SPaG, Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar, covers 43 specific topics your child meets between Year 1 and the Year 6 SATs, and again throughout the 11+. Every free tool on this page is built around the same 43 topics, so however you use them, an interactive map, a SATs-format paper, or a year-by-year guide, nothing here contradicts anything else.
- SPaG covers 43 topics from Year 1 to the Year 6 SATs and the 11+.
- Start with the free interactive SPaG map: all 43 topics on seven colour-coded lines, no sign-up.
- Also free: a 2026 SATs-format paper, a scaled score calculator, a glossary and Year 1 to 6 guides.
- Revise one topic at a time rather than all of SPaG at once.
The interactive SPaG map
All 43 topics on one map, grouped into seven colour-coded lines. Tap any station for a plain-English definition, real examples and a practice question.
Free, no sign-up.
More free SPaG tools
Everything below draws on the same 43 topics as the map.
Free SPaG SATs paper (2026)
Real test-format practice, Paper 1 and Paper 2, marked instantly online.
Try the paper →Year 6 SPaG test & revision
Every topic Year 6 needs, in order, with what actually gets tested.
Start Year 6 SPaG →SPaG SATs score calculator
Turn a raw mark into the real 2026 scaled score, instantly.
Use the calculator →SPaG glossary
All 43 terms explained in plain English, alphabetised for quick reference.
Browse the glossary →What "SPaG" actually covers
SPaG is not one skill, it is 43 of them bundled under one name.
- Spelling · prefixes, suffixes, homophones and word families
- Punctuation · from full stops to semicolons
- Sentences · simple, compound, complex, relative clauses
- Grammar · nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, determiners
- Standard English & verb tenses
- Linking words · the connectives that hold longer writing together
Trying to revise all of it at once is why SPaG feels overwhelming. Doing it one topic at a time is exactly what the map is built for.
SPaG resources FAQ
What does SPaG stand for?+
SPaG stands for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar. It is the name used for this part of the English curriculum in UK primary schools, and it is tested formally in the Year 6 SATs (the English grammar, punctuation and spelling test) and informally throughout most 11+ English papers.
Is the SPaG test hard, and is it compulsory?+
Yes, it is statutory. Since 2013 the grammar, punctuation and spelling test has been a compulsory part of the Year 6 KS2 SATs for every state-maintained primary school in England, alongside Reading and Maths (independent schools are not required to sit any of the three).
Whether it feels hard usually comes down to how familiar your child is with the specific grammar terms it uses, spotting a subordinate clause or a fronted adverbial is a skill you can practise, not a fixed ability.
What age or year group is SPaG tested in?+
SPaG is formally, nationally tested at the end of Year 6, as part of the KS2 SATs. It also comes up throughout the National Curriculum from Year 1 onwards, building in complexity each year, and it is a regular feature of 11+ English papers, which children usually sit in Year 5 or Year 6.
How can I help my child with SPaG at home?+
Little and often beats long sessions. Pick one topic at a time, read the plain-English definition together, look at a couple of real examples, then try a handful of practice questions.
The interactive SPaG map below is built exactly for this: 43 topics, one at a time, each with a real question you can do together in a couple of minutes.
Sources
- Key stage 2: assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA) — Standards and Testing Agency, GOV.UK, confirms the GPS test is statutory for maintained schools, academies and free schools.
- National curriculum in England: English programmes of study — Department for Education, GOV.UK, see English appendix 2: vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.
- Key stage 2 tests: 2026 English grammar, punctuation and spelling test materials — Standards and Testing Agency, GOV.UK, published 22 May 2026.
The Pip team builds Pip, the 11+ and KS2 practice app for children in years three to six. We write these guides from real exam formats and past papers.
