SATs are the Standardised Assessment Tests that are given to children at the end of Key Stage 2.

The SATs take place over four days, starting on Monday 10th May 2027 and ending on Thursday 13th May 2027. Please see the timetable below for the dates of each of the SATs tests:

• Grammar, punctuation and spelling (paper 1: GPS) – Monday 10th May 27
• Grammar, punctuation and spelling (paper 2: Spelling) – Monday 10th May 27
• Reading – Tuesday 11th May 27
• Maths (paper 1: Arithmetic) – Wednesday 12th May 27
• Maths (paper 2: Reasoning) – Wednesday 12th May 27
• Maths (paper 3: Reasoning) – Thursday 13th May 27

Key Stage 2 Reading

The reading test is a single paper with questions based on three passages of text – these will be fiction texts, non-fiction or poetry. Your child will have one hour, including reading time, to complete the whole test.

There will be 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.’

Key Stage 2 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 will include two subtypes 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.’

The spelling test requires pupils to correctly spell 20 missing words read aloud within sentences. It tests statutory words and spelling patterns from the national curriculum.  Each word spelt correctly is worth 1 mark.  The test is marked out of 20.

• The test consists of 20 sentences read by the teacher. Each sentence has a missing word that the child fills in on their answer sheet.
• It covers tricky words, statutory vocabulary, and specific spelling rules (e.g., suffixes, prefixes, doubling consonants).

Key Stage 2 Maths

Children sit three papers in maths:

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

Paper 1 will consist 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

Assessment and reporting  

The results of the tests will be shared with schools in July 2027 and passed on to parents as soon as possible. Before results are released, schools carefully check test scripts and confirm that scores are accurate. This process is usually completed promptly and ensures there is time for any papers to be reviewed or remarked if needed.

When results are shared, you will receive your child’s raw score (the total number of marks achieved), their scaled score, and confirmation of whether your child has met the expected standard, set by the Department for Education.

The range of scaled scores available for each KS2 test is:

• 80-99- working below the National Expected Standard
• 100- 110 working at the Expected Standard
• 111-120 exceeded the Expected Standard