Year 6 is when SPaG gets tested formally: a 45-minute grammar and punctuation paper worth 50 marks, and a 20-mark spelling paper, both sat on the Monday of KS2 SATs week. This page lays out exactly what Year 6 SPaG covers, grouped the same way the test is, so revision has a shape instead of feeling like all of English grammar at once.
- Year 6 SPaG is two papers: grammar and punctuation (45 minutes, 50 marks) and spelling (about 20 minutes, 20 marks).
- Both are sat on the Monday of SATs week: Monday 10 May 2027 for next year's cohort.
- It covers all 43 SPaG topics across 7 strands, and children need to know the grammar terms by name.
- Results are a scaled score from 80 to 120. 100 or more meets the expected standard, which was a raw mark of 34 to 36 out of 70 in 2026.
- 74% of pupils met the expected standard in 2026.
When and how it's tested
Every topic Year 6 SPaG covers
Grouped into the same seven strands the test itself groups them by. Tap any topic to open it on the interactive map, with a definition, examples and a practice question.
Vocabulary & Spelling
Punctuation
Sentences
Verb Forms & Tenses
Practise every topic above, free
The interactive SPaG map has all 43 Year 6 topics in one place, one practice question each, marked instantly. For reading and maths too, our guide to preparing for Year 6 SATs has a term-by-term plan.
What a good Year 6 SPaG score looks like
Results are reported as a scaled score from 80 to 120. A score of 100 or more means your child met the expected standard for Year 6 SPaG.
In 2026, a raw mark of 34 to 36 out of 70 earned the expected standard, and 55 out of 70 earned the higher standard (scaled score 110). Nationally, 74% of pupils met the expected standard in 2026, up from 73% in 2025.
There is no pass or fail as such, the scaled score is one part of the fuller picture schools use alongside teacher assessment. Use our SPaG score calculator for the exact scaled score for any raw mark.
Year 6 SPaG FAQ
What SPaG topics does Year 6 cover?+
All 43: seven strands, Vocabulary & Spelling, Punctuation, Sentences, Grammar, Standard English, Verb Forms & Tenses, and Linking Words. By Year 6 your child should recognise every one of them by name, not just use them correctly by instinct, since the SATs test the terminology directly.
Is the Year 6 SPaG test hard?+
It rewards knowing the vocabulary of grammar precisely, what a subordinate clause is, which word is the determiner, more than it rewards general writing ability. That makes it very practisable: a child who is shaky on grammar terms but drills them topic by topic usually improves faster here than in reading comprehension, where progress is slower and less linear.
When is the Year 6 SPaG SATs?+
The SPaG papers were sat on Monday 11 May 2026, the first day of KS2 SATs week. For 2027, GOV.UK's confirmed timetable has them on Monday 10 May 2027, with English reading the next day and Maths on the Wednesday and Thursday.
How should we revise for Year 6 SPaG?+
One topic at a time, not a general read-through. Pick a topic from the map below, read the definition, look at the examples, then answer a question.
Ten minutes on one topic beats an hour skimming all 43. Come back to a topic a few days later to check it has stuck.
Sources
- 2026 key stage 2 scaled score conversion tables — Standards and Testing Agency, GOV.UK, published 16 July 2026.
- Key stage 2 attainment: National headlines, 2025/26 — Department for Education, updated 10 September 2026.
- Primary assessments: future dates — Standards and Testing Agency and Department for Education, GOV.UK.
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.
