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Year 6 · Key Stage 2

KS2 SATs: a guide for parents

The Year 6 SATs are on Monday 10 to Thursday 13 May 2027. What each of the six papers tests, how long they take, how scaled scores work, and how to help your child prepare at home. For every Year 6 family, whether or not your child is doing the 11+.

2027 SATs week

Monday 10 to Thursday 13 May 2027

Dates from the Department for Education. Your child's school will tell you which paper is on which day.

The expected standard

Each subject gets a scaled score from 80 to 120. 100 or more means your child has met the expected standard for the end of primary school.

Results

Schools get the results in early July 2027 and send them home before the end of the summer term.

What's tested: the six papers

  • English

    Reading

    60 minutes · 50 marks

    A reading booklet of three texts, then questions on finding information, meanings of words, inference and the writer's choices.

    In our SATs Practice Pack

  • English

    Grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 1: questions

    45 minutes · 50 marks

    Short questions on word classes, tenses, clauses, sentence types, Standard English, punctuation and vocabulary, using the KS2 grammar terms.

    In our SATs Practice Pack

  • English

    Grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 2: spelling

    about 15 minutes · 20 marks

    20 sentences read aloud by the teacher; your child writes the missing word in each.

    In our SATs Practice Pack

  • Maths

    Paper 1: arithmetic

    30 minutes · 40 marks

    36 calculations: written methods, long multiplication and division, decimals, fractions, percentages and the order of operations.

    In our SATs Practice Pack

  • Maths

    Paper 2: reasoning

    40 minutes · 35 marks

    Problems in words, tables and diagrams, some needing more than one step. Working out can earn marks.

    In our SATs Practice Pack

  • Maths

    Paper 3: reasoning

    40 minutes · 35 marks

    A second reasoning paper like Paper 2, covering a different mix of the curriculum.

    In our SATs Practice Pack

Writing and science are assessed by teachers during the year rather than by a test.

KS2 SATs Practice Pack

4 full sets of SATs-style papers for all six tests, with answers and mark schemes. Print them and time them like the real thing, or let your child do them online and see the score straight away.

  • Arithmetic36 questions · 30 minutes
  • Maths reasoning 135 questions · 40 minutes
  • Maths reasoning 235 questions · 40 minutes
  • Reading50 questions · 60 minutes
  • Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary50 questions · 45 minutes
  • Spelling20 questions · 15 minutes

£29.00

Per family, all your children, online for 12 months.

See the SATs pack

How to help at home

  • Arithmetic a little and often

    Ten minutes of written calculations a few times a week builds speed and accuracy. Check the long multiplication and division layouts your child's school teaches.

  • Learn the grammar words

    Questions use terms like subordinate clause, fronted adverbial, determiner and passive voice. Ask your child to spot them in a book you're reading together.

  • Spelling lists

    Most SATs spellings follow the Year 3–6 spelling rules, and many are on the statutory lists. A few words a day, said aloud in a sentence, works well.

  • Practise under time

    From January, a full paper every few weeks helps your child pace themselves. Then spend as long on the wrong answers as on the paper.

Years 3 and 4 spelling list Years 5 and 6 spelling list Punctuation explained

Questions parents ask

When are the KS2 SATs in 2027?
Monday 10 to Thursday 13 May 2027. Every school in England sits each paper on the same day.
What is a scaled score?
Each paper's raw marks are turned into a scaled score from 80 to 120. A score of 100 or more means your child has met the expected standard. The conversion changes every year and is published after the tests, so practice papers can only give raw marks.
When do we get the results?
Schools see their results in early July (from Tuesday 6 July 2027, according to the Department for Education), and send each child's results home before the end of the summer term.
Are writing and science tested?
Not with a test: writing is assessed by your child's teacher through the year, and so is science. The six papers are reading, grammar and punctuation, spelling, and three maths papers.
Do SATs results affect secondary school places?
Secondary places are decided before the SATs, so the results don't change which school your child goes to. Secondary schools may use them to plan support and sets, which is why steady practice is worth it.
How much should we practise at home?
Little and often works best: ten minutes of arithmetic or spelling a few times a week, a full practice paper every few weeks from January, and time spent on the questions your child got wrong. Keep it calm: the aim is confidence, not cramming.

Academy11+ isn't linked to the Standards and Testing Agency, which sets the real tests. Dates and arrangements are from the Department for Education's published guidance; check with your child's school for their timetable.