As you may be aware, around May, Year 2 will be sitting a number of Standard Assessment Tests (SATs). These are tests the school use to monitor progress and will contribute towards end of year grades. These assessments consists of 6 papers. Down below are last years SATs papers and the 2024 papers. If you have any free time at home, please have a look at these with your child and answer some of the questions. I have also attached the mark schemes with the answers on.
2025 SATs Papers
Reading
There are two reading papers. Paper 1 consists of short extracts with questions the hildren need to answer based on these extracts. Paper 2 consists of two booklets – one booklet containing longer extracts for the children to read and another booklet for the children to answer questions on based on the extracts from the other booklet. Both booklets will be at hand at the same time for children to refer back to when answering the questions.
Maths
There are also two papers for maths. Paper 1 is an arithmetic paper. Paper 2 is a reasoning paper.
English
English has two papers relating to spelling, punctuation and grammer. Paper 1 consists of two booklets. One booklet is a spelling answering booklet which is what the children will have. The other booklet is what the teaching will have containing the words for the children to have. The teacher will read the words for the children for the children to write in their answer booklet. Paper 2 is then a more general English paper the children will have to answer independently.
2024 SATs Papers
Reading
There are two reading papers. Paper 1 consists of short extracts with questions the hildren need to answer based on these extracts. Paper 2 consists of two booklets – one booklet containing longer extracts for the children to read and another booklet for the children to answer questions on based on the extracts from the other booklet. Both booklets will be at hand at the same time for children to refer back to when answering the questions.
Maths
There are also two papers for maths. Paper 1 is an arithmetic paper. Paper 2 is a reasoning paper.
English
English has two papers relating to spelling, punctuation and grammer. Paper 1 consists of two booklets. One booklet is a spelling answering booklet which is what the children will have. The other booklet is what the teaching will have containing the words for the children to have. The teacher will read the words for the children for the children to write in their answer booklet. Paper 2 is then a more general English paper the children will have to answer independently.
How to use these materials at home
The most effective way to use past papers at home is to keep the experience calm, supportive, and focused on learning rather than getting everything right. Here are some simple tips:
- Choose a good time: Pick a moment when your child is well-rested and able to concentrate—short sessions (15–20 minutes) often work best.
- Create a quiet space: Try to mimic a classroom feel with minimal distractions, so they can focus fully.
- Work in small chunks: Instead of completing a full paper in one go, break it into sections to keep it manageable and avoid overwhelm.
- Let your child try independently first: Give them time to think and attempt questions on their own before stepping in.
- Support, don’t lead: If they get stuck, guide them with prompts like “What do you already know?” rather than giving the answer straight away.
- Go through answers together: Talk about both correct and incorrect answers—understanding mistakes is where a lot of learning happens.
- Keep it positive: Praise effort and perseverance, not just correct answers, to build confidence.
- Stop if needed: If your child becomes tired or frustrated, it’s better to pause and come back later.
When your child does not know an answer, guide them through it, showing them how to get to the answer instead of just telling them – this is where learning happens!