The SATs Exam Format

Introduction

 

Primary school children in England are required to sit their SATs exams in Years 2 and 6. In this article, we give an overview of the format of the SATs exams.

 

SATs are an indicator of the progress your child has made at school so far and are taken by children at Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Key Stage 2 (KS2) level.

 

The KS1 SATs Exam Format

 

KS1 SATs will be scrapped by 2023 but until then, Year 2 pupils will be required to sit the following SATs papers:

 

The KS1 Reading SAT

 

The KS1 reading test is made up of two papers:

 

• Paper 1 is made-up of a range of texts, with questions relating to the texts throughout
• Paper 2 is a reading booklet comprising of a selection of texts. Children are required to write their answers in a separate booklet

 

Although KS1 SATs are not strictly timed, each reading paper should take around 30 minutes and is worth 50 per cent of the total marks. Children should expect to be tested on a range of texts, including both fiction and non-fiction. The papers will include different question types, including:

 

• Multiple choice
• Short answer, e.g. ‘What does the chicken do?’
• Find and copy, e.g. ‘Find and copy one word from the poem that shows that the dog was frightened’

 

The KS1 English Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) SAT

 

The spelling, punctuation and grammar test at KS1 is made up of two papers:

 

• Paper 1 – a 20-word spelling test. This takes approximately 15 minutes and is worth 20 marks
• Paper 2 – a grammar, punctuation and vocabulary test that is split into two sections, each taking approximately 10 minutes each. This test is worth 20 marks and will involve a mix of answers, including multiple choice and labelling.

 

The KS1 Maths SAT

 

 

The KS1 maths test is made up of two papers:

 

• Paper 1 – arithmetic, this paper takes approximately 15 minutes and is worth 25 marks
• Paper 2 – mathematical fluency, problem-solving and reasoning. This paper takes approximately 35 minutes and is worth 35 marks. Children will be faced with a range of question types, including multiple choice, true or false and matching.

 

To help your child prepare for their KS1 SATs, we recommend the following resources:

 

• Key Stage 1 SATs Practice Test 1
• Key Stage 1 SATs Practice Test 2

 

The KS2 SATs Exam Format

 

Year 6 children will be tested in English and maths at KS2. These SATs are externally marked and will be taken under official exam conditions.

 

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

 

• Reading
• Maths
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar

 

The KS2 Reading SAT

 

This hour-long test is a single paper with questions based on three different texts. Your child will be required to answer a range 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, g. ‘Find and copy two words from the poem that show that the dog was frightened’
• Short answer, e.g. ‘What does the chicken do?’

 

The KS2 English Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) SAT

 

The grammar, punctuation and spelling test consists of two parts:

 

1. A 45-minute, short-answer grammar and punctuation paper
2. A 15-minute aural spelling test of 20 words

 

The KS2 Maths SAT

 

 

Year 6 children sit three papers in maths:

 

• Paper 1 – arithmetic, 30 minutes long and made-up of fixed response questions. Children must correctly answer questions on calculations using long multiplication and division
• Papers 2 and 3 – reasoning, 40 minutes per paper. These papers will include a number of different question types, including multiple choice and true or false.

 

To help your child prepare for their KS2 SATs, we recommend the following resources:

 

Key Stage 2 SATs Practice Test 1

 

Key Stage 2 SATs Practice Test 2

 

Whether in Year 2 or Year 6, it’s important to prepare your child for their SATs exams. Our SATs practice tests cover all the topics your child will need to know for the marked exams. They are updated regularly to ensure that they are current and accurate and detailed mark schemes are included, which will allow you to track your child’s progress easily.

 

 

Related posts:

The SATs Curriculum in the UK: An Overview

What Are The Different Section in a SATs Exam?