
a) Paper 1: Arithmetic (30 minutes)
- Focuses on basic calculations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, percentages, etc.
- Usually consists of 36 questions.
b) Papers 2 & 3: Reasoning (40 minutes each)
- Word problems, problem-solving, and application of mathematical skills.
- Includes multi-step problems involving logic and calculations.
Science SATs (Sampling Test)
- Only taken by a random selection of schools.
- Includes two papers covering topics from the KS2 Science curriculum (e.g., forces, materials, life processes).
- Not all pupils take these tests, and results are not published at an individual level.
Scoring & Results
- Papers are externally marked.
- Raw scores are converted into a scaled score (80–120).
- A score of 100+ means the child is working at the expected standard.