KS2 SATs: papers and scores
Year 6 children in England sit the key stage 2 national curriculum tests, known as SATs, in May. Each result is a scaled score from 80 to 120, where 100 means the child met the expected standard. The official past papers and mark schemes are free on GOV.UK, and they are linked below by year.
What the scores mean
The marks from each subject's papers are added up and turned into a scaled score with a table that changes every year, so that 100 means the same standard whatever the year. In 2026, 25 out of 50 in english reading, 56 out of 110 in mathematics, 34 out of 70 in english grammar, punctuation and spelling was enough for 100.
2026 KS2 SATs papers
English reading
- Reading booklet (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Answer booklet (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Mark scheme (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
Mathematics
- Paper 1: arithmetic (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Paper 2: reasoning (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Paper 3: reasoning (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Mark scheme (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
English grammar, punctuation and spelling
- Paper 1: questions (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Paper 2: spelling (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Mark scheme (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
2025 KS2 SATs papers
English reading
- Reading booklet (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Answer booklet (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Mark scheme (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
Mathematics
- Paper 1: arithmetic (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Paper 2: reasoning (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Paper 3: reasoning (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Mark scheme (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
English grammar, punctuation and spelling
- Paper 1: questions (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Paper 2: spelling (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Mark scheme (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
2024 KS2 SATs papers
English reading
- Reading booklet (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Answer booklet (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Mark scheme (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
Mathematics
- Paper 1: arithmetic (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Paper 2: reasoning (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Paper 3: reasoning (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Mark scheme (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
English grammar, punctuation and spelling
- Paper 1: questions (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Paper 2: spelling (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Instructions for the adult giving the test (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- Mark scheme (PDF on GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
Common questions
When are the KS2 SATs?
In May of Year 6, over four days in the same week for every school in England. The school gives out the exact dates; results come back to schools in early July.
What do KS2 SATs cover?
English reading (one paper), English grammar, punctuation and spelling (a questions paper and a spelling test), and mathematics (an arithmetic paper and two reasoning papers). Writing is assessed by the teacher rather than tested, and some schools are chosen to take science tests in some years.
Do SATs results matter?
They are not a pass or fail for the child and are not used for secondary school places. Schools are measured on them, and secondary schools sometimes use them, with their own tests, to plan sets in Year 7.
Can my child have a tutor for SATs?
Yes. On Cookie Tutoring a parent or guardian creates the account for a child under 13, sets the password, books and pays, and can read every message.
Also: the 11+ explained.
Every paper is a link to the Standards and Testing Agency's own copy on GOV.UK, and none is copied here: the papers are Crown copyright and some of their texts and pictures belong to others. Older years are in the GOV.UK collection. The scaled score figures: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Standards and Testing Agency, key stage 2 scaled score conversion tables. cookie is independent and is not endorsed by the Standards and Testing Agency.