Reading Test

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 are 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.'

 

Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Test

The grammar, punctuation and spelling test consists 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 includes 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.’ 

 

Maths Test

Children sit three papers in maths:

• Paper 1: arithmetic, 30 minutes 
• Papers 2 and 3: reasoning, 40 minutes per paper 

 

Paper 1 consists 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 

 

Science Test

Not all children in Year 6 take science SATs. However, a number of schools will be required to take part in science sampling: a test administered to a selected sample of children thought to be representative of the population as a whole. For those who are selected, there are three papers:

• Biology: 25 minutes, 22 marks 
• Chemistry: 25 minutes, 22 marks 
• Physics: 25 minutes, 22 marks