Year 6 SATs English exam: what to expect

Is your child in Year 6? If so, they’ll soon take their Key Stage 2 SATs English exam. Find out everything you need to know about the exam and get free resources to help your child prepare.

What is the Year 6 SATs English exam?

The Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) are compulsory for all Year 6 students at state schools in England. They're used to assess your child’s knowledge of the Key Stage 2 national curriculum and gauge the quality of education across England’s schools.

When is the 2025 SATs English exam?

There are three Year 6 SATs English tests. These take place over two days.

Monday 12th May 2025

• Paper 1: SPAG test (grammar and punctuation) – 45 minutes, worth 50 marks
• Paper 2: SPAG test (spelling) – 15-20 minutes, worth 20 marks

Tuesday 13th May 2025

• Paper 3: reading test – 60 minutes, worth 50 marks

What format are the KS2 SATs English papers?

Grammar and punctuation

The first English paper in the KS2 SATs is the grammar and punctuation test. In 2025, this takes place on Monday 12th May. Children have a total of 45 minutes to answer the questions, with 50 marks available.

This paper is linked closely to the national curriculum. Your child will be assessed on their understanding of concepts including:

• suffixes
• conjunctions
• parts of a sentence
• parts of speech
• tenses
• types of punctuation

Example of a question in a Year 6 SATs English grammar and punctuation practice test on Atom

There are two main question formats on the grammar and punctuation paper. Your child should read the instructions carefully so they know which type of answer to provide.

• Multiple choice: These questions are followed by a selection of potential answers and your child must choose the right one. E.g. Identify the verbs in the sentence below.
• Short written answers: These questions are followed by a line or a box, showing that a word, a few words or a sentence is needed. E.g: The sentence below is grammatically incorrect. Rewrite it correctly. or The sentence below has a comma missing. Explain why it needs a comma.

The best strategy for this paper is for students to work as quickly and carefully as they can. If they finish before the end, they should go back and check their work.

Spelling

The Key Stage 2 SATs spelling test takes place on the same day as the grammar and punctuation paper. Your child will have a spelling test one-on-one with a teacher or classroom assistant.

This is an aural test where a total of 20 words are read out loud to your child over the course of 15–20 minutes. Your child will have to write down the correct spelling for each word. 20 marks are available (one mark per word spelled correctly).

Reading

The 2025 Key Stage 2 SATs reading paper takes place on Tuesday 13th May. It takes 60 minutes, including reading time, with a total of 50 marks available. Questions are linked to the national curriculum and assess your child's reading comprehension ability.

Your child will have three texts to read, with a set of questions to answer about each. Children must use the information in the texts to answer the questions. Some questions will include a page reference so your child knows which page of text contains the answer they are looking for.

The three texts are each likely to be in different genres. Children should read one text and answer the questions about it, before moving on to read the next text.

Example of a question in a Year 6 SATs English reading practice test on Atom

The Year 6 SATs reading paper includes several different question types. The space for the answer shows what type of answer is needed. Children should read the instructions carefully so they know how to answer the question. Answer formats include:

• Short answers: some questions are followed by a short line or box. This shows that only a word or a few words are needed for the answer
• Find and copy: e.g. “Find and copy one word that suggests what the weather is like in the story"
• Labelling: children will have to label the text to show certain elements such as the title
• Several line answers: some questions are followed by a few lines. This gives children space to write more words or a sentence or two
• Longer answers: some questions are followed by more answer lines. This shows that a longer, more detailed answer is needed. Children should write in full sentences and refer to the text in their answer
• Selected answers: children will not need to write anything – instead, they should choose the correct option from a list of choices
• Ranking/ordering: children will need to number the events to show the order in which they happen in the text

How is the Year 6 SATs English exam marked?

There are 120 marks available across the three English papers. Your child’s raw score (out of 120) will be converted into a scaled score. This makes sure all pupils in the year group are tested on a consistent scale. The scaled score is adjusted for any differences in the difficulty of the test year on year.