Exploring the Year 2 SAT's
If you have a child in year 2 or year 6 you may well be aware of the SATs they will have to face at the end of Key stages 1 and 2. Today we are going to explore the Year 2 SATs test. Children who started Year 2 in September 2015 will be the first to take the new style Key stage 1 SATs in May 2016.
What are the Year 2 SATs?
The SATs are 'Statuary Assessment Tests' taken at the end of the key stages in Primary school. All state primary schools in England are tested at Year 2 and Year 6 with some schools running optional (unofficial) SATs in years 3 to 5. The SATs are compulsory for every child and are used to show a child's progress compared with other children born in the same month.
The Year 2 SATs are used in conjunction with a teacher's assessment of each child and take place throughout May. The tests are usually low key so as not to stress the child and the test results include the teacher's judgement of their understanding in the classroom and other such evidence. The SATs are marked by each individual school to give a standardised score.
What is included in the Year 2 SATs?
Key stage 1 SATs are assessed to judge what level of ability a child is considered to be. The Year 2 SATs will include reading, writing (including spelling and handwriting), maths (including numbers, shapes, space and measurements) and science.
The Year 2 SATs consist of formal assessments in English and Maths that usually take around 3 hours to complete and further informal assessments in science that take place throughout the school year. It is normal for teachers to try to work the assessments into their normal classroom routine so that children don't feel like they are being tested.
What kind of questions can you expect?
The Year 2 SATs are made up of three papers:
1. English - grammar, punctuation and spelling
2. English - Reading
3. Mathematics - arithmetic and reasoning
Let's take a look at some sample questions in each of the different papers:
1. English - grammar, punctuation and spelling
1. Tick the word that completes the sentence
We were _____________ on our project.
works / work / working / worked
2. Write one word on the line below to complete the sentence in the Past Tense.
I _____________________ to Scotland in the school holidays.
3. Write the missing punctuation mark to complete the sentence below.
Can you play my favourite tune
4. Tick the correct word to complete the sentence below.
I hope _______________ we will play musical chairs at the party.
when / if / that / because
5. Draw lines to match the groups of words that have the same meaning.
| I will | it's |
| You have | I'll |
| It is | Didn't |
| Did not | You'll |
6. What type of word is underlined in the sentence below.
Poppy held the baby rabbit gently in her arms.
an adjective / an adverb / a noun / a verb
7. Write s or es to make each word a plural.
Fox ___
Card ____
Match ___
8. Circle the three nouns on the sentence below.
A whale has an enormous heart that can weigh as much as a small car.
2. English - Reading
The world of ants
Ants are insects that you can often see in a garden, in a park or just on the pavement.
They usually live underground.
a. What kind of animal is an ant?
_____________________________
b. Find and copy two places you might see ants.
1. _____________________________
2. _____________________________
Ants underground
Who lives inside?
Inside the nest lives a big queen ant. Most of the ants who live in the nest are busy worker ants.
Queen ant
The queen ant spends all her time laying eggs.
1. Which word in the text describes what worker ants are like?
Choose one:
sleepy
noisy
busy
fast
2. What does the queen ant do?
Choose one:
keeps the nest clean
lays eggs
moves eggs
finds food
3. Mathematics - arithmetic
1. 5 + 7 =
2. 19 - 9 =
3. 87 + 10 =
4. 15 + 3 + 3 =
5. ? + 5 = 9
6. 87 - 40 =
7. 8 x 10 =
8. 2 x 0 =
9. 12 ÷ 2 =
10. ¼ of 20 =
4. Mathematics - reasoning
1. Susan has seven boxes.
She puts 2 shoes in each box.
How many shoes are there altogether?
_______________shoes
2. Complete the table below
| WORDS | DIGITS |
| Thirty-eight | 38 |
| 40 | |
| Ninety-four |
3. Look at the pattern of letters below.
G S S G S S ___ ___ S G
Write the two missing letters in the pattern
4. Look at this list of odd and even numbers.
12 30 41 68
Write the odd number.
__________
5. Ben has a box of 10 crayons and 3 extra crayons.
He has 13 crayons altogether.
Abdul has 5 boxes of 10 crayons and 4 extra crayons.
How many crayons does Abdul have altogether?
_______________crayons
6. Look at the list of six coins below.
50p 20p 20p 10p 10p 5p
Write three of these coins that make 90p altogether.
_____ _____ _____
7. Look at the four times below.
9:25
8:25
8:35
8:43
Which time shows twenty-five past eight?
Source: Gov.uk
Key stage 1 Science assessment
Children at the end of key stage 1 will also be assessed on science. However, there is no set test for science; it is simply a teacher's assessment judgement at the end of year 2 following the completion of the curriculum. This will simply be a teacher's view of whether a child can demonstrate understanding of certain topics covered and whether they have met the standards set by each individual school.
The results
Results will be given to parents at the end of the summer term. The results will be based on the teacher's assessment and results of any written tests will not be disclosed unless requested.
The results should be a report with SAT levels for each subject. At the end of Key Stage 1 the minimum expected level is a 2b. A 2c, 1a, 1b or 1c is below expectations. A 2a is above expectations and a level 3 means that a child is excelling very well.
To conclude
There are plenty of free resources on the internet to help consolidate any key literacy or numeracy skills your child may be struggling with. These can be done at home with a parent or a private tutor. Children should not be made to feel that they are under pressure to pass these exams; there is no pass or fail, they are simply used as a guideline to assess how a child is doing. If your child is struggling with any concepts or needs some extra help grasping certain topics then a home tutor is often the best way forward. First Tutors is the best place for matching parents and children with the most appropriate and suitable tutor in any subject and for any level. Every child should have the basic foundations for both English and Maths and a tutor can often help build these foundations, setting up your child for a brighter academic future.