Exam season is underway and this week primary school pupils are sitting their SATs – take our quiz and see if you could you answer the kind of questions young children are being faced
Primary school children in Year 6 are taking their SATs this week but how would you fare with the kind of questions young pupils are being challenged with?
Over the years, there have been calls to scrap the tests with some parents and teachers believing they’re putting children under unnecessary pressure and turning schools into exam factories. Those in favour insist the tests help both parents and teachers identify where additional support is needed as children get ready for the next stage of their education in senior school.
This week, pupils in Year 6 will be sitting the tests once more and we wanted to see how you would fare if you had to go back to school. Scroll down to take our quiz and see if you can answer all 15 questions correctly.
How do SATs work?
Children are tested in maths and English (reading and spelling, punctuation and grammar). Teachers try to keep the testing procedure informal. Papers are not strictly timed, and are usually taken in a normal classroom situation to keep the pressure off children.
How are SATs marked?
Pupils are given scaled SATs scores – teachers are given conversion tables to calculate these from the actual number of marks (the raw score) they achieve. They’ll give an overall score based on the SATs as well as class work and teacher observations.
In KS1 a score of 100 means the child is working at the expected standard. A score below 100 shows the child needs more support and above 100 suggests the child is working at a higher level than expected for their age. Maximum score possible is 115 and the minimum is 85.
In KS2, no teacher assessment is involved with the papers as they are marked externally. Each pupil is given a raw score and a scaled score – you’ll probably just be told their scaled score – and will be told whether or not they have achieved the national standard (NS).
The full list of KS2 SATs outcome codes is:
- AS – the expected standard has been achieved
- NS – the expected standard has not been achieved
- A – the child was absent from one or more of the test papers
- B – the child is working below the level assessed by KS2 SATs
- M – the child missed the test
- T – the child is working at the level of the tests but is unable to access them (because all or part of a test is not suitable for a pupil with particular special educational needs)
A scaled score of 100 or more means the child has met the expected standard in each test. A scaled score of 99 or less means they haven’t reached the government-expected standard. Maximum score possible is 120 and the minimum is 80.
There are some teacher assessment results too and at the end of Year 6, you’ll be given your child’s results for reading, writing, mathematics and science. Codes will include EXS which means ‘working at the expected standard’, or GDS, meaning they’re working at a greater depth.
What are the questions like?
Now you know how the tests work, we’re going to show you what kind of questions pupils are faced with. We’ve used questions from KS1 and KS2 tests a few years back to put together the following quiz.
Have a go at these 15 sample questions or below – some aimed at children just six years old. We have added some multiple choice answers when pupils don’t always get these to pick from no pressure. Have a go and let us know how you get on – or share your thoughts about SATs, in the comments section.