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English · Year 6

The KS2 SATs grammar test: a guide for parents

By Dave Allen · Updated · 7 min read

Drafted and fact-checked with AI help, against the sources below. Not yet reviewed by a teacher. How we write our guides

What it is

SATs
The name many people use for the national curriculum tests that Year 6 children take at the end of key stage 2 (KS2). There are tests in grammar, punctuation and spelling, in reading, and in maths.
GPS test
Short for the English grammar, punctuation and spelling test, the full name for the grammar test in the SATs.
Scaled score
The way results are reported. Your child's marks are turned into a score between 80 and 120, so results mean the same thing from one year to the next.
Expected standard
A scaled score of 100 or more means your child is working at, or above, the standard expected by the end of Year 6.
  • Paper 1, questions: grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. 50 marks, 45 minutes.
  • Paper 2, spelling: 20 words, one mark each. It takes about 15 minutes, but isn't strictly timed.
  • Together: 70 marks and about an hour, both on the same day.

Most Paper 1 answers need only a tick, a circle, a line or a very short written answer, and the questions go, as far as possible, from easiest to hardest. Some ask your child to write or rewrite a sentence.

In Paper 2, the person giving the test reads out 20 sentences, each with a word missing on your child's paper. They say the word, read the sentence, then say the word again, and your child writes the word in. Both papers are done on paper and sent away to be marked.

For the school year 2026 to 2027, the KS2 tests take place from Monday 10 May to Thursday 13 May 2027, with both grammar, punctuation and spelling papers on Monday 10 May. There is no test of writing itself: your child's teacher assesses their writing from their work in class.

How it's taught at school

The test covers grammar, punctuation and spelling from the whole of KS2, plus some things first met in KS1. It builds up year by year, following the national curriculum's grammar appendix:

  • Year 3: prepositions, conjunctions, clauses and subordinate clauses, and inverted commas for speech.
  • Year 4: determiners, pronouns, fronted adverbials and apostrophes for plural possession.
  • Year 5: modal verbs, relative clauses, and brackets, dashes or commas for extra information.
  • Year 6: subject and object, the active and passive voice, synonyms and antonyms, formal and informal language, and colons, semi-colons and hyphens.

Some later terms, explained. A modal verb shows how likely something is: might, should, will, must. Synonyms are words with similar meanings (big, large), and antonyms are opposites (big, little). And formal language swaps everyday words for more formal ones: find out becomes discover, ask for becomes request.

The spelling paper draws on the spelling rules and word lists for KS2 in the curriculum's spelling appendix. The words get harder as the paper goes on, so it's normal for the last few to feel tricky.

The Standards and Testing Agency publishes past papers and mark schemes on gov.uk, free to download. Your child's school may use them in class, so check with the teacher before doing the same ones at home.

Tip
Short and relaxed is plenty. A few minutes of word play over breakfast or on the way to school keeps grammar feeling like a game, not a chore.

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Common mistakes (and how to help)

Using a capital letter in the middle of a sentence
When your child writes or rewrites a sentence, a capital letter in the middle is marked wrong unless it starts a name or is the word I, even a whole word in capitals for emphasis. A gentle reminder to read back over a rewritten sentence helps.
Putting an apostrophe in a plain plural
An apostrophe in a plural, such as apple's for apples, loses the mark unless it really shows belonging. Our possessive apostrophes guide has an easy way to check.
Adding a question mark to a statement and calling it a question
For the test, "This is your favourite?" doesn't count as a question. A question starts with a word like which or what, swaps the order (Is this your favourite?), or ends with a tag (This is your favourite, isn't it?).
Thinking any sentence with an exclamation mark is an exclamation
In the test, an exclamation is a sentence that starts with What or How, such as "What a lovely day it is!" Other sentences, such as commands, can end in an exclamation mark too, but they don't count as exclamations.

Three quick activities at home

Fancy words

About 5 minutes · You need: Nothing: this works well on a car journey

  1. Say an everyday phrase, such as "find out", "ask for" or "go in".
  2. Your child gives you a more formal word that means the same: discover, request, enter.
  3. Swap roles. Then try opposites: you say a word, they give you an antonym.

How likely?

About 5 minutes

  1. Talk about something that might happen tomorrow, such as rain.
  2. Take turns to say a sentence about it using a different modal verb each time: it might rain, it will rain, it must be raining somewhere.
  3. Ask your child which sentence sounds most certain and which sounds least certain.

Spelling in sentences

About 10 minutes · You need: Paper and a pencil

  1. Pick five words from your child's spelling homework.
  2. Read each one in a sentence, the way the test does: say the word, say the sentence, then say the word again.
  3. Your child writes just the word. Check them together and talk about any patterns that tripped them up.

Try it with your child

Free Pipkin puzzles on this topic. No sign-up. They open on the children's side of Pipkin.

Questions parents ask

Can my child fail the test?

Results aren't given as a pass or fail. Your child gets a scaled score between 80 and 120. A score of 100 or more means they're working at or above the expected standard. Below 100 means they may need more support to reach it, and their secondary school can use the results to plan that support.

When will we get the results?

Schools can see the results from Tuesday 6 July 2027. Your child's school decides how to share them, but you should get them by the end of the summer term, along with a chance to talk them through with the school.

Are the results published?

Your child's own results are not published by the school or the Department for Education. They're used to work out school-level results, which are published.

What if my child is ill on the day?

Your child may be able to take a missed test up to 5 school days afterwards. The school has to apply for this and get approval from the Standards and Testing Agency, so let the school know as soon as you can.

What if my child has extra needs?

Access arrangements are available for children with specific needs, such as extra time or rest breaks. Schools decide these before the tests, so talk to your child's teacher if you have any questions.

Is the test changing?

The government is reviewing future assessments after the national Curriculum and Assessment Review. The Standards and Testing Agency has said the arrangements for the school year 2026 to 2027 are unchanged.

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Related guides

Sources

  1. Standards and Testing Agency: Key stage 2: English grammar, punctuation and spelling test framework
  2. Standards and Testing Agency: 2027 key stage 2 national curriculum tests: information for parents
  3. Standards and Testing Agency: Assessment results at the end of key stage 2: information for parents
  4. Standards and Testing Agency: Primary assessments: future dates
  5. Standards and Testing Agency: Key stage 2 tests: access arrangements
  6. Standards and Testing Agency: Key stage 2 tests: 2026 English grammar, punctuation and spelling test materials
  7. Standards and Testing Agency: National curriculum assessments: past test materials
  8. Department for Education: English Appendix 2: Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation