Year 1 is where SPaG starts: naming sentences, full stops and capital letters, and the first suffixes and prefixes. There is no formal SPaG test in Year 1, this page is simply every topic your child meets this year, in one place.
- Year 1 covers 9 of the 43 SPaG topics, across 5 of the 7 strands.
- The big ones: full stops and capital letters, question and exclamation marks, and the first prefixes and suffixes.
- There is no formal SPaG test in Year 1. The only compulsory one is in Year 6.
- Revise one topic at a time: a few minutes on one topic beats a long session skimming everything.
Every SPaG topic Year 1 covers
Grouped by strand. Tap any topic to open it on the interactive map, with a definition, examples and a practice question.
Sentences
Grammar
Verb Forms & Tenses
Practise every topic above, free
The interactive SPaG map has all of Year 1's topics in one place, one practice question each, marked instantly.
Year 1 SPaG FAQ
What SPaG topics does Year 1 cover?+
9 of the 43 total SPaG topics, spread across 5 of the seven strands. 9 of them are typically introduced for the first time in Year 1, building on what earlier years covered.
Is SPaG tested in Year 1?+
Not with a formal government test. Only Year 6 sits the compulsory, nationally reported SPaG SATs (Year 2 has a non-statutory version).
Teachers do assess SPaG throughout Year 1 as part of normal class work, and if your child is preparing for the 11+, some of these topics can come up in papers from Year 5 onwards.
How should we revise for SPaG at home?+
One topic at a time, not a general read-through. Pick a topic from the map below, read the plain-English definition together, look at the examples, then try the practice question.
A few minutes on one topic beats a long session skimming everything.
Sources
- National curriculum in England: English programmes of study — Department for Education, GOV.UK, see English appendix 2: vocabulary, grammar and punctuation. Year 1's topics on this page are staged against this statutory, year-by-year programme of study.
- Key stage 2: assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA) — Standards and Testing Agency, GOV.UK, confirms the compulsory, nationally reported GPS test is only at the end of Year 6.
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.
